Gordie Russ II of Detroit loosens up during a Detroit Brawl boxing event, Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Dearborn, Mich. His last fight in Detroit, though, was nearly a decade ago in the Cobo Center Ballroom. The 32-year-old Harrison, who was managed early in his career by famed trainer Emanuel Steward, had his fourth fight at the MotorCity Casino. Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) is fighting Australian Tim Tszyu (21-0, 15-0 KOs) on Sunday, March 12, 2023, in Sydney for the vacant WBO 154-pound title.įormer champion Tony Harrison (29-3-1, 21 KOs) is fighting Australian Tim Tszyu (21-0, 15-0 KOs) on Sunday in Sydney for the vacant WBO 154-pound title. FILE- World Boxing Council's Junior Middleweight champion Tony Harrison, left, stands with former boxer Thomas 'The Hitman' Hearns during the second half of an NBA basketball game between the Detroit Pistons and the Utah Jazz, Saturday, Jan. The best active boxer from Detroit is fighting this weekend on the other side of the world because his hometown does not host big-time bouts these days. The bad news for the event, and for Detroit's once-fabled boxing scene in general, was that Hearns was easily the biggest name on hand. 'I like what I'm seeing,' Hearns told The Associated Press between fights on an 11-bout card.

Watching from a front-row seat was Thomas Hearns, the revered fighter known as 'The Hitman.' Now 64, he was hailed by the approximately 2,000 fans when hightlights were shown of his career that included titles in five weight classes. But boxing is still here, if at a smaller scale. These days, the city and the sport are fighting to get up off the mat. By the time Thomas 'The Hitman' Hearns was done throwing his feared right hand in 2006, the city had taken so many blows over the decades that its population was knocked down and out of the country's top 20 towns. Gordie Russ II of Detroit is hugged after winning his bout during a Detroit Brawl boxing event, Saturday, March 5, 2022, in Dearborn, Mich. A few laughs, too, when a fighter's vomit stopped one bout and another was delayed because a competitor failed to put on a protective cup. Detroit boxing scene fighting to make comeback to relevance 02:58ĭETROIT (AP) - Inside the MotorCity Casino one recent night, there were roars from the crowd as boxer after boxer was knocked out.

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