Ronald Hearns, the son of legendary Thomas "Hitman" Hearns will get a shot at the middleweight championship that his father held 23 years ago. He'll have to go a long way to do it. Hearns will be fighting WBA champion Felix Sturm in his backyard in Germany on February 19. This will be Hearns' toughest test by far. Sturm has held the title since 2007 and has one of the best chins out there. And for those that forget, there were others who felt Sturm was robbed against Oscar De La Hoya back in 2004.
Even though Hearns boasts an impressive record with 20 knockouts in his 27 fights (26-1), but Hearns is not ranked in the WBA top 15 and hasn't beaten anyone of note in his career. Many feel that Sturm is taking this fight so he doesn't have to face the top middleweights in the game (Sergio Martinez,Paul Williams). It's what you would call a safe fight. On his home turf against an unheralded opponent.
It's a big opportunity for Hearns. It'll be tough but he does have a puncher's chance to win. Only if he had Manny Steward in his corner and can avoid getting hit with a big shot, I'd have a lot more confidence in Hearns to go into enemy territory to come out with a win. In his only loss to Harry Joe Yorgey he was knocked out in the ninth round. Even though he exhibits his dad's punching power, he also has his suspect chin. I wish the best of luck to Ronald.
