ESPN – “I wish I could really articulate just how tired, how exhausted I was — and he was too,” Leonard said. “It became a fast pace, the tempo, we were throwing shots and we were throwing combinations.”
Going into the 10th round, Leonard had closed the gap on the scorecards, but Hearns was still leading 87-84 on two judges’ tallies and 86-85 on the third.
But that’s when Hearns found another gear and his legs returned, rendering Leonard ineffective at the end of his jab.
“I said, ‘Who the hell taught him this? What the hell?” Leonard said. “He’s not known for that. And he started moving and dancing, and I’m like, ‘whoa, man,’ but I kept a poker face.”
Leonard’s visibly swollen left eye was becoming increasingly more of a slit at the end of Round 11, the result of taking so many of Hearns’ sharp jabs. What was a relatively minor inconvenience in the early stages was now a major issue in the championship rounds….
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