Date: December 1980

Cover: Thomas Hearns

What’s So Important About This Issue? Besides the fact that it featured one of the decade’s most popular fighters, the photo of Hearns wearing a fedora and a pinstripe suit and holding a machine gun has become one of the most famous covers in The Ring’s lengthy history. The prop Hearns held in staff photographer Jack Goodman’s photo was a toy version of an M-16 semiautomatic rifle purchased especially for the photo shoot at a Manhattan department store.

Cover Story: “Thomas Hearns: The ‘Hit Man’ Takes Out A Contract On Three Crowns” by Mike O’Hara was written shortly after Hearns’ spectacular splattering of Pipino Cuevas to win the WBA welterweight title. The two fighters in his sights were Roberto Duran and Ray Leonard, both of whom Hearns eventually fought with mixed results. Accompanying the cover story was a cartoon by Charlie McGill that celebrated Hearns’ emergence as a star.

Also In This Issue: “Holmes-Ali: The Night ‘The Greatest’ Was Anything But” by Bert Randolph Sugar … “Duran-Leonard II: Duran And Leonard Tell How They’ll Win,” twin stories predicting different outcomes by rivals Roberto Duran and Ray Leonard … “Mustafa Hamsho: Syrian-Bred, American-Based” by Joe Tintle … “The Fighting Irish: Billy Conn And Art Rooney In A Verbal Donnybrook” by Jim O’Brian … Fighter of the Month: Marvin Hagler.

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