Yorgey takes Hearns deep, and
puts him to sleep.
By Mike Cassell
March 29, 2009
(MAR 29)MIAMI OKLAHOMA – Respect in the
sport of boxing cannot be earned with a name. Light middleweight
contender Ronald Hearns 21 – 1 (17 KO’s) found that out very quickly on
Saturday night when he met Philadelphia fighter Lightning Harry Joe
Yorgey. Yorgey entered the ring with an undefeated professional record
of 21 – 0 (9 KO’s), and more than sixty amateur fights under his belt.
The crafty “club fighter” as the Showtime boys referred to him a bit
impolitely, showed them and the world exactly what Philadelphia fighting
is all about.
Yorgey came out early, showing angles,
moving beautifully against the rangy Hearns. He made Hearns fight
smaller, making the bigger man chase a ghost, with a wide stance, and
crouched position. Hearns was in a fight, and there was no way out.
Yorgey does it right. He brings you into his world, and then locks the
door so you can’t leave.
By round four, it was apparent that Yorgey has much more power than he
ever received credit for. He pounded Hearns with a laser right hand
seemingly at will. Hearns had little to no answer.
His punches were wide and sloppy,
allowing the more skilled fighter in Yorgey to capitalize on the
inexperience of Hearns. Yorgey and Hearns went to the canvas in Round
four, but Hearns was obviously the more beaten of the two fighters, as
Yorgey landed a devastating right hand in the following round, dropping
Hearns to the canvas, face first. As the fight progressed it became
apparent that the deeper Hearns went, the weaker and slower he became.
Yorgey waited patiently for his
opportunity, and in round nine, he attacked one with a furious flurry,
that proved to be too much for Hearns, and he hit the canvas again in
the final seconds of the round. He got to one knee, and looked wearily
to his father in the crowd as referee Steve Smoger counted him out.
We learned two things in MIAMI Oklahoma. Ronald Hearns is a nice guy,
but he is no Tommy Hearns, and Harry Joe Yorgey is no club fighter. This
is a thirty one year old man on a mission to win a world title. He
doesn’t want the easy fights, and he will not go quietly into the night.
If you have to face this man, you better bring it hard, strong and fast
or he will leave you lying on the canvas.
He has found his mojo at exactly the
right time in his career, and he is seemingly ready to grab a world
title. The big question is, who has the balls enough to give this tough
Philly contender a shot? We may find out soon, because there are
fighters out there who still doubt the fury of Yorgey. If that is the
case, lightning will strike again.
