Thomas Hearns Speaks Out After Guardianship Ruling

Over the past two days, some troubling news has been coming out of Detroit, home of course of the great Thomas Hearns. During a legal battle that went headlong into court days ago, we have now learned that the 67-year-old all-time great has been placed under guardianship and conservatorship, with Tommy’s son Ronald now in charge of his father’s medical and financial decisions.

In a nutshell, different sides of the former (and forever) champ’s family have been accused of attempting to control his movements and even use him for financial gain. Some members of Hearns’ family were even accused of kidnapping the former multi-weight champion.

Judge Daniel O’Brien ruled after the case was brought before him back in February, with Hearn’s whereabouts unknown at the time.

“I am ordering you to tell me where Thomas Hearns is,” O’Brien said to Natasha Barnes, one of Hearns’ daughters. Hearns was not at the address that was finally provided in court, this by Barnes’ mother.

In the end, it was agreed and ruled that Ronald Hearns would be placed in charge of his father’s care and finances. Worryingly for “The Hitman’s” many millions of fans and admirers is the fact that boxing’s ugly word – dementia – was cited during the case. But Hearns, a born fighter and champion, went on TV station WXYZ in Detroit, and the living legend, who recently underwent hip replacement surgery, insisted he is “fine.”

“I’m fine. I want the world to know that I’m doing fine,” Hearns said. “I feel good. I just want things to just be calm and good, and just move smoothly.”

Tommy, who has a heart as big outside of the ring as the one he regularly displayed inside it, has been taken advantage of, according to attorney Wolf Mueller. In further unsettling news regarding the case, it was reported that officials were “suspicious” of a recent GoFundMe online fundraiser for Hearns, allegedly set up by his sister, Louise, who did not appear in court.

Sadly, Hearns’s home was lost to tax foreclosure recently, and the former king of the ring now lives with his son Ronald, who also boxed at the pro level.

Ronald summed things up best when he said the following:

“My dad is a great man, has a big heart, and for him to be going through this type of situation at this time in his life is terrible,” Ronald said. “Just keep praying for my dad and the family as we move forward in our lives. That’s my main goal, to make sure that he’s enjoying his life and nobody else can hurt him in any kind of way, financially, physically, or mentally.”

All we millions of Thomas Hearns fans can do at this time is hope Ronald Hearns is able to make good on his goal. Thomas Hearns deserves nothing less.