By Ted Sares, Photos by Tom Casino/SHOWTIME – In a battle of Detroit vs. Philadelphia (but fought in Miami, Oklahoma), undefeated Blue Horizon favorite Harry Joe Yorgey (22-0-10) finally caught up with unbeaten Ronald “The Chosen One” Hearns (21-0 coming in). The end came at the 2.59 mark of the ninth round as Yorgey finished matters with a strong right hand that sent Hearns to the canvas in a dangerous way as his head bounced off the canvas in a whip saw manner.
In the fourth stanza, both fighters hit the deck, but Hearn’s cage was rattled more than Yorgey’s. Then in the fifth, Harry Joe, not known as a heavy puncher, landed a big right that sent Hearns to the canvas face first. However, showing lots of heart, he managed to get up and finish the round–but barely. However, it was clear Yorgey was the hungrier fighter with more at stake. At 31 years of age and four kids, it was do or die and he was determined to do..
After three fairly close rounds, Yorgey iced “The Chosen One” at the very end of the ninth. Perhaps the fact he had gone more rounds than Hearns may have been a factor, as Ronald had never gone beyond eight rounds before. Yorgey, however, had gone 12 in his last tiff and 30 in his last three.
The extremely well-trained and focused Yorgey defeated beaten previously unbeaten Jason “The Hammer” LeHoullier in his last outing to capture both the vacant IBF International light middleweight title and vacant IBF North American Light Middleweight Title. This bout was for the vacant International Boxing Association Intercontinental light middleweight title. In 2006, he suffered three knock downs and a broken nose in a bloody closet classic extraordinaire against Jeremy Yelton which Yorgey won by a UD. All one needs to do to learn about Yorgey is research this incredible fight that somehow flew under the radar.
This win propels Yorgey, who thus far has never left the ring as a loser,
into the mix as a contender for a world title. As for Ronald Hearns, the son of boxing legend Tommy Hearns, this was a crushing defeat. He now must go back to the drawing board and assess his options which, of course, have now narrowed.
Postscript: Harry Joe dedicated this fight to a young lady who has been diagnosed with this deadly disease. In January of 2008, at the age of 22, Shannon Yoder was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of cancer called Desmoplastic Small Round Cell Tumor. More info on Shannon, other donations to help pay for her medical and travel expenses can be made here:
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/shannonyoder www.harryyorgey.net