Page 16-Wednesday, July 30, 1980-The Michigan Daily
EYES OF DETROIT ON 'HIT MAN'
0
By
DETR
Latin-Ar
yesterd
welterw
work oi
didn't ca
has been
his title
Cuevas no pushover or Hearns
BUDDY MOOREHOUSE AFTER CUEVAS leftthe crowd in toe-to-toe, then the fight could g
B OorEHsE te CUEkAu room , to grow e- Lemonth in Montreal. But Duran, other way. Right now, Hearns' bid
A-DaySports Analysis the workout room began to grow, ex- neutralizing Leonard's speed by enemy is not the little Mexican
OIT - The predominantly pecting Hearns to show up at 2 p.m. But fighting in close, brought the WBC belt rather the over-confidence of t
merican crowd that showed up at about 2:15, the restless group was in- back to Panama with him. around him.
ay to watch its hero, WBA formed that the "Motor City Cobra" If the fight goes the way it should, If Hearns is to bring the conce
eight champ Pipino Cuevas, had decided to work out at Kronk Hearns will win. He has a five-inch athletic pride back to Detroit, he
ut at Cobo Arena apparently Recreation, his home gym. So, disap- height advantage and an 11-inch reach fight Cuevas his way, and usf
are that the 23-year-old Mexican pointed, they slowly filed out, some of advantage over Cuevas. He is a physical advantages to their fulle
established as the underdog in them heading for Kronk and a chance to superior boxer. But if Cuevas negates he doesn't, then there might be qu
bout with Detroit's Thomas see the favored challenger. those advantages by fighting Hearns few disappointed Detroiters aroun
o the
ggest
, but
those
pt of
must
e his
st. If
uite a
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Hearns this Saturday.
Many in the crowd of approximately
200 that showed up to watch Cuevas'
workout shouted "Pipino! Pipino!" as
the fiesty Mexican went through his
fight preparations. There was no
mistake in their mind as to who the
winner would be on Saturday.
SOME OF Cuevas' supporters were
even unsure as to who Tommy Hearns
is. One Spanish-speaking gentleman,
watching two unknowns spar after
Cuevas had finished, inquired, "Which
one is Hearns?" What made the
question even more ludicrous was the
fact that neither fighter was black.
But there was no mistaking who was
the champion. The crowd watched in-
tently as Cuevas went through his
routine, which was anything but ex-
citing.-In addition to the usual sparring,
Cuevas spent a great deal of time boun-
cing a small, black ball - an exercise
that helps his coordination.
After concluding his 50-minute
workout, Cuevas went through the
crowd shaking hands, signing
autographs and posing for pictures,
much to the delight of his admirers. The
presence of Cuevas in Detroit is a treat
for the city's Latin community, as the
champion is the number one sports
celebrity inMexico.
Hearns has been established by the
Las Vegas -oddsmakers as a solid 8-5
favorite going into the fight, based
primarily on his record of 28 wins (26 by
knockout) against no losses. It is
probably a spread that is well deserved,
but one must still realize that Hearns is
not assured of winning the fight.
The mood in the area of late has been
that Cuevas has no business being in the
same ring as the man dubbed "The Hit
Man." Most Detroit-area sports en-
thusiasts, so hungry for a champion
from the Motor City, are virtually
positive that Hearns will win. Not only
will he win, they say, but he will knock
Pipino into next week.
WELL, SPORTS fans, remember
that Cuevas didn't become the
titleholder by getting knocked out. He
has held onto the crown since 1976,
when he took it from Ernesto Espada.
And he is not about to give his belt to
Tommy Hearns without making him
earn it. Cuevas is a tough, aggressive
boxer with a good left hook. If he suc-
ceeds in getting the 16-foot ring that he
has been demanding for the bout, then
the matchup could be much closer than
some people anticipate.
Keep in mind that Sugar Ray
Leonard was an 8-5 favorite over
Roberto Duran before their fight last
Grieh blasts hop
Bengals by 7-0
I
a
DETROIT (AP) - Bobby Grich
drove in six runs with a pair of home
runs - one a grand slam to lead the
California Angels to a 7-0 victory over
the Detroit Tigers last night behind the
four-hit pitching of Fred Martinez and
Andy Hassler.
Don Baylor worked Detroit starter
Bruce Robbins, 1-2, for a leadoff walk in
the second inning and stole second
before Grich's ninth homer of the
season, a one-out shot into the upper
right field stands.
Carney Lansford drilled a two-out
bases-empty homer, his 10th, into the
upper left field seats in the third.
. In the fifth, Dickie Thon and Baylor
singled, and Joe Rudi drew a two-out
walk to load the bases before Roger
Weaver relieved Robbins. Grich then
blasted an 0-1 pitch into the lower left
field seats for his third career grand
slam and his first since joining the
Angelsas a free agent in 1977.
Fred Martinez, 2-3, snapped a per-
sonal three-game losing streak,
allowing all four Detroit hits in 6% in-
nings before giving way to Hassler.
The Tigers, who started the week in
second place in the American League
East, have lost three games ina row.
SCORES
American League
California 7, Detroito
Cleveand 7,Seattle 2
Minneota3New York 2
National League
Montreal4, Cincinnati i
New York2,Atlanta
Philadelphia9,Houston6
He's . .
Seattle Mariner Bruce Bochte, a former Indian, slides easily past the tag of
Cleveland catcher Bo Diaz in the fourth inning of last night's ballgame at
Municipal Stadium. It wasn't nearly enough, however, as the Tribe rode two
Mike IHargrove home runs to their seventh straight triumph, 7-2. Cleveland
hurlers Dan -Spillner (8-8) and Sid Monge combined to pitch eight-hit ball.
. in there!
Seattle moundsman Rich Honeycutt, who enjoyed a superb 6-0 start to the 1980
campaign, dropped his 10th in 12 decisions for an 8-10 slate. In the National
League, Montreal defeated Cincinnati, 4-1, New York nipped Atlanta, 2-1, and
Philadelphia handled Houston, 9-6. And in Detroit last night...well...