Richie Woodhall meets 'Hitman' Tommy Hearns
Telford's Richie Woodhall interviewed another of his boxing heroes when Tommy Hearns was the star attraction across the West Midlands.
Shropshire's own former WBC world super middleweight champion has now posed the questions to three of the 'Four Kings' in Bar Sport's Premier Suite, Cannock.
Hearns followed 'Sugar' Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran to Scott Murray's venue while Marvin Hagler is due to visit them next year, writes Craig Birch.
Woodhall has played a supporting role in all instances, also sharing a mic with former world heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield last year.
The 46-year-old idolised the ring greats when he started out on his own path to stardom and was like an awestruck teenager again in their company.
He said: "It's a great bonus for me to be able to spend time with these fighters, because the people I am interviewing were fighters I grew up with as a kid.
"They are heroes of my sport, so to get to meet them all down the years is a dream come true. I really enjoy it.
"I have studied their careers, watched them develop and become world champions, that's where I wanted to be and I managed to get there myself.
"Hearns has got to be up there with the best and, in that era, he was one of four who I consider to be some of the greatest fighters ever.
"They weren't just middleweights, they went up the weight divisions while still retaining power. And Hearns was the biggest hitter of them all."
Woodhall is still at the forefront of Britain's televised boxing as a pundit on Sky Sports but retains strong local links, serving as president of Wellington Boxing Academy.
He said: "If it wasn't for my media work, I probably would have drifted away from the game after boxing. It's been another career for me."
