Hearns Regales GIs in Mideast

Former boxing champion Thomas (Hit Man) Hearns entertained U.S. troops today with verbal jabs and mock sparring at the start of an eight-day World USO tour.

Hearns autographed helmet liners and shook hands to boost morale of soldiers deployed in Saudi Arabia as part of Operation Desert Shield.

“It was good for me. But I still want to go home and I would have liked to have met him in the States,” said Staff Sgt. Timothy (Bull) Lewis, 27, of Philadelphia.

U.S. Marine Staff Sgt. Jeff Greene, 27, of Tallahassee, Fla., squared off against Hearns in a boxing ring in front of an Air Force hangar.

“I had him on the ropes,” Greene joked. “I could have took him out easily, but I couldn’t see myself inflicting bodily harm on him. He was here for the morale of us.”