Marvelous Marvin Hagler

Marvelous Marvin Hagler
Born	(1954-05-23) May 23, 1954 Newark, New Jersey, United States
Nationality	American
Statistics
Weight(s)	Middleweight
Height	5 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1.77 m)
Reach	75 in (191 cm)
Stance	Ambidextrous
Boxing record
Total fights	67
Wins	62
Wins by KO	52
Losses	3
Draws	2
No contests	0

Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler, in Newark, New Jersey, May 23, 1954), is a former professional boxer who was undisputed world middleweight champion between 1980 and 1987. Hagler holds the distinction of having the highest KO% of all middleweight champions at 78%. In 1982, upset that network announcers often did not refer to him by his nickname of "Marvelous", Hagler legally changed his name from "Marvin Nathaniel Hagler" to "Marvelous Marvin Hagler".

Hagler is an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. In 2002 he was named the 17th greatest fighter of the past 80 years by Ring Magazine. The International Boxing Research Organisation (IBRO) rates Hagler as the sixth greatest middleweight of all time. Boxrec rates Hagler the fifth best middleweight of all time.

Early life and amateur career

Hagler was raised by his mother in Newark, New Jersey's Central Ward. During the summer of 1967, the Newark Riots occurred July 12–17. Twenty-six people were killed and $11 million worth of property damage was caused by the disorder, which included the destruction of the Hagler family tenement. Following the riots, the Haglers moved to Brockton, Massachusetts where Hagler soon began boxing training at the Petronelli brothers' gym in 1969. In 1973, Hagler became the National AAU 165-pound champion after defeating Terry Dobbs of Atlanta.

Professional career

Hagler was a # 1 ranked middleweight boxer for many years before he could fight for the title. He often had to travel to his opponents' hometowns to get fights. He lost decisions to Willie Monroe and Bobby 'Boogaloo' Watts.

Hagler avenged his 2 defeats by knocking out Monroe and Watts in rematches, and won a 10-round decision over Bennie Briscoe. By then, promoter Bob Arum took notice and signed him.

In November 1979, Hagler fought World Middleweight Champion Vito Antuofermo at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. After fifteen rounds, most thought that Hagler had won. Referee Mills Lane directed Hagler to turn and face the television cameras. "Congratulations," he said. "Now stay facing this way until they announce the decision and I raise your arm." Hagler and many others were surprised when the decision was announced as a draw and Antuofermo retained his title. This only added to Hagler's frustrations.

Antuofermo lost his title later to Alan Minter, who gave Hagler his second title shot. Hagler went to London and won the fight in the 3rd round by a TKO, after Minter got cut. At the conclusion of this bout a riot broke out, and Hagler and his trainers had to be carried away to their locker rooms by the police, in the middle of a rain of beer bottles and glasses.

Hagler proved a busy world champion, and he defeated future world champion Fulgencio Obelmejias of Venezuela by a knockout in 8 rounds, and then former world champ Antuofermo in a rematch by TKO in 4 rounds. Both matches were fought at the Boston Garden near Hagler's hometown, endearing him to Boston fight fans. Mustafa Hamsho, who would later defeat future world champion Bobby Czyz, followed, and the Syrian fighter was beaten in 11 rounds. Michigan fighter William "Caveman" Lee lasted only 1 round, and in a rematch in Italy, Obelmejias lasted 5 rounds. British champion Tony Sibson followed in Hagler's list of unsuccessful challengers, falling in 6 rounds, and Wilford Scypion went in 4. By then, Hagler was a staple on HBO, the Pay Per View of its time.

Fight against Roberto Durán

A fight against Roberto Durán followed, and Duran was the first challenger to last the distance with Hagler in a world championship bout. Duran was the WBA light middleweight champion and went up in weight to challenge for Hagler's middleweight crown. Hagler won a unanimous 15-round decision, although after 12 rounds two of the judges had Durán ahead in a tough contest. Hagler fought tenaciously over the final three rounds to earn a unanimous decision.

he was a great guy.

Defenses

Then came Juan Roldán of Argentina, who became the only man to be credited with a knockdown of Hagler, scoring one knockdown seconds into the fight. Hagler protested bitterly that he had been pulled/pushed to the canvas and HBO replay clearly showed that he had indeed been pulled down. Hagler took his revenge though, brutalizing Roldan over ten rounds and stopping him in the middle of round ten. Sugar Ray Leonard was calling the fight ringside with HBO analyst Barry Tompkins. He noted to Tompkins between rounds that Hagler looked older and slower. "Marvin might finaly be slowing down, Barry". Leonard remarked. Many people believe this is the fight that gave Sugar Ray Leonard the idea that he could actually win a fight with the aging Hagler. Hamsho was given a rematch, but the South American was again TKO'd, this time in 3 rounds. Hamsho angered Hagler with a trio of intentional headbutts in the second round and a fourth early in the third, goading the normally patient and cautious Hagler into a full-out attack that left Hamsho battered and defensless in a matter of seconds.

Thomas Hearns

On April 15, 1985, Hagler and Thomas Hearns met in what was billed as The Fight; later it would become known as The War. Hagler, despite a cut to the head and being covered in blood, managed to overpower Hearns in the third round after a glancing right hand followed by two more rights and a left, scoring a decisive knockout. The first round of Hagler v Hearns is one of the best three minutes boxing in middleweight history as the two fighters stand toe to toe trading blows. Rounds two and three cannot live up to the first, as Hearns broke his hand in the first round, but are still very competitive, the fight only lasts eight minutes but it is rightly regarded as a classic.

Hagler vs Mugabi

Next was John Mugabi of Uganda, who was 26-0 with 26 knockouts and an Olympic silver medalist. The fight was fought on 10 March 1986 as Hagler had hurt his back and could not fight on the first date booked in 1985. Hagler stopped Mugabi in the 11th round of a brutal fight. Many ringside observers, including analyst Gil Clancy, noticed that Hagler was showing signs of advanced ring wear and age. He was much slower of hand and foot and seemed much easier to hit. He had also completely morphed his ring style from a slick, quick-fisted, boxer/puncher to a strictly flat-footed, stalking slugger to compensate for his loss of speed and reflexes.

Sugar Ray Leonard

"Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard‎" redirects here. For other uses, see Marvin Hagler vs. Sugar Ray Leonard‎ (disambiguation).

Hagler's next challenger was Sugar Ray Leonard, who was returning to the ring after a three-year retirement. During the pre-fight negotiations, in return for granting Hagler a larger share of the purse Leonard obtained several conditions which would be crucial to his strategy; a large ring (24x24ft), 12oz gloves and the fight was to be over 12 - not 15 - rounds. After the fight it also emerged that Leonard engaged in several real fights behind closed doors in preparation. Hagler, the natural middleweight and the more active fighter, was a heavy betting favorite. The fight took place at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 6, 1987.

Many were surprised that Hagler, a natural southpaw, opened the fight boxing out of an orthodox stance. After the quick and slick Leonard won the first two rounds on all three scorecards, Hagler started the third round as a southpaw. Hagler did better, but Leonard's superior speed and boxing skill kept him in the fight. By the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. As he tired Leonard began to clinch with more frequency (in total referee Richard Steele gave him over 30 warnings for holding, although never deducted a point). Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. Hagler continued to score effectively in round six. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and run less. However, he was able to outpunch Hagler along the ropes and got the better of several bristling exchanges. In rounds seven and eight, Hagler's southpaw jab was landing solidly and Leonard's counter flurries were less frequent. Round nine was the most exciting round of the fight. Hagler hurt Leonard with a left cross and pinned him in a corner. Leonard looked to be in trouble, but he furiously fought his way out of the corner. The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments. Round ten was tame by comparison, as the pace slowed after the furious action of the previous round. Despite Leonard's obvious fatigue, he boxed well in the eleventh. Every time Hagler scored, Leonard came back with something flashier, if not as effective. In the final round, Hagler continued to chase Leonard. He hit Leonard with a big left hand and backed him into a corner. Leonard responded with a furious flurry. Hagler backed off, and Leonard danced away with Hagler in pursuit. The fight ended with Hagler and Leonard exchanging along the ropes. Hagler began dancing in celebration of his performance while a totally exhausted and spent Leonard collapsed to the canvas. Leonard threw 629 punches and landed 306, while Hagler threw 792 and landed 291. Video replay of the fight showed however, that many of Leonards punches that were credited as landing actually hit only arms and shoulders.

Leonard was awarded a controversial split-decision. Many felt that Hagler deserved the decision because he was the aggressor and landed the harder punches. Hugh McIlvanney wrote in the British Sunday Times that Leonard's plan was to "steal rounds with a few flashy and carefully timed flurries....he was happy to exaggerate hand speed at the expense of power, and neither he nor two of the scorers seemed bothered by the fact that many of the punches landed on the champion's gloves and arms." McIlvanny also referred to Budd Schulberg's contention that simply being more competitive than expected meant that Leonard appeared more effective and to be doing more than he actually was.

Others felt that Leonard deservedly got the decision, arguing that Leonard landed more punches and showed better defense and ring generalship. Jim Murray, long-time sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times, wrote, "It wasn't even close...He didn't just outpoint Hagler, he exposed him. He made him look like a guy chasing a bus. In snowshoes. Leonard repeatedly beat Hagler to the punch. When he did, he hit harder. He hit more often. He made Hagler into what he perceived him to be throughout his career - a brawler, a swarmer, a man who could club you to death only if you stood there and let him. If you moved, he was lost."

To this day, the fight is still hotly debated. The scorecards from the ringside press attest to the closeness of the fight:

Associated Press: 117-112 Hagler New York Daily News: 117-111 Leonard New York Times: 114-114 New York Post: 114-114 Newsday: 115-114 Hagler Chicago Sun-Times: 115-114 Hagler Chicago Tribune: 7-5 Hagler

Houston Chronicle: 115-114 Leonard Washington Post: 114-114 Boston Globe: 117-111 Leonard Boston Herald 116-113 Leonard Baltimore Sun: 7-5 Leonard Oakland Tribune: 117-112 Leonard San Jose Mercury-News: 116-115 Hagler

Hagler retired from boxing in June 1988, having been unable to secure a rematch with Leonard: "the only reason I would return would be to regain my title, but since Leonard has been playing games, it would probably take another year to work things out."

Training style

Hagler had a unique training regimen in which he would hole up on Cape Cod in motels that had closed for the winter. For his "road work" he would take to the pavement in army boots, declaring running shoes "sissy shoes." He would run much of his route backwards to prepare for movements in the boxing ring.

Awards and recognition

• Named Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year for 1985 and 1987.
• Inducted into both the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.

Career after boxing

After the loss to Leonard, Hagler moved to Italy, where he became a well-known star of action films. His roles include a US Marine in the films Indio and Indio 2. Other notable films starring Hagler include Brutal Bonanza, Geno's Plan and Lethal Lunch Date. In 1995, he starred alongside Giselle Blondet in the low-budget thriller Black Market Wedding. Hagler does boxing commentary for British television. Another foray into the entertainment field includes work in the video game Fight Night: Round 3.

Personal life

Former middleweight southpaw boxer Robbie Sims is Hagler's half brother. Hagler has five children with his first wife, Bertha, including Charelle, Celeste, James, Marvin, Jr., and Gentry. Although he owns a home in Barlett, New Hampshire, Hagler currently lives in Milan. On May 2000, he married his second wife Kay, an Italian woman, in Pioltello, Italy.

See also

• List of undisputed boxing champions
• List of WBC world champions

External links

• The Super Fight: Hagler vs Leonard
• Official Web Site
• Boxing record for Marvelous Marvin Hagler from BoxRec (registration required)
• Marvin Hagler's Amateur Boxing Record
• Marvin Hagler at IMDb