The wonderful Marvin Hagler stopped Thomas Hearns in a fight that lasted less than eight minutes, but was so epic that he still lives in the boxing tradition.
Two years later, he was so disgusted after losing a decision to Sugar Ray Leonard – stolen, he said, by the judges – that he never fought again.
One of the great middleweights in boxing history, Hagler died on Saturday at the age of 66. His wife, Kay, announced his death on the Facebook page for Hagler fans.
“I’m sorry to make a very sad announcement,” she wrote. “Today, unfortunately, my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly at his home here in New Hampshire. Our family asks you to respect our privacy during this difficult time. ”
Hagler fought on the biggest boxing stages against his biggest names, as he, Leonard, Hearns and Roberto Duran dominated the middle class during the golden age of boxing in the 1980s. over 14 years as a professional in Brockton, Massachusetts, finishing 62-3-2 with 52 knockouts.
“If they cut my bald head, they’ll find a big boxing glove, ” Hagler once said.” That’s all I am. I live it. ”
Hagler was unmistakable in the ring, struggling with a left-handed stance with his bald head shining in the lights. He was relentless and cruel, stopping opponent after opponent for an eight-year series that began with a close tie against Vito Antuofermo in 1979, which he later avenged.
He struggled with a proverbial shoulder weight, convinced that boxing fans and promoters did not appreciate him. He was so upset that he was not introduced before a 1982 fight for his Marvelous nickname that he went to court to legally change his name.
“He was certainly one of the greatest middleweights of all time, but one of the greatest people I’ve ever been around and promoted, ” said promoter Bob Arum.” He was a real man, loyal and just a fantastic person. ”
Any doubts that Hagler was not really Marvelous were cleared on a spring night in 1985. He and Hearns met in one of the great open-air middleweight clashes of the era at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and when the opening bell rang, they exchanged punches for three minutes in an opening round many consider to be the best in boxing history.
Hagler would stop Hearns in the third round, crushing him on the screen with a volley of punches, even with the blood dripping from a big cut on his forehead that almost made the referee stop the fight at the start of the round.
“When they stopped the fight to look at the cut, I realized that they could be playing and I would not let them take the title,” said Hagler later. “It was a scary feeling. I thought, ‘Why are they stopping this fight?’ I didn’t realize I was bleeding. It wasn’t in my eyes. So I knew I had to destroy this guy. ”
Arum said that Hagler simply wished victory over Hearns, whose big right hand was feared in the division, but failed to keep Hagler at bay.
“It was an unbelievable fight,” said Arum. “Probably the biggest fight ever.”
Hearns said on Saturday that he was thinking about Hagler and his historic struggle. Hagler wore a baseball cap with the word “War” when promoting it during a 23-city tour with Hearns, which Arum said made the fighters look down on each other before they even entered the ring.
“I can’t take anything from him,” Hearns told the Associated Press. “His strangeness confused me, but I can’t get anything out of him. He fought with his heart and we did a great show for all time. ”
Hagler would fight just two more times, stopping John Mugabi a year later and then meeting Leonard, who was leaving a three-year layoff due to a retinal detachment, in his final fight in 1987. Hagler was the favorite to enter in the fight and many thought he would destroy Leonard – but Leonard had other plans.
While Hagler chased him around the ring, Leonard struggled to retreat, hitting his left jab and launching combinations that did not hurt Hagler, but earned him points on the ring score. Still, when the bell rang at the end of round 12, many thought Hagler had given up on the fight – only to lose a controversial split decision.
Hagler, who received $ 19 million, left the ring disgusted and never fought again. He moved to Italy to act and never looked back.
“I feel fortunate to be out of the ring with my faculties and my health,” he said a year later.
Hagler came a long way to greatness, fighting mainly in the Boston area before finally getting his chance at the 160-pound title in 1979 against Antuofermo as a main co-event with Leonard fighting Wilfredo Benitez on the same card. Hagler bloodied Antuofermo and appeared to have won the fight, but when the score was cleared, he was denied a belt with a draw.
Hagler would travel to London the following year to prevent Alan Minter from winning the title, and he kept it for the next seven years before his disputed defeat to Leonard.
Arum remembered being at a black tie event honoring the best fighters a year after he was attended by Hagler and Leonard, among others. He said Leonard came up to him and pointed to Hagler across the room and suggested that he go and talk to him about a rematch that would have earned the two fighters unbelievable scholarships.
“I went to Marvin and said Ray is talking about a rematch, ” said Arum.” He looked at me like only Marvin could and said, ‘Tell Ray to start a life.’ ”
Hagler was born in Newark, New Jersey, and moved with his family to Brockton in the late 1960s. He was discovered as an amateur by the Petronelli brothers, Goody and Pat, who ran a gym in Brockton and would later train Hagler for the entire your professional career.
He was introduced to the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame in 1983.