WELL BEFORE HIS VICTORY OVER THOMAS HEARNS STAMPED A DEFINING MOMENT IN OUR COLLECTIVE MIND, MARVIN HAGLER HAD BEEN ASSEMBLING A CAREER TO RIVAL THE GREATEST MIDDLEWEIGHTS OF ALL TIME By Lee Groves A MARVELOUS LEGACY
L ong before Marvelous Marvin Hagler stepped inside the ring against Thomas Hearns, even the most hard-bitten observers acknowledged he was one of the best middleweight champions ever to walk the earth. But his signature effort against Hearns proved beyond doubt that he was worthy of standing shoulder-to- shoulder with the immortals. By smashing “The Hitman” to bits in less than three rounds, Hagler showed his remaining critics the entirety of his fistic character. Everyone knew he had been the consummate boxer-puncher, but against Hearns he unleashed the fire that had burned within him for years. He willingly ran toward the cannon that was Hearns’ crippling right cross. He unflinchingly fought through the blood that obscured his vision. And, moments after referee Richard Steele called for the ringside physician to examine the cut that had created that blood, Hagler, sensing his precious title reign was in danger of ending, reacted the way a genuinely great champion would: He instantly shifted into an even higher gear, staggered Hearns with a wide-arcing overhand right, then put him flat on his back. This was not the Hagler who treated Roberto Duran so respectfully that he nearly lost the championship on points. This Hagler was bold, confident, commanding and vicious. On that night, Hagler embodied his motto of “Destruct and Destroy” as well as every asset revered by fans, media and historians. Moreover, the Hearns performance prompted observers to view him in a different light. Yes, he was talented, but the violent and dramatic nature of his triumph brought into sharp focus his longevity, versatility and intangibles. His effort earned him a Ring Magazine trifecta – Fight of the Year, Round of the Year and Fighter of the Year. Even so,
he had to share the latter award with Donald Curry, and, at least for a while, many envisioned an eventual match between them. Curry’s shocking loss to Lloyd Honeyghan in September 1986 snuffed out any hopes of turning that dream fight into a reality. The Hearns victory also enhanced Hagler’s standing as a mainstream star as he appeared in commercials and on talk shows, and it paved the way for later honors as well. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993, his first year of eligibility, and was also enshrined by the World Boxing Hall of Fame along with several state-level entities. He was twice honored as Fighter of the Year by Ring and the Boxing Writers Association of America. The disputed loss to Sugar Ray Leonard two years later had no effect on Hagler’s aura; in fact, it enhanced it. Hagler always believed boxing’s establishment was against him, and to many, the Leonard verdict proved his point. He earned even more respect by announcing his retirement in June 1988 and sticking to it despite being offered millions to make a comeback. He was one of the “Four Kings” as defined by author George Kimball, and though he lost to Leonard, Hagler would get many votes as being the greatest of the group. Just how marvelous was “The Marvelous One” in terms of middleweight history? It depends on which angle one wishes to address. One would examine the entirety of fighters who have ever competed in the 160-pound division, including the legends of other weight classes who happened to win a belt, such as Leonard, Hearns, Duran and Roy Jones Jr. (who made only one defense and remained IBF titleholder for nearly 18 months), or those who campaigned at middleweight but never secured their deserved shot for reasons beyond their control. Examples of the latter category include Archie
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