It was on this present day that one Marvin Nathaniel Hagler, in any other case generally known as the one-and-only Marvelous Marvin Hagler, was born, a person destined to turn out to be one of many biggest fighters of all-time, and so what higher time to recall his enduring ring brilliance. For followers who nonetheless vividly recall the thrill of watching this latter-day nice in motion on free TV within the 1980’s, his demise in 2021 stays a surreal occurring, nonetheless tough to simply accept. Particularly for the reason that recollections of him battling guys like Caveman Lee and Marcos Geraldo on stay tv are nonetheless contemporary, and the fun of the opening bell to his legendary conflict with Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns, one of the vital thrilling and action-packed battles of all-time, stays unforgettable.
That Marvelous Marvin is an all-time nice, nobody can doubt. He’ll perpetually be one of the vital feared and achieved middleweight champions in boxing historical past, and among the finest southpaws to ever step into the ring. Which begs the query: which performances greatest exemplify his greatness? Nicely, depart it to us to catalogue and rank essentially the most spectacular victories in Hagler’s legendary profession. On the anniversary of his start, time to look again and admire anew one of many biggest boxers who has ever lived, Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Examine ’em out:
12. Loucif Hamani, KO 2, February 16, 1980: Convincing victories over David Love and Emile Griffith attested to the truth that Algeria’s Hamani was an achieved pugilist, each newbie and professional, a fighter who figured to present Marvelous Marvin, on the very least, some severe work. However what Loucif and his individuals couldn’t have anticipated was that this was a model of “The Marvelous One” primed for destruction, seething as he was over the injustice he suffered three months earlier than when the judges robbed Marvin blind in his first bout towards Vito Antuofermo. A raging Hagler wasted no time in demonstrating his superiority, his second spherical knockout of Hamani among the many most vicious in his profession.
11. Fulgencio Obelmejias, TKO 8, January 17, 1981: Few knew on the time, and even fewer recall now, however “Totally Obel,” as Marvin preferred to name his Venezuelan rival, was a legit contender. The person might combat and went on to have a really respectable profession, however a razor sharp Marvelous Marvin utterly out-classed him in each of their contests. Obelmejias was the taller, longer man with a busy jab and a serviceable proper hand, and he was additionally powerful, as he needed to be to final so long as he did in his first conflict with “The Marvelous One” on the Boston Backyard. It took a number of rounds for Hagler to resolve the fashion of Obelmejias, however as soon as he did he dominated, dispensing a vicious, two-fisted battering earlier than the referee mercifully ended the one-sided bloodbath in spherical eight.
10. Willie Monroe, TKO 12, August 23, 1977: They referred to as him “Willie The Worm” and the person might field, as wins over Stanley “Kitten” Hayward, Billy “Dynamite” Douglas, and Eugene “Cyclone” Hart attest, however the biggest evening of Monroe’s profession was in March of 1976 when he went toe-to-toe with Marvelous Marvin Hagler on the Philadelphia Spectrum and received a ten spherical unanimous choice. This was no theft; Monroe fought his ass off and gave Hagler his first (and arguably, final) reputable defeat. So naturally Marvin’s convincing victory of their rematch has to rank on this record. After the primary combat, Hagler is on file as saying “I’ve acquired rather a lot to study.” So he went again to Brockton and put within the work and the next yr confirmed everybody he had certainly discovered his classes, out-boxing “The Worm” with ruthless effectivity earlier than getting the TKO within the twelfth and remaining spherical.
9. Juan Domingo Roldan, TKO 10, March 30, 1984: Again in 1984 few knew who the hell Roldan was past the truth that he had put a sudden and violent finish to Frank “The Animal” Fletcher’s run as a high contender, a formidable feat in its personal proper, however on the time Marvelous Marvin acquired little credit score for rumbling with the rugged Argentine and ultimately stopping him in spherical ten. Nonetheless, wanting again it’s clear this was a rattling positive victory as this is identical Roldan who additionally beat Carlos Herrera, Juan Carlos Gimenez and James Kinchen, and who got here very near knocking out “The Motor Metropolis Cobra” in 1987.
8. Vito Antuofermo, D15, November 30, 1979: Yeah, we all know, the title is “High 12 Biggest Victories.” And this wasn’t a victory. Nicely, screw that. Anybody who watches this combat and says with a straight face that the judges acquired it proper after they scored the primary assembly between Antuofermo and Marvelous Marvin a draw and denied Hagler a world title belt must get their eyes checked, pronto. As a result of the reality is that this was a beautiful efficiency from Marvelous Marvin, one deserving of extra accolades than it has ever obtained as Hagler performed matador to Antuofermo’s bull, artfully deflecting and sidestepping Vito’s offensive efforts whereas touchdown his personal telling photographs. The truth is, it’s no exaggeration in any respect to say Hagler received as many as eleven of the fifteen rounds. To hell with the official verdict: this was a victory over among the finest middleweights on the earth on the time, and an emphatic one.
7. Mustafa Hamsho, TKO 11, October 3, 1981: Add Hamsho’s title to the record of formidable fighters who would possibly nicely have turn out to be a world champion if not for the unfortunate incontrovertible fact that they shared the middleweight turf with an all-time nice. The Syrian was exceedingly powerful and robust, packed some severe energy, and had received 27 straight, with victories over Wilford Scypion, Curtis Parker and Alan Minter. He bravely took the combat to the champion, however Hagler was simply too sharp and too good, side-stepping and parrying Hamsho’s assaults, countering with precision, and successful each spherical. Within the eleventh a collection of blows had a worn-out and bloodied Hamsho helpless and the one-sided clinic was stopped.
6. Bennie Briscoe, W10, August 24, 1978: With out query the good “Unhealthy Bennie” was on the downslide by the point he locked-up with Hagler on the Philadelphia Spectrum. However there’s additionally little question that Briscoe, one of many all-time greatest to by no means win a world crown, a Philly warrior who twice battled Carlos Monzon and gave the Argentine legend a few of his hardest rounds, represented a stern take a look at for the younger Marvelous Marvin. Thus it was becoming {that a} file crowd jammed the Philadelphia Spectrum to see Hagler win a clear-cut ten spherical choice. Later Briscoe paid Marvin an enormous praise when he opined that the southpaw would have had the sting in a dream combat towards Monzon.
5. John Mugabi, KO11, March 10, 1986: Little question some thought Mugabi, aka “The Beast,” made-to-order for Marvelous Marvin. In any case, he was a come-forward slugger, open to Hagler’s pin-point counters, and transferring up from the tremendous welterweight division. However within the Ugandan warrior’s career-best efficiency, he gave Marvin a great deal of bother and combat followers an exciting conflict, battling as did with exceptional aplomb and greater than holding his personal. Along with his offensive expertise, Marvelous Marvin confirmed off his unimaginable toughness this evening, as the damaging Mugabi slammed residence scores of heavy photographs however couldn’t shake “The Marvelous One” earlier than Hagler acquired the clear knockout in spherical eleven.
4. Roberto Duran, W15, November 10, 1983: On the time many regarded Hagler’s efficiency towards a supposedly over-the-hill “Arms of Stone” moderately underwhelming, however this victory has aged like positive wine as Hagler clearly acquired the higher of the identical Duran who would convincingly defeat Iran Barkley in 1989, and who’s now universally considered one of many biggest fighters to have ever lived, pound-for-pound. Marvin fought a tactical combat, his ring expertise on par with these of the legendary Panamanian, to prevail by clear-cut fifteen spherical choice.
3. Alan Minter, TKO3, September 27, 1980: Little question Hagler knew it was do-or-die as he acquired his second crack at a world title towards the succesful Briton who had established himself as the highest man within the division by twice defeating the powerful Antuofermo. A decided Marvelous Marvin boxed with managed fury on the champion’s residence turf of Wembley Area in London, unleashing a vicious assault within the third spherical that had a bloodied Minter reeling in regards to the ring earlier than the champion’s coach signaled give up. The professional-Minter crowd rioted because the victorious Hagler was whisked to security by police, however Marvin later stated it didn’t matter, that the second his hand was raised as the brand new world champ was “a dream fulfilled.”
2. Tony Sibson, TKO6, February 11, 1983: The sport Sibson was not considered a fantastic risk to take Hagler’s belt, however on the similar time he was the legit high contender for the title, robust and sturdy, with all the things to combat for. And certainly he gave it his all, always coming ahead and firing huge photographs. However Hagler was so sharp, a lot in command, he made his opponent appear to be a rank newbie at instances, Marvin’s footwork, jab, protection, stance-switching, and combos all working in sync, as Marvelous Marvin placed on a clinic for his Massachusetts followers. Shut observers already knew Hagler was a grasp boxer, however towards Sibson he was so spectacular, so dominant, he seemed just about unbeatable. From a technical standpoint, that is Marvelous Marvin’s most masterful efficiency.
1. Thomas Hearns, TKO3, April 15, 1985: There could be no query as to what victory belongs on the very high of this record. Hagler vs Hearns was a blockbuster, one of many greatest “superfights” of the 1980’s, a conflict of the 2 greatest boxers on the planet, and it greater than lived as much as the hype. Hearns was coming off a stunning two spherical destruction of Roberto Duran, whereas Hagler had by no means confronted a challenger as formidable as “The Hit Man.” The legendary “Eight Minutes of Fury” is now a part of boxing lore and it noticed Hagler overcome the ability of Hearns and a nasty lower to place his rival down and out in spherical three. The victory cemented Marvelous Marvin Hagler’s standing as not simply one of many nice middleweight champions, however as, pound-for-pound, among the finest of all-time.
