If Hagler got the decision against Sugar Ray?

I think his legacy or standing or whatever you want to call it stays about the same, honestly. Even had he gotten the decision that day, you still have to wrinkle your brow at the idea of this previously dominant champion having to go down to the wire to eke out a disputed decision against a guy who had fought once in five years. That aspect gets glossed over sometimes, and it shouldn't. Even if you think Hagler should have gotten the nod, one has to acquiesce that it never should have come to that. It shouldn't have been close, no matter who received the decision. The fact that it was meant the aura Hagler had so carefully built over the years was no longer a thing. Win or lose, Leonard took it from him that night.

 

Of course not, but it's still five years, you know?

 

I think there would have been a cry for a rematch and next time out Hagler stops and retires Leonard, big boost towards his legacy....

 

Supposedly SRL was doing some form of "fight conditions" sparring during that 5-year "off' period.
But if Hagler was really still at the top of his game, he should have gone over and bombed SRL out, instead of frapping around for 4 rounds trying to box SRL conventional style.

 

I've read about Leonard's "fight conditions" thing from at least one person here, but what does that mean exactly? That he didn't wear headgear? That he wore tassles on his shoes? A cheering section in the gym perhaps? I'm not sure what could have been done to really simulate a fight that regular sparring doesn't do. I also find it odd that I never heard about this clandestine business until I read it here at least 22 years later. Not that I have spies feeding me information about everything but happens, but how the hell does one keep THAT little detail so relatively quiet I wonder?

Not trying to bust YOUR balls about it, please understand.......this is more directed toward the revisionists/apologists among us that like to skew things to fit an agenda.

 

End thread/

An immediate rematch and a victory would have helped some, but at the end of the day SRL was a 4-1 underdog and not expected to be much of a match regardless.

If Hagler fought on who knows what would have happened, no big names were knocking (to help resume wise) and he would have struggled as the younger faster brigade came thru. His retirement was good, with no SRL rematch forthcoming it was time to go.

 

Leonard a great fighter but played the game against Hagler. Many don't remember 18-24 months earlier their fight was to be set only to have Ray not even show up at the press conference leaving Marvin just sitting there. IMO Leonard could be an a*****e and he showed it then. IMO that fight, when Ray decided it was the right time to fight him, proves NOTHING.

 

Doesn't bother me compadre....just stating some of the rumors..I think I actually heard His Highness SRL state the sparring rumor himself..but in very slight detail.

 

Yes, but every dominant champion has something similar. Especially at the end of their careers.
I thought Hagler won the fight, and, yes, I do count it as a blemish on his record anyway, and a plus on Leonard's.

 

I think Leonard and Dundee mentioned the behind-closed-doors "fights". I assume they had referees and/or judges and small gloves and just let the thing play out.
But it's not something I'm particularly interested in either.

 

I rate Hagler close to Duran. I rate both of them above Ray Leonard. And Hearns would rate below Leonard.

Hagler has one of the greatest careers ever.

 

Hagler was definitely slowing down by that time, let's not forget. It's a pity that the fight hadn't been held more towards their primes. IMHO the long layoff would also definitely have affected Leonard, and had Hagler been judged the winner I think the win would have been diminished by that fact. Nevertheless, a W over SRL definitely boosts Hagler's resume. I think it would have unarguably have made him #1 out of the Fab 4.