because Pac is LW fighting at WW and Floyd a JWW at WW who rely on their speed. They’ve already packed on plenty of weight since their peak days. Every other WW puts on 10-15lbs fight night. Hagler was a career MW. He trained and kept his weight down all year round. If he had the benefit of putting on 10-15lbs on fight night safely, he would have packed more muscle on. Floyd and Pac wouldn’t put more weight on for the sake of it, there’s a point of diminishing returns when you become too musclebound and stiff. Hagler packing on an extra 5-10lbs wouldn’t have affected him 1 bit, except carry that much more weight into his punches.
These type of hypotheticals never make much sense to me, under "todays" rules, but you always judge the older fighter by the old rules...why would you limit Hagler to abiding by yesterday's rules? He would simply adjust and come in heavier as well. Hagler is a better boxer, better jab, better movement, better chin. Canelo stylistically wouldn't be able to match Hagler, people act like Hagler was some face first warrior only, the reality is he was a beautiful boxer/puncher with a phenomenal engine. Hagler by UD15.
Only the fight-weight matters, which is around 160 for Hagler. He would fight at 154. Pacquiao weighed over 140 lbs in many of his SFW bouts. By contast Duran weighed 138 in many of his LW bouts. You cannot take the weigh-in weights at face value.
Hagler may very well be a JMW today. Although I doubt it, he may still fight at MW but just not gain much weight, similar to Floyd/Pac. Fight night weights are called "unofficial weights" for a reason. They're not official, fighters weigh in with clothes on and whatever else they have in their pocket. Pac weighed in under the limit,142lbs against Oscar, yet his fight night weight was 147lb. Considering the weight limit was at 147, he had no reason to "drain" to 142lb. He was 142lb soaking wet for that fight and 148 was him with jacket, shoes etc. on. Jim Lampley said himself that Pac weighed with clothes on in the walk in to the ring.
Wiki had him at 5'10". He tended to fight straight up, so that might make him seem taller than he actually was.
There's absolutely no truth in the assertion that Canelo would be a huge light heavyweight in Hagler's day. Just because he rehydrates to 175 does not put him in Spinks' company, especially if we're talking about Canelo at middleweight. Also, Spence, who's massive at welterweight by the way, isn't even remotely close to Hagler in size. There's a breadth of difference between muscle and water weight. Compare their pictures for illustration. The advantage does exist for Alvarez, but it's not as pronounced as it is being made out to be. Alvarez is already a great in my book, but he'd get outworked by the very best.
Yes, Hagler is the better fighter, yes, Canelo is in a higher weight class, though one or two responses on here are arguably over-egging the extent of both points.
Clen once did, he had this then half alive Kovalev and after this had trimmed down. I suspect that then elite boxers were not enough old for him therefore he trimmed back down. Now there are old over the hill Beterbiev, then Bivol not from proper country, soon looks that will be Buatsi, looks that Eddie wants to get him LHW belt and maybe fed him to Canelo after this?
