Who really won between Sugar Ray Leonard vs Marvin Hagler

I had Leonard in a close but clear win. Hagler gave away 3 rounds in the beginning before switching stance. Had the fight gone for longer though, Hagler would have gotten it. He was getting better and better in the later rounds while Ray was tiring. But it wasn't longer, and Ray fairly won in my eyes

 

Hagler

 

If I were to ask myself, I would declare that fight a draw. If not because it is very difficult to say who won (and the judge's decision is close), then because in that case we would most likely watch a rematch; more precisely, it would not be the last fight in Hagler's career.
What a spectacle that would be.

 

I honestly can’t even watch this fight with an open mind. I admit it. I have tried. I can almost always see the other sides opinion on controversial fights. Even if I refuse to admit it on the spot. But my grandfather pounded it into my young mind so fiercely and convincingly that Hagler won, and was robbed blind, that I can’t see it any other way.

 

Grandma: would you stop screaming at him?!?! He’s 7, he doesn’t know what the F__K you are talking about!!

Grandpa: IM NOT SCREAMING AND HE KNOWS DAMN WELL WHAT IM TALKING ABOUT!! A F__CK_NG 7 YEAR OLD CAN SEE IT AND THESE A__H_LES CANT!!!

Grandma: BILL!!!

Grandpa: CATHERINE!!!

Grandma: DONT CALL ME CATHERINE CUZ YOURE FIGHTER LOST!!!

Grandpa: ME AND HIM ARE WATCHING THE FIGHT WHY DONT YOU GO TO BED?!

 

The scoring was interesting:
Rummy: 115:113 for Hagler
Lou Filippo: 115:113 for Hagler
Dave Moretti: 115:113 for Leonard
and
Jose Guerra 118:110 for Leonard (a corrupt judge?)
Such a difference in scoring is too obvious.
Another interesting thing is that with so many equal rounds, no one scored a round 10-10.

The scorecards from the ringside press and broadcast media attest to the polarizing views and opinions of the fight:
ABC (Howard Cosell): 117–112 Leonard
Bob Arum: 7–5 Hagler
Associated Press: 117–112 Hagler
Baltimore Sun: 7–5 Leonard (115–113 Leonard)
Boston Globe (Ron Borges): 115–113 Hagler
Boston Globe (Steve Marantz): 117–111 Leonard
Boston Herald: 116–113 Leonard
CBS (Gil Clancy): 115–113 Leonard
CBS (Tim Ryan): 115–114 Hagler
Chicago Sun-Times: 115–114 Hagler
Chicago Tribune (1 - Bob Verdi): 115–113 Hagler
Chicago Tribune (2 - Bernie Lincicome): 115–113 Hagler
Chicago Tribune (3 - Sam Smith): 115–113 Hagler
ESPN (Al Bernstein): 115–113 Hagler
ESPN (Dave Bontempo): 114–114
HBO (Harold Lederman): 115–113 Leonard
HBO (Larry Merchant): 114–114
Houston Chronicle: 115–114 Leonard
Newark Star-Ledger (Jerry Izenberg): 115–113 Hagler
KO Magazine: 118–111 Leonard
Miami Herald: 116–112 Hagler
Miami News: 116–112 Hagler
Los Angeles Times: 117–111 Leonard
Newsday: 115–114 Hagler
New York Daily News (1): 117–111 Leonard
New York Daily News (2 - Michael Katz): 117–112 Leonard
New York Post (1): 114–114
New York Post (2 - Jerry Lisker): 115–113 Hagler
New York Times (Dave Anderson): 114–114
Oakland Tribune: 117–112 Leonard
Philadelphia Daily News (1): 116–112 Leonard
Philadelphia Daily News (2): 115–113 Hagler
Ring Magazine (Nigel Collins): 115–113 Leonard
Ring Magazine (Phill Marder): 114–114
San Jose Mercury-News: 116–115 Hagler
Seattle Times: 115–113 Hagler
Sports Illustrated (Hugh McIlvanney): 116–112 Hagler
Sports Illustrated (William Nack): 116–114 Leonard
Sports Illustrated (Pat Putnam): 115–113 Hagler
United Press International: 116–112 Leonard
USA Today: 115–113 Leonard
Washington Post: 114–114

I can accept that Hagler lost the fight, but I cannot accept that he lost the fight 118:110. Leonard landed 306 of his 629 thrown punches (49%) compared to Hagler's 291 out of 792 (37%).

 

Bigger POS snake in the grass too

 

To this day i still stick with my original scorecard from the first time ive seen the fight back in 90s. 115-113 Sugar RAY leonard

 

Leonard edged it. It was close but he won. I do understand why Marvin coudn't accept it. Fell in the narrative of being unfair his whole career and retired. Leonard won in my opinion

 

ROFLMAO!!! That is EXACTLY what you do. You think the sun shines out of canelo's rear end. I go into every fight I watch with an open mind. I want the better man on the day to get the win he legitimately deserves Sure I have my friends who I love to see win BUT only if they legitimately win. That is why I could never support blatant cheats like Floyd, Ginger etc They both know they've really had losses when the vegas mafia gave them decisions they did not deserve. Sadly neither of them are man enough to admit it

 

Hagler....close. Hagler still.

 

Hahaha. I’d loved to have a drink with your Gramps. Woulda been a blast. Reminds me of my Gramps … whenever he and my Grandma would argue about something he would inevitably tell her to “ Go to bed! “.
Sometimes he would switch it up snd say “ Go to Tibet ! “ … still meant go to bed though

 

Aw man, he’s 86. He will still do shots of bourbon with me all night. Grandma passed away 12 years ago. When he’d get heated he’d call her MOTHER, and when he got PISSED he’d call her CATHERINE, or WOMAN. Haha. Both super gentle, caring people, but man…they’d get to SCREAMING. Especially when pops was all worked up about a fight on TV. Sometimes he worked late and we’d record it on VHS for him and grandma would see the results and if his man won she’d stay up and watch it with him again. If his man lost she’d be in bed before he got home hahahaha

 

Whenever people talk about this fight there is inevitably someone who says that you need to do more than Leonard did to take the title away from a great champion like Hagler. I disagree with this because Leonard didn't really come into the fight as a challenger - if ever a fight was a meeting of equals and King vs King then this was it.

We all knew before the fight that the naturally smaller and ring rusty Leonard had only one real chance to win and that was to bamboozle and out skill Hagler for the decision.

In my view he did just that.

 

Leonard. Hagler won more rounds the 2nd half of the fight but fighting orthodox early on was a really stupid move. I can only assume he got the idea from rocky 2.

Hagler gave away too many early rounds. I think hagler would have won a rematch and I think Leonard knew it but I scored it for Leonard.