Prime Hagler - Would He Have Battered SRL?

Mike Colbert was the Ring Magazine's no.1 contender at the time of Carlos Monzon's retirement as champion on August 29 1977, Rodrigo Valdes was the WBA and WBC no.1 contender, Bennie Briscoe was the no.2 contender according to both the WBA , WBC.

 

Surely Leonard was way past his best too in 1987? Extremely rusty too, in his first fight at middleweight and having had one fight in five years (plus detached retina).
If it’d happened a few years earlier I think it would’ve been the same (close and controversial) depending more on the tactics they chose rather than where they were athletically. I still think that the ‘87 fight was Haglers to win, but he clearly underestimated Leonard and thought he could stroll after him for a few rounds before muscling him out of there by the midway point for an easy, and a big, retirement payday. He might have made the same mistake in ‘85 too.

 

True. Marvin was too taciturn a guy for 'wooing' and 'aahing' in the ring normally.

 

It was quite obvious,imo,that Leonard won that fight. I get quite annoyed when some say "Leonard only fought Hagler when he was old. He would n't have dared had Marvin been prime" Totally forgetting that Leonard was also signifigantly past his prime.

 

Which meant that Hagler by all means should have kayoed a come backing fighter in Leonard that had been away for 4 years, but didn't and lost.

 

In all fairness my friend, a lot of fighters fight another fighter that has aged. Joe Frazier fighting Muhammad Ali in 1971 instead of 1967 because of the shrewdness of his manager Yank Durham that did not want Joe in the ring with Ali in 1967, Ali was as rusty as a rusted gate in 1971, 18 rounds in 43 months. Floyd Mayweather fighting Manny Paquaio 4 years too late. It is a shrewd move.

 

If Sugar Ray Leonard doesn't have any eye issues and it is a straight forward step up to Middleweight he had better box cautiously but Marvellous Marvin Hagler was adept at cutting off the ring he could likely overwhelm Leonard and ruin him if they go toe to toe. Leonard has the footwork and speed advantage, but can Hagler catch up with him and draw him into a fight ? It always going to be styles make fights type of fight in my opinion either Ray Leonard plays tag and hit and runs or Hagler closes the show? It could end up the result being a controversial split decision lol.

 

But Marvelous Marvin Hagler was his own worst enemy, he sometimes let his foot off the gas like he did in his first title shot against champion Vito Antufermo on Nov 30 1979, the result was a 15 round draw. Hagler by all means should have pulverized Vito but did not. Both fighters were marked up at the end.

 

Hi Richard. I get what you mean but I was mainly having a pop at the fickleness of some people. A lot of those who thought that Leonard was going home in a Las Vegas ambulance that night (with some justification from the way it looked) suddenly changed their outlook post fight and accused Ray of fighting an old man forgetting that both fighters were "Old"

 

Hi Steve, It is just a bad case of sour grapes that some Hagler fans suffered on the night of April 6 1987, maybe those fans needed the services of Urgent Care for a prescription of Pain Killers because their egos were suffering excruciating pain as the result of the loss. In sports there has to be a winner and a loser, Leonard won, Hagler lost, no record of title defenses, but he had a good career.

 

No Hagler during his title reign never really fought many Slick boxers or movers, looking at some of Hagler's early losses you can see movers/boxers did tend to give Hagler some issues.

So overall I tend to believe Leonard would still be competitive with Hagler overall based on styles.

I also think Hagler retired at the right time aswell. As he would've picked up losses vs the likes of Nunn, Kalambay, and possibly Graham aswell based on their styles.

 

Bobby Bugaloo Watts and Eugene Cyclone Hart.

 

Sugar Ray Seales also fought Hagler to a draw, and apparently their 2nd fight was competitive aswell. And we know about the struggles vs Kevin Finnegan aswell. So there is definitely a pattern regarding boxers giving Hagler some issues.

As I said looking at Hagler's title reign was there any slick boxer types he fought ? I guess maybe Duran fits that bill somewhat ? And well Duran certainly give Hagler a run for his money.

So based on all that I still think Leonard is competitive with any version of Hagler, and I think people forget aswell that Leonard was coming off a huge lay off. And fighting at a weightclass he'd never fought at before, so it's not like Leonard was at his peak either.

I think if Hagler was younger and his title reign went into late 80s early 90s, it would've been very interesting to see him vs the likes of Nunn, Kalambay, Toney, Graham, I think they all give him fits based on their style.

 

I have to agree my friend.

 

All of those men were huge MW's, that Hagler was still able to beat back and or avenge. They would've gave Sugar Ray significant trouble too

Prime Hagler would've stopped a prime, moving up from WW to MW Sugar Ray. Probably brutally. Duran had him in Hell. Imagine Hagler's engine if he decided to press the gas and not just box.