Is Hagler Middleweight GOAT?

Hi Buddy.
You are correct, he is one of the best, most posters will have him their top 3/4 along with Harry Greb, Carlos Monzon, Sugar Ray Robinson, and prob Roy Jones Jr, why don't you look up the above boxers, Google, Box-Rec etc, and you might get a better idea as to who you think is the best of the lot, for me it's Greb, but many an esteemed member has one of the others as No 1.
stay safe young man, chat soon.

 

He's in the top 5 for sure. His march to the top was gruesome, he beat a dozen or so contenders while also getting robbed in his first title fight prior to destroying Minter, and then had 12 title defenses against some of of the best names available. That said, I wouldn't have him at number 1, that would be Harry Greb for me.

Greb just beat greater Middleweights than Hagler did, guys like Mickey Walker, Mike Gibbons, Jeff Smith, Jack Dillon and Tiger Flowers could all be argued to be greater at Middleweight than anyone Hagler beat, including Duran and Hearns, who while P4P greats, didn't do that much in comparison to them at the poundage.

 

I rank Hagler at #3 all time at MW, behind Greb & Monzon.

The collective votes of 24 of our fellow posters had him #4, behind Greb, Monzon & SRR -

This content is protected

 

I rate Monzon higher he had better wins during his title reign and retired with the belt unlike Hagler.

 

It's impossible to say because boxing was so much different 100 odd years ago, and I don't think the style of boxing in those days translates that well to the modern era.

Plus we have no footage of Greb actually fighting, we're just assuming based on his excellent record.

 

Me personally I would say RJJ is up there.

 

H2H best is another argument. Greatest on resume its probably Greb. There are lots of guys with stellar resumes in middleweight. For example take a look at Freddy Steele who has a very solid MW resume and who passes the eye test as well.

 

he's defo One of Them,

but H2H there could easily be a couple of dozen that could best him...
it Is IMPOSSIBLE to know with any accuracy, there have been 1000s of GREAT Tough & Durable fighters over the 150 years of Boxing History and especially among the Middleweight Division.

you can't know, you just can't, but Hagler certainly was One Among Many!

 

Hagler. The southpaw stance and ability to switch would really throw the others off their game.

 

That is VERY subjective. I mean when you look at Monzon at first he doesn't impress. Then you start to appreciate his ice-cold ring control and distance control. Then you start wondering how he can be beaten. Hagler is very special in his own way. Super versatile, no weak spots, one of the best chins in the business and willing to use it. It becomes even harder when you get freaks like RJJ in the mix who have no great MW legacy but looked simply destructive in their pomp. And then what about weigh in rules? Hagler and co are significantly lighter than the guys that came after them because of weigh in rules changing.

 

He’s definitely on the short list of greatest ever at 160