Carlos Roque "Shotgun" Monzón vs. "Marvelous" Marvin Nathaniel Hagler - Definitive Classic Breakdown

Something that hasn't been discussed:

Cuts...

I can only really think of a single instance for either man where their own skin getting broken almost played a significant role - Bogs for Monzón and Hearns for Hagler, and in both cases they rallied & stopped their opponents shortly after to make the point moot.

It would be that classic head clash petri dish of southpaw vs. orthodox, however - and both not only threw hard punches but also weren't above the occasional fouling (Hagler with butts and Monzón with thumbing/lacing) with a penchant for regularly opening cuts on their opponents. So while a KO either way strikes most of us as unlikely, what about stopping early due to damaged tissue?

 

They did a thread/poll on this match-up on the BoxRec forum, started 21 years ago, with sporadic bumps over a fourteen year period... with a slightly lower turnout (61 votes total from 2004-2018; compared with this one having 83 & counting in under a month)

Theirs had not only a different result but much wider margins:

62% Hagler
38% Escopeta

https://boxrec.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=15117

 

This content is protected

This content is protected

 

I too am in the staunch minority that saw him beating Leonard. Most contemporaries viewed Watts vs. Hagler I as Philly homecooking - but he did unquestionably lose to Willie the Worm the first time. I believe that's why he only crushed Boogaloo Bobby the once; point proven, no rubber match needed. Monroe, on the other hand, had to be utterly vanquished twice over to fully exorcise those demons as he's the one that Hag acknowledged defeated him fair & square.

As for his draws, the Seales rematch is generally considered a fair decision (Antuofermo I, less so).

So, the best you could push it for Hagler would be 27-1-1 from the listed opposition.

Even so, 20-0-1 for Monzón and 24-3-2 for Hagler are both incredible records against top ten Ring ranked opponents.