Barkley was the better fighter than Mugabi and had a better jab and punch technique. Mugabi hit harder because he swung more wild, but Barkley was better overall. I think Duran beats Mugabi...
Definitely Mugabi slipped after the Hagler defeat. Unless someone thinks he was never good enough to last a round with Terry Norris, something happened to him. If he didn't slip, then Hagler must have been so ridiculously shot by 1986 it takes a great deal of shine off Leonard's comeback the following year.
I always thought the Hearns fight took a lot out of Hagler. He looked less muscled against Mugabi and he was rusty.. I think he put his all into Hearns and after that he was not the same fighter. And he was rusty. Never before had he been off for almost a year. And after Hearns he was, and Ray noticed this and wanted to fight him.
some guys cannot recover, but I do think maybe Hagler was not so great in this fight. He was rusty and had not fought in a year... And the Hearns fight did seem to diminish him. I think he put his all out for Hearns and he could not ever reach that level again. Sometimes one last great fight is all someone has in them, and I think Hearns was that for Hagler. Then Thomas knocked out Mugabi and Norris also. I cannot believe one fight hurt him that much. Hearns was knocked out 4 times and still beat Virgil Hill in 1991..