Did you ever see Hagler ducking anyone?

Yes, I agree, the only fighter I've heard claim that Hagler ducked him is Mike Mccallum. I think that would have been a closely contested 15 round war!

 

I heard McCallum say that also. Mike was wrong in that. Mike's last fight at 154 was Donald Curry in July of 1987, 3 months after Hagler had his last fight againt Leonard. Hagler would not have ducked Mike or anyone. The only way Marvin ducked is that he avoided moving up in weight and fighting for the 175 pound title. I don't think he ducked, but he always demanded Hearns or Duran or Leonard move up and fight as though the weight meant nothing, then he didn't move up and challenge Spinks or Qawi.

 

Hagler was a beast for sure. Maybe if he had not retired in disgust after the Leonard fight he might well have moved up to 175.

Animal in the ring, a good guy outta the ring funny as hell too!

 

He didn't fight McCallum, Kalambay or Herol Bomber Graham. Much better boxers than Mugabi

 

Those guys came about at the end of Hagler's reign. They were the new names of the late 1980s. The only fab 4 guy who fought in that era was Thomas Hearns, who fought Roldan than fought Barkley for his WBC title. The Hagler who fought Mugabi was rusty and not motivated, but the Hagler who fought Hearns would have beaten all 3 of those fighters.

 

I think he retired at the perfect time. He still had skills, but with 67 fights I think he was worn out mentally. The Hearns fight he put his all out mentally and physically and after that he never looked quite there 100 percent. Had Leonard not beaten him in 1987 he would have lost to someone who didn't deserve to beat him after that.

 

Yeah it's always good to see a fighter move on at the right time rather then stick around for one more win.....Sadly the latter seems to be the case far to often.

 

I saw him get beat up by Sugar Ray Leonard, a man naturally 13 pounds south of him

Then, like a little girl, he picked up his ball, and went home because things didn't go his way on the judges scorecards (in a fight he CLEARLY, but closely, lost).

 

I saw a guy decide that the corruption in the sport of Boxing was not worth him risking his life for anymore and so walked away.

Btw I had leonard winning by a couple. But I don't blame Hagler doing what he did. He was a proud man and made a statement.

 

How the **** did he make any kind of statement other than "I'm a sore loser, and can't handle getting beat, despite talking all kinds of ****"?

Even you said you had him losing. . . So what about that was corrupt?

Hagler was NEVER a victim of any kind of corruption. . . He was a victim of his own hubris. . .

 

Thats right I had him losing as well, the corruption statement is how Hagler felt at the time and why he walked away.

He felt he had been cheated and was sickened by it and decided to walk.

Hell he could have called for a rematch he could have moved up to 175, but rather then pour money in to the sanction boides he felt had cheated him he walked. Thats the statement he made.

Good for him, he has all his faculties, he does not slur his speech, he does not have 6 or 7 loses on his record that he could have picked up as his skills declined. He has a great great record as a middle weight champ.

 

Benitez, Graham & Kalambay

 

I agree about him being 100% lucid today, and that it was good he didn't fight on past his best. . . But he still retired for the wrong reasons. . He retired because he knew he had been bested by a man he had talked so much **** about being able to beat. . He couldn't take it that he lost - plain, and simple. . .

He knew there wasn't no damn corruption. . . He knew deep down he got beat, but his hubris would not allow him to admit it, so he put up a facade. . . He talked too much ****, and was made to eat his words. . ANd he couldn't deal with it. . .