40 years ago today: "Marvelous" Marvin Nathaniel Hagler vs. Roberto "Hands of Stone" Durán Samaniego

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The most intrepid weight-climber of the 4 Kings versus the one that stayed most stoically entrenched in a single class.

Elite-skilled, iron-chinned, brutally efficient, spiteful punching ATG vs. elite-skilled, iron-chinned, brutally efficient, spiteful punching ATG.

What more could you want?

One thing I find incredibly badass is that Hagler fought the bulk of the 6th & 7th from the orthodox stance (with some minimal Dempsey-shifting back into southpaw during infighting) - perhaps waging a bit of psychological warfare on a veritable master of that art in Durán. "I don't have to be lefty to beat you"; reminiscent of Morales going southpaw versus Pacquiao some 21½ years later.

Hagler won both of those rounds handily, on virtually every fan scorecard on aggregator EOTR and I believe on the official judges' as well. Certainly the sixth was unanimous for MMH.

EOTR:
https://eyeonthering.com/boxing/marvin-hagler-vs-roberto-duran

I've been unable to locate pictures of the official scorecards or contemporary reports on the individual round by round tallies of Guy Jutras, Ove Ovesen, and Yusaku Yoshida. If anybody knows of where to have a gander, drop a word to point the way.

Of course it was another pair of rounds - the very final pair - that brought the pride of Brockton the crowning glory in this summit of titans. Goody Petronelli had implored him before the championship frames to close strong lest things slip through his fingers - and that grip tightened like a vice. For all his might, the Panamanian wasn't quite the closer or force of will as the American.

 

Of course, Durán pushing it as close as he did being a natural lightweight in with as quintessential a middleweight fighting machine as the world has seen is a feat of badassery that deserves no shortage of praise itself.

 

I only focused in in the aforementioned rounds (6&7, 14&15) and saw the whole quartet for Hag, but could maybe do a full run-through and score the whole shebang.

 

It hurts me on a deep spiritual level that some people might a) not realize this is satire and worse b) agree.

 

Hagler's corner told him that, because both Goody and Pat Petronelli suspected it might be hanging in the balance and not as sure a thing as Marvin thought. They weren't whistling Dixie; he in fact needed both rounds, and had Durán taken either the fourteenth or fifteenth on all three judges' cards it would have been no less than a MD for Durán.