Could any other former lightweight champion go 15 rounds with a prime Marvin Hagler?

Duran actually turned pro at bantamweight (!), but he was still a kid at the time pretty much.

 

So he was even smaller.

 

Did he know any other later career? He is probably a better chance than most. We know exactly how he'd fight.

 

My score card from a while back.


Roberto Duran VS Marvin Hagler
1983

Classic bout with two greats, that I re watched upon a request.
I viewed this with no sound

Duran Hagler

RD1 - 10 -10 (Classic feeling out round)
RD2 - 10 - 9
RD3 - 10 - 9 (Duran winning at Mid Range, Hagler better inside)
RD4 - 9 - 10 (Hagler snapping that jab)
RD5 - 9 - 10 (Very close)
RD6 - 9 - 10 (Close, great action)
RD7 - 10 - 9 (Great generalship from Duran)
RD8 - 10 - 9 (Very close, Duran edges with earlier work)
RD9 - 9 - 10 (Duran looking weary)
RD10 - 9 - 10 (Close, Hagler more forceful)
RD11 - 10 - 9 (Hagler tentative)
RD12 - 10 - 9
RD13 - 9 - 10
RD14 - 9 - 10 (Duran showboating )
RD15 - 9 - 10 (Brilliant closing round)

Total
DURAN: 142
HAGLER: 144

Notes:

1) This bout was really a battle of the feints. Very interesting exchanges throughout.

2) This bout makes me doubt Haglers ring IQ. If he was more forceful, ala Hearns bout, this would not be such a close fight. For example, Hagler wins the 10th, then backs off in the 11th. Quite confusing.

3) Great defense shown by both Duran and Hagler. Lots of closely missed or grazing shots throughout. Master skills.

4) Some brilliant infighting to watch here. I never get tired of it.

 

Partially. Hagler was in his first "supefight", fought over cautiously and not balls to the wall .. that said Duran was an unusual fighter and did step up .. the styles meshed ok for him as well as Hagler was not that much physically larger , reach aside and while fast not blazing fast like a Hearns ..

 

Later Duran told Leonard that he could beat Hagler. Coming from a guy with a PHD in boxing had to plant a seed or at least give Ray alot of confidence.
Bottom line is Duran was the first of those great smaller fighters to test the waters. Hagler was at his peak.

 

He was quite a bit smaller naturally than Benitez and all of his great later opponents. No need to make excuses for a great lightweight losing to an arguably best ever welter who he also beat, a couple of great light middles and a great middle. He had no right winning any of these fights as a career lightweight. He skipped winning a weight class at light welterweight just because he hated Leonard.
Duran was taking on all these guys past his best and way above his natural weight and he only started losing in his 30's. Benitez career was dead at 30, Duran was winning the middleweight championship at 37.
Ray Leonard's body couldn't handle fighting championship fights and he had to retire multiple times, Hagler too was done by his early 30's.
And no OP probably not.

 

He was not that small. That is the excuse and something his fans say. His fans say he was this little guy moving up, but if you see him against Hagler, he is not that small. I just say how I feel. He lost to all the greats he fought in that era. He beat one, and I have gone over that one. He was not quite a bit smaller than Benitez, who could not handle middleweight well. although 154 was probably Wilfred's best weight. Duran fought as high as 168. If Duran had no right winning those fights, Hearns had no right beating Hill in 1991 or Spinks had no right beating Holmes, but they did and Duran gets more credit for losing to them than Spinks does for beating Holmes. Past his best? Pac had no right beating many guys. Yes Duran won the title at 37 one weight class and 5 years after Hearns, so he was still at championship level. so the excuses are not as valid.
Duran was not as great in his 30s as his 20s, but he also fought a better quality of fighters.

Duran started losing to greats in his 30s.. A level he did not fight at lightweight. Kirkland is the only guy whom he should not have lost to, but fighters will fight that guy who is trouble sometimes. Toney almost lost to Tiberi. Hagler chose to be done. Hearns won his last real title at 32 at 175, the same age Duran was when he lost to Tommy. Ray quit in his 20s more than his 30s.

 

This

 

Hagler's excellent use of shifting to both attack and defend would cause trouble for Hank. Armstrong could bob and weave his way into an opponent relentlessly, but his opponents couldn't move like the Marvelous One. Hagler wasn't just comfortable fighting from either stance, he was a master at switching to find openings and get out of harm's way. Add to that a granite chin, ability to fight inside and a willingness to take a few hard punches to hurt his opponent. This would be a very interesting fight.

 

He was at his peak physically but fought a cautious fight. Not the first time either. He did it the first time w Vito. Haglers weakness was between his ears. He had self doubt. He had questions about his stamina. Watch him almost punch himself out in the first Obel fight. Marvin fought cautious against Duran and the fight was more competitive than it should have been. Marvin finally went balls to the wall when he fought Hearns.

 

It was one of the worst performances I saw from a relatively still prime Hagler. I thought he'd steamroll him by the 7th or 8th round at the very most. The belief after the fight was Hagler gave Robbie way too much respect in their fight and maybe the magnitude of the match was bit too overwhelming for the Marvelous one (it was the biggest name and payday Hagler had fought up until that point in his illustrious career.)

I love Duran, but I think it was just a bad night in the office for Marvin compared to anything Duran did well that night.

 

And he was exhausted in round 3 as he should have been. Most people focus on Hearns since his legs were gone and he was tired and knocked out that round, but if you look at Hagler he was missing Hearns until he landed that right after he cut was inspected.

 

Shane Mosley is the only one who's got a shot. But Hagler would have to fight him the way he fought Duran. If it's the Hagler that fought Hearns, even natural MWs would have trouble going 15.

 

Well Hagler was missing alot of his punches and getting popped in return. He realized that Duran was not an easy target even at his advanced age. The punches Marvin did land had little effect on Duran. That was a suprise to many of us. In a sense Hagler discovered what Cuevas and Moore had, Duran is still dangerous.