Does Hagler beat every other 160 in 1987?

Hagler really went down since the Hearns fight in 1985 to when he fought Leonard.. I think he reached his maximum motivation and everything else in 1985 with Hearns, and after Hearns he got what he wanted with endorsements and respect. The respect as a great. Marvin was a quiet guy and reserved. I think he wanted respect but fame was not something he really could not be into much, like Leonard would. Hagler and Hearns were really quiet guys who didn't seem to want the fame as much as the boxing respect. I thinkw hen Hagler beat Hearns, he put his all into it mentally and physical knowing he had to win thinking Ray would never come out of retirement and beating Hearns like Ray did would be compared. And he won after being hit clean and hurt and cut and he came out looking like a great. Fights a war against another legend and wins. He should have retired then. Against Mugabi he looked flat even before the fight started and I thought out of shape.. Sluggish. He had not fought in one year since Hearns. And Ray saw this and got the fight with Hagler. And Hagler has another year off and is not really motivated. He fights Ray but he was not the Hagler of earlier fights. Rusty, older slower, and Ray trained for Hagler and knew what to do. He studied him. That is why I am saying fighting these guys Kalambay and McCallum and Nunn and Barkley really would be unfair to Marvin. I think he mentally was not into boxing in 1987. Ray was smart to fight him. How could Marvin turn it down. but if you see the press conference he had soon after that June 23, 1986 card in Vegas with Hearns/Medal and Duran/Sims and McGuigan/Cruz,, you see how he really was not sure what he wanted. He seemed to lose some motivation for boxing. I wish that press conference was on youtube.

 

Or make it to the final bell, but I completely agree, I think they both have very good chances.

 

Agree with all of this.

The whole ''champion who fought like a challenger" aura of Hagler was born out of that sense of injustice he felt at not getting his due. He then got everything he wanted from the Hearns victory. The motivation just wasn't the same after that.

Prime pre-Hearns Hagler would have beaten every middleweight who was around in 1987 - '87 Hagler may have suffered an embarrassing defeat if he'd continued. I'm glad he didn't.

 

I agree. He thought about coming back for a Hearns rematch after Hearns beat Roldan but at that point. Hearns was a little worn out and Hagler rusty. It would not have been the same fight. Although I think fighting Hearns his contemporary would have turned out better than fighting a young guy like Nunn. And had he lost to Hearns in 1988, people would just say he won one and lost one.. But you are right losing to someone else he never fought and being embarrassed would have been bad for Marvin's legacy since he really didn't have motivation after 1985.. Which I have not heard many people mention.

 

Yes

 

No, I think he would come unstuck on at least one of Nunn, Kalambay and McCallum. Graham would also be tricky and an upset is not totally out of the question. He does a number on a game Barkley, though.

 

I agree with this.

Halger retired at age 32, but even before the Leonard fight, he wasn't exactly sharp vs. Mugabi in 1986.

Mugabi, best known for being a puncher was outboxing Hagler for a while.

 

Yeah, I think Hagler had lost a bit of sharpness by then.

 

Hagler may only have been only 32/33 in 1987 but by then he had almost had close to 70 fights and this surely took its toil on his body. Nunn would have embarrassed him at that stage of their careers and would have won a lopsided decision. The others fights would have been more competitive but I think McCallum would have also won and maybe Graham would have won a controversial decision, especially if the fight was in England.

 

No.

 

Great post.

 

they can all beat him.

 

Great post.

Here's an interview that I read last year where Bob Arum said that he had to talk Marvin into fighting Mugabi:

http://ucnlive.com/thirty-years-later-bob-arum-remembers-marvelous-marvin-hagler-john-mugabi/

 

Not at that stage of his career.