Hagler/SRL

And we've seen a couple of those types in here, just quietly

7-5 for Leonard

 

I was desperately rooting for Marv to bomb SRL out. But I felt Hagler blew the first two rounds by outsmarting himself, getting cute by boxing from the orthodox stance instead of as a southpaw, following Ray around, instead of cutting off the ring by keeping his lead foot between Ray's feet.

My belief is that Marv would have won rounds one and two had he started from a southpaw posture, taking the close decision as a result.

SRL's ring generalship was vastly superior in that upset. He dictated the nature of the contest, clearly leading in the dance, his actions provoking Marv's reactions. It was always easy to see when Hagler was confused (such as in the early rounds with Geraldo, when he kept switching back and forth between the orthodox and southpaw stances, a quizzical furrow on his brow).

Hearns was able to outbox and outmaneuver SRL, but Hagler didn't have Tommy's freakish height, reach and speed advantages. Marv needed to be himself, the steel chinned, obdurate killer who blasted out Hearns, not the cautiously tentative investigator who drew with Antuofermo and went the distance against Duran. Instead of getting psyched up for Ray, Hagler got psyched out by him. In many ways, SRL had Marv beaten before the bell signalling the beginning of round one.

Ray has said he felt the verdict should have been unanimous, and I agree. But Marv lost it perhaps more than Ray won it. Hagler's jab should have been glued to Ray's face for all 12 rounds, used like a battering ram to break SRL down.

As for the complaints Ray's opponents frequently made about his continual running, instead of "fighting like a man," that sort of tactic didn't bother the youthful Foreman, or Saad Muhammad against Vonzell Johnson, Duran against Vilomar Fernandez, or Arguello in any of his title defenses (during which numerous challengers tried to hit and run). It doesn't matter how big a ring is. If one is competent enough at cutting it off against a cutie, that mover's legs will eventually tire out. And 12 rounds is enough time to induce a runner's legs to fail (as the aforementioned Vonzell discovered in round 11 against a highly competent and patient Saad Muhammad).

Hagler and the Petronellis were inexplicably, appallingly and disappointingly uninspired against SRL. They should have displayed more abandon in letting it all hang out. The fact will always be that Ray was still on his feet at the final bell, an outcome Marv assured us would not transpire. Regardless of the scoring, Hagler's failure to stop an inactive and supposedly rusty challenger who had been previously flattened by a fringe WW contender and was stepping up nearly a dozen pounds in weight, was sufficient to compromise his historical standing in and of itself, even if Marv had been awarded the scoring.

 

That's a fantastic post, perhaps close to your finest yet and that's saying something. It's refreshing that someone who actively dislikes Leonard can come out with such a balanced and down to earth assessment.

My only point of interruption whatsoever would be to reign you in a little on the "previously flattened by a fringe WW contender". While technically correct, let's put it out that the Leonard Hagler fought wasn't even remotely close to the one Howard did. Leonard trained and prepared obsessively for Hagler and true greats are inspired from and rise to the challenges of the most dangerous foes. Make no bones, the SRL Hagler fought would have mopped the floor with Kevin Howard very very easily.

Fantastic post mate. Kudo's.

 

115-114 Hagler

Leonard winning rounds 1,2,4,6 and 11.
Hagler winning rounds 5,7,8,9,10 and 12.
Round 3 even.

 

Great post:good

 

and very nice commentary! Totally agree...:good
Leonard certainly rose to the occasion!

 

Leonard won but as Ring's "Fight of the Year," this was pretty overrated. Became a ragged affair after a few rounds. Not a fight I have any interest in seeing again.

 

7-5 leonard

Ray also won his rds more decisevly.

 

7-5 Hagler. Leonard's flurries don't win me over. What he did was "steal" the rounds by throwing flurries and such towards the 2nd half of the round. I don't score a round that way. A good example is Holmes-Norton 15th round. The way Larry got a great flurry in at the end of the round, I scored the round for Norton, but had Larry winning by that round anyway so it made no difference. BUT the judges gave the round to Larry because of the flurry. Back on topic, all in all close fight, depends how you score though, and if you like the flurries that do next to nothing.

 

Damn straight... But hey we got the last laugh watching Leonard getting knocked out by a Camacho jab.

 

Leonard won the fight, 115-113. Hagler did lose the mind games, not just during the fight, but when he left the press tour early and said to Leonard "I'll see you on April 6th".

 

Thanks. Now I'll have to type something patently ridiculous to regain low expectations again.:nut

Once he came off the deck to stop LaLonde, he had converted me into as much of a believer as he possibly could have done. I'd seen Golden Boy take apart Carlos "The Force" Tite, himself seemingly an awesome contender who could knock out an opponent with a jab. When Donny dismissively said he'd simply "pound (Leonard) into the ground, I expected LaLonde to do exactly that. The outcome of SRL/LaLonde didn't reallly matter to me, feeling as I did that Ray's place in boxing lore was cemented with the Hagler performance. Having stated that, I was tremendously impressed with the outcome in Ray's favor.

In hindsight, this is certainly true. Nonetheless, common observation suggests that once a boxer loses his ability to stand up to a punch, no amount of training and conditioning can enable him to regain it. This isn't necessarily true, as Duran proved after Hearns, and Holmes proved after Tyson, but Ray also went on to taste the canvas against Hearns and Norris.

SRL must have had some fantastic gym wars in secretively training for Hagler, considering the singular success he abruptly realized.