Imo it's impossible to highlight just one...just a truly magnificent great fighter... For me, if there was aticklist for what greatness in boxing means, Hagler just about ticks as many boxes as can be ticked...I'm nearly 50 (it hurts typing that!) and Hagler is my favourite fighter of my lifetime...
When Hagler became champ a few people tried pissing in his ear about leaving the Petronellis..."they'll rob you blind. they're white devils" etc etc. Hagler's reply was "well where were you when I was struggling? did you help me put food on the table? No. well the Petronellis did. so...FU" Besides the well known traits that made Hagler Hagler, his belief in his himself (and the Petronelli's) was yet another factor in his long term success
Very impressive, unlike guys like Donald Curry, who ditched Dave Gorman, the man who was with him on the way to the top.
It used to be said of Hagler that he was very good at so many things, while not being truly great at any one thing. While that's perhaps too simple to be true, there is a shred of truth there. I don't know that he had any one standout trait. He had a ridiculous chin, resolve in truckloads, superb combination puncher, good power, excellent jab, very strong, and a tremendous work ethic. All of that will take you a very long way.
I agree, and also an almost disdain for losing. He had an almost private thing about him where he was all alone. Later after boxing he came out of his shell, but when he was younger I think he went into a shell as a way to focus. One thing about Hagler unrelated to this thread which surprises me about him. When he was younger and fighting he didn't seem to deal much with other fighters and was into himself like I said, yet now I notice he goes to the Hall of Fame events and really appreciates the history and sport of boxing and everything about it's history. I have seen pictures of him hugging other legends like Arguello and Pryor. I was impressed. He lets his guard down and appreciates the sport. There are pictures with him and Arguello which shows the respect and warmth they felt about each other. Let me find one of the pictures. I found it, this picture is on Marvin's own website. Just shows me a great side of him I never saw when he was fighting. He loves boxing and everything about it's history. This content is protected
Great pic. I'd say Marv was so focused on his career that during it he never really thoiught much about how other fighters saw him. Obviously there was a tremendous amount of respect there I've read where Marvin said he and half brother Robbie Sims used to share a room when growing up. He was the neat freak and Sims was the messy one. He used to make Sims clean his own half of the room as he hated mess. Somehow I can't imagine younger brother complaining too much:bbb
Hagler was an excellent all round fighter.........I think, Stonehands89, once said that Hagler was perhaps the most well rounded and complete fighter in history. He had one thing going for him that Duran and others, never. He could switch easily between southpaw and orthodox.
and he did the switching so effectively. A guy like Bramble could switch, but he was not the fighter Marvin was obviously. And Marvin had a 75 inch reach, which was long.
On top of his unusally long reach for his height he'd leap forward with the jab. it was like a javelin
he had good timing with that when he lept in the air. Hagler had a quality like Chavez. They seemed to have disdain for anyone who hit them and it would wake them up. Same type of denial that anyone could beat or hurt them.