If Duran Had Won The Last Couple Of Round Against Hagler..

He is probably the greatest fighter I have seen lots of film on.

That said, some fighters I have above him Greb ( who I have #1) SRR, Pep, and Armstrong....These are lofty heights. I keep wanting to move Duran up, if he had beat Hagler I would have had him top 3 for sure. The fact that he was winning by round 12 really makes me want to move him up anyway.

I wont argue with Duran being number 1 if anyone thinks it, he was absolutely one of the greatest of all time. ( and my favorite )

 

I was gonna score the fight when I had time. Only seen it once and I find it crazy how a Lightweight was able to do so well against a top 3 middleweight

 

I tend to rate Greb as number 1 as well. I don't rate SRR as high as most. I find the careers of Greb, Duran, Pep, and Armstrong more impressive. I go back and forth on making Duran 2 or 3.

 

Hagler had a way of sometimes freezing on the biggest stages:

First title fight vs. Antuofermo, whatever you think of the decision he fought a cautious fight and certainly didn’t look like a guy who had been held in shackles for years champing at the bit to finally get his shot. He let Vito dictate far more than he did.

Duran was his first big PPV-level spotlight fight and a guy he had idolized or looked up to and he spent a lot of time watching the paint dry while Roberto mesmerized him.

And of course he came out right-handed against Ray Leonard and basically allowed Sugar to bank the first four rounds before he decided to fight … and even then he was often lackluster in his ability and will to cut off the ring.

Of course he fought like a scalded dog with Hearns but I don’t think Tommy gave him any choice. It was fight or die.

 

All true.

Another fight he did not look terrific was that Geraldo fight.

Like a lot of boxers, when Marvin has his A game he is a totally different fighter than when he shows up with his B game.

 

It really was not that close there wasn't any urgency from Hagler at all he didn't put the gas on because he knew he didn't have to. If it had been a 12 rounder you could make a case for Duran but the mentality going in for a 15 rounder was different and so a different fight would have in sewed imagine if Hagler had wanted a war?

 

I saw that fight with my brother in law live on Closed Circuit Television on Nov 10 1983. The fight was close in some rounds, Roberto Duran was resilient, but Champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler did enough to pull out the decision victory.

 

Hagler had big fights pending with Leonard and Hearns so there was a lot of money up for grabs, so Duran was most likely never gonna get a decision, but that fight has always been a draw IMO.