If Hagler got the decision over Leonard instead, how would you rate the performance and victory?

For me I always thought Leonard won the fight.
I thought Hagler started slow and Ray didn't steal rounds so much as Hagler gave them up.
I also can't overlook that Ray was moving up to fight him and coming off a long layoff...., shouldn't Hagler have had strong expectations to dominate and stop a fighter in Leonard's shoes?

If the fight plays out exactly the same, only Hagler hand gets raised at the end, how would you rank this fight?
Would it be considered a career defining performance for Hagler?
Would there be equal controversy as there is now?

 

It wouldn't changed my view.

I had Hagler winning and I give him credit for winning.
But Leonard's performance was more impressive. I thought Hagler under-performed, whereas Leonard exceeded expectations.
So, even thought Hagler won in my eyes, it's a bit of a blemish on his standing.

 

I don't think anyone doubts that Hagler was the better fighter that night. He didn't take Leonard seriously and gave away a lot of rounds, and even then he probably still won the fight.

Still, credit to Leonard for coming back after such a long layoff to fight the best P4P fighter in the world.

 

Damn the most honest pro Hagler point of view I've ever heard on the matter...
Given your view of an underperforming effort by the champion do you consider this the highway robbery that many claim it to be?

 

It wouldn't change anything.

Leonard would still have gained the moral victory like he did in reality.

I've just watched the fight now and although it was razor thin, given the circumstances Leonard was more impressive.

It's a similar situation to Golovkin and Canelo, those two fights hurt Golovkin's legacy despite him arguably winning both bouts.

You aren't expected to survive the bogeyman let alone make it competitive, the fact that both did it stands out in people's minds.

 

No. I scored it clear for Hagler but there were a few rounds there that come down to preference. A lot of respected people say they scored it for Leonard, so it's hard for me to see it as a highway robbery. I totally understand why Hagler saw it that way though, especially with a 118-110 card from one judge against him.

I give both fighters credit. Hagler because I think he won it. Leonard because he performed better under the circumstances.
I mean, Hagler was past his best, etc.
But Leonard was coming off almost a 3 year lay-off and had never fought at middleweight before, so that's very impressive, even to make it at all close.

 

Honestly I think it probably (and very, very, very marginally) helps Marvin’s legacy/standing that he came out with his supporters (and himself) yelling ‘he wuz robbed’ into the echo chamber rather than taking a split or very narrow (and equally disputed by the other side) decision.

If he eeks by, it diminishes the win anyway and the narrative would have been how he didn’t look good and Leonard outshined him anyway after a 3-year layoff, as well as from many that Leonard had been robbed.

The way it happened shifts the narrative so his supporters can claim he won without any discussion of how poor his game plan and, to a degree, execution were.

 

He was expected to win, (I think he did). It hurts Hagler because he was such a heavy favorite.

If he had gotten the win - it would have done little to enhance his already superb career. The best thing about him officailly winning would have been to have Leonard properly placed as an ATG.

That win over Hagler made Leonard incredibly overated when it comes to ATG or Fab 4 discussions.

 

Credit to Leonard??? Bull Feces...
He was supposedly retired & was working as an advisor to Donald Curry. Don wanted to move up & challenge Marvin but Leonard talked him out of it telling him to wait . But All the time he was negociating the fight for himself stabbing Don in the back. The first Don knew about it was when the press announced Hagler-Leonard !!!! He doesnt visit Texas any more plus blatantly refused to fight Don himself. He acted like a real snake in the grass A real Saccharin Ray