Is Hagler the best switch-hitting fighter of all time (please keep the 'not that there's anything wrong with that' line of joke answers to a minimum, if you can help yourself)? Any other ATG-level fighters as successful both lefty and righty, and willing to switch back and forth strategically the way MMH did? Yes, I know Duran had that step-over move where he'd throw a straight left after a right, but I consider that a nifty trick rather than true switch-hitting. I believe Johnny Bumphus and some others guys who came out of the amateurs around his time tried it, but to limited success. So is Hagler the best lefty-righty in history? And does the fact that he did it so well enhance his legacy as an innovator?
Hagler did it so routinely that it didn't come as a surprise when he did switch, which I think blunted the effectiveness of that tactic. He is properly recorded as a southpaw. Continually switching back and forth in the early rounds against Geraldo betrayed Marv's confusion (along with the quizzical expression of furrowed puzzlement on his face) at the Mexican's confidence in imposing and executing his own plan of preference regardless of what Hagler wanted to do, an excellent display of assertive ring generalship by Marcos. Certainly Hagler's the most successful switch hitter who ever boxed, and the most prolifically well documented on extant footage. But I don't know that switching advanced his success much beyond what he would have achieved without ever utilizing an orthodox stance. I think it's more of a nasty trick when it comes from a normally orthodox boxer to shift to southpaw though. LaMotta did this at a key moment near the end of his critical rematch with Bob Murphy, and he's seen doing it as an amateur in Diamond Belt competition, but I'm not sure what other film there is of Jake doing this. Of course he wasn't shifty with the footwork like Marv, he'd simply step forward with his right foot and plant it to execute his switch, like he did with Murphy in head to head close quarters action. LaMotta would at least establish himself in the southpaw stance. Walcott did it only momentarily in the process of maneuvering. He'd switch his foot positioning to jab from the southpaw position, then immediately back to orthodox (if "orthodox" could ever be used to describe how Jersey Joe conducted his business in the ring). Benitez was another who was known to switch hit from time to time.
Livingstone Bramble did it very well, just as well as Hagler, imo. If he'd laid off the ganja I think it would have gotten him much further than it did. Lee Q. Murray was an excellent switch hitter. Hagler was the best and took it the furthest.
Honestly, I think Haglers ability to switch stances was overrated. Its the reason he lost the Leonard fight and though its been a while since I watched it, I seem to recall Hagler getting hit alot against Mugabi everytime he went righty.
From what I know, it's Hagler but I don't know everybody who used to switch stance. I like how Willie Pep switched stance between faints to confuse his opponent tough... But he was not good in both stance like Hagler.
I've seen some fighters, Tyson among them, switch foot position to southpaw on the inside, but really only when in very close quarters. It's a much different thing from long distance.
Hagler's ability to switch to orthodox-while seamless- was a vestigial organ in his story as a great middleweight imo. Bramble is a good pick.It was important for him against Mancini at least.Don Lee against Sibson is another example of it being important in winning a fight.
Hagler, probably was the best, but Johnny Bumphus and Greg Page,at varying times, had sucess with it.
