Marvin Hagler Past His Prime

I agree just about 100% with your choices there. Good job.

I don't think we ever truly saw Marvin Hagler past his prime.

One, he didn't fight into his late or even mid 30's. I think it was more or a case of the ring inactivity that make him look farther gone then he was against Leonard.

 

PEAK
For the duration of '83 Hagler was at the peak of his powers, against Sibson, Scypion (if you could pinpoint one fight as his peak, I think this would be it) and Duran (although didn't use his peak attributes to the fullest here)
SLIGHTLY PAST-PRIME BUT STILL CAPABLE OF FIGHTING AT A HIGH LEVEL
Seemed uninterested against Roldan and more open to shots than at any time during his reign up to that point. Against Hamsho, was more flat footed, slightly slower and was caught a few times in this short fight.

PAST-PRIME BUT NOT SHOT

Hearns fight didn't highlight Hagler slowing down because of the nature of the fight, but he ate punches coming in. Strength and will saw him through.

WELL PAST-PRIME, NO LONGER CAPABLE OF HIGH LEVEL PERFORMANCE
A peak Hagler, circa 83, would have avoided the brawl that the fight turned into with Mugabi. Hagler slow here, foot speed and effective movement pretty much gone. Hit repeatedly with bombs. Experience, and extra skill won the fight for him.

Leonard fight. For the first time in his championship reign was clearly short of stamina. A 6th round onslaught could have set Leonard up for a stoppage, but he just couldn't do it. After round 6 threw punches like he was under water (amazingly enough still landed plenty though). Legs were gone in the second half of the fight.

SHOT
Retired before reaching this stage.

 

Hagler was still in his prime for the Duran fight IMO.

 

I would have put Marvin slightly past his prime but still capable of fighting at a high level. Add to this inactivity. Had he fought between the Hearns fight and the Mugabi fight in a tuneup against say James Kinchen, he would have fought much better with Mugabi I think.

 

I agree with most of you picks, but I really disagree with a few.

He could not do what he was capable of a couple years earlier, but Pernell Whitaker was still capable of a high level performance against Trinidad. I don't think that the decision was questionable, as I had Trinidad winning. I believe Whitaker looked capable of winning several rounds that couldn't go his way. An example would be the 2nd. Whitaker was winning the 2nd round, until he was dropped at the end.

Roy Jones Jr. was far from shot against Calzaghe. I would pick a peak Jones over Joe, but I think it took a world's top 5 light heavy to defeat the Jones that faced Calzaghe.

Trinidad looked to be in good shape against Jones. Trinidad just isn't Jones' size. I thought he did well, given his physical disadvantages.

 

I think that is pretty accurate.:good

 

Most think that Hagler was starting to slip at the time of his fight with John Mugabi..and that this was the reason that Ray Leonard agreed to fight him in April 1987...

 

i disagree with Daves Top Ten i think Hagler was just past his prime in his fights with mugabi and hearns but since he was such a great he had afew great performances. btw i thought he beat Leonard by 1 and he was past prime but not shot

 

Something that often goes unmentioned is the injuries Hagler suffered in training, and the long layoffs between Hearns-Mugabi-Leonard fights.


If Hagler was already past his best by the Hearns fight, the back injury and postponement of the Nov.'85 Mugabi fight can't have helped much. By the time he fought Mugabi, 11 months had passed since the Hearns match, and with an injury or two in the meanwhile.
After the Mugabi fight, 13 months passed before he fought Leonard.

 

pea could barely move and had to stand right in front of Tito for most of their fight. Poor analysis IMO.

 

He was past-prime but not shot for Mugabi and Leonard (86-7). More motivated for Ray though....

I'd say he was slightly past prime from Roldan to Hearns (84-5).

Peak from Antuofermo I to Duran (80-83) .

 

The Whitaker who faced Trinidad is a hard one to categorise. He was way removed from his lofty heights, but he'd probably still have enough to beat a Miguel Cotto / Shane Mosley (circa Cotto) type fighter.

Says more about the level he fell from than his level for the fight really.

I wouldn't say he was capable of fighting at a "high level", but by that definition as I see it, Cotto has never been capable and Shane was not capable around the time he fought Miguel.

 

Agreed. In my view,Marvin maintained his prime up to,and including,the Hearns fight. He was definitely past it for Mugabi and Sugar Ray,but in NO WAY shot as some would have us believe.