Marvin Hagler vs Lloyd Marshall @ middleweight

Probably Marshall in my estimation.

 

It seems to me that Marshall's chin & stamina were suspect under 160. I'll take Hagler by stoppage.

 

If it’s the version who demolished Ezzard a stoppage couldn’t be out of the question…

 

That's the most likely. Lloyd would have been oh so perfectly suited to 168 and extremely hard to beat there.

 

it's a tough one really,

Marshall is an excellent Boxer and Stylish Athletic fighter, he has the goods to Decision Hagler, but Hagler is Strong, Resilient and is a very hard tough capable Box/Fighter, just as capable of Winning and even Stopping Marshall because of purported Chin.

they are both TOP Men in any Era, it's a hard one. I'm going to say Hagler, but I would put my money on Marshall, in the hope he maneuvers his way into a Decision.

 

50/50

 

That fight was contested several lbs over MW though. The OP specified that Hagler would be defending his title in this hypo.

 

Hagler had an even better chin than Toney. He definitely could've withstood HW head shots. (The absolute proof of this lies in the fact that he was neurologically able to master Italian after retirement to become a film start there and wind up speaking English with an Italian accent when he originally pronounced "Antuofermio" in his original heavy Newark dialect.)

MMH was easily the GOAT southpaw through to the end of the Championship Distance era. He had a longer reach than Lloyd and his right jab was one of his power shots. Hagler also had a longer reach than Lloyd.

Lloyd was approaching 25 when he was stopped in five for Ceferino II as Garcia was between WW and MW. It was during this interval that Marshall also dropped decisions to Yaroz and Hougue, although he also decisioned HOF southpaw Broulliard (but in Lou's penultimate career match).

Ceferino II is the tell here, just as Lloyd was at his athletic peak age. He could be knocked out. Holman and the Mongoose prove that he could be decisioned by middleweights before he turned 30.

No question in my mind Marv's best takes Marshall's best. I won't go beyond that. Hagler could break out the ring perimeter Briscoe cutie textbook or pursue a more aggressive approach, maybe combine them. Lloyd never produced a stoppage beyond round ten though, and never won over the Championship Distance. He was also knocked out by Bivins in 13 in probably his most important career bout, for the duration LHW Title. As great as Jimmy was, he wasn't known for stopping top shelf opponents. He got Moore in 6, but the biggest stoppage win Bivins ever produced by far was over Marshall.

 

Marvin wasn’t a big 160lber and we haven’t got even a little evidence his chin is better then Toney, Toney’s chin might be the most proven one on any former 160lber ever.

 

Marshall said his best weight was 162lbs.

 

Marshall beat;
Overlin no4 weighing 162 1/2lbs
Yarosz no5 weighing 161 1/2lbs
Brouillard weighing160lbs
Burley no2 weighing160 1/2lb
Lamotta no 1 weighing160 1/4lbs

 

He had a better chin than him at 160, that's undeniable. Above that? Who would possibly know. Toney's legs could have been somewhat weak making 160 and other factors as well may have went into his rock jaw at higher weights.

 

Well again JT, he was never buckled and what he was able to do with his brain after absorbing crazy punching power is madness.

Regarding Toney, Joe Rein made it very clear in a colorful post reply to yours truly that he had no doubt Toney was a major juicer. Marv never touched the stuff.

MMH instantly squashed any notion of a HW challenge of Michael Spinks after Holmes I by saying "When I train, my weight goes right down." In fact, just like Harry Greb and Mickey Walker, he was always a true MW. (Here I'll quickly state that Monzon's chin was absolutely in that top shelf class, and I agree with my late great dear friend Red Cobra that Escopeta was the GOAT MW.)


Very good thread (excellent and intriguing matchmaking here), and being able to see Lloyd's final stoppage win and receive the cheers of the crowd in Berlin is a treat. And he did live just long enough to be inducted into the WBHOF.