What if Hagler attacked Roberto Duran the way he did with Hearns, with reckless abandon. Does Duran put up a Barkley-esque performance or does Hagler get him out of there inside 5 rounds
Even Duran at his very best would be hard pushed to weather this kind of intense onslaught, I think Hagler finishes matters before the mid-rounds. Hagler TKO5 Duran *I agree that Marv defintely boxed far too cautious in their actual fight. Despite that did sufficient to get the job done.
Then I suspect Hagler gets tired and down the stretch looks sloppy as **** but still gets the decision. Hagler can't fight Duran how he fought Hagler and not for 15 rounds. Hagler visibly slowed from round 1 to 2 against Hearns. By that stage he'd already hurt Hearns in numerous ways. Hagler-Duran is a myth. Hagler was the bigger man and fought like it. He was winning clearly. Duran won some rounds and stayed competative but he should never have been winning after 12.
This is sort of how I see it, but I think that Hagler would win a wider decision, and I also think that Duran would need to be given credit in this imagined scenario for the way that he fought. He would make it rough, get inside, make it awkward, perhaps with marked success. Of course, Hagler might get him. That's not impossible.
I just don't believe Hagler had the laser guided speed and power that Hearns did. Hearns was fast and savvy enough to catch Duran with impressively dynamic moves i.e. left uppercut to the stomach, jab to the body then right hand to the head etc It is a one time only thing. Duran was made to quit by arguably the best 147 ever and ko'd by arguably the best 154 ever. One time only things I believe.
Duran trained to deal with an aggressive Hagler by countering and angling around him. Hagler's decision to box rather than go straight at the smaller man was unanticipated by Duran. I do not believe that Hagler would have gotten Duran out of there before 12 -no one could save one and Duran deserves the benefit of the doubt here. Power alone wouldn't do it -heavy hands never did it. You need speed. Serious reach and height help too. Hagler had none of those three factors. He may have worn him out and got a TKO -but any talk of Hagler blowing through Duran inside of 5 or 6 rounds is really pushing it. Again, Duran was prepared for and expecting aggression. Hagler would have taken more risks and Duran was pretty good at busting bigger guys up who get aggressive. Moore's eye. Barkley's eye. Hagler's eye. Hagler swelled up late -and only because Hagler turned it on and Duran aimed precisely for that left eye. Had Hagler turned it on earlier, he may have worn Duran out earlier and stopped him late ... or.... he may have had one eye in round 5. And a one-eyed Hagler ain't beating Duran.
There is no what if's n this matchup duran vs hagler It happened! Roberto Duran a 135lber vs big bad marvin at 160 unreal! If a 12 rounder duran wins it! I had it a draw/1 point for marvin unreal! It was roberto duran that semi-exposed hagler then ray fought em, no way ray fights hagler 1st NO WAY!!! ROBERTO DURAN IS A MAD-MAN UNLIKE ANY OTHER! WoW! U WANT A WHAT IF HERE'S A WHAT IF FOR U'S WHAT IF ROBERTO DURAN WAS A MIDDLEWEIGHT PACKING A TRUE 25+LBS GOOD NITE SWEET PRINCE THAT'S YOUR WHAT IF... SUPER-MIKEY!
Agreed, if Duran just happened to have been born to fight at 160 he would have beaten Hagler handily at their peaks.
I think you are right...Duran did very well against people that went straight at him...Hagler would have been hit with more straight right hands. Duran's hand would have been busted up (I think it was anyway) Hagler still takes the decision. (In my opinion)
The Petronelli's thought Hagler was stepping into the ring with 1979 Duran, hence the respectful tactics. With more agressive tactics, Hagler could of stopped Duran late, in 1983 IMO.
Comparable power being transfered from lightweight to middleweight, and strength. You may well be right. If as you said, "if Duran just happened to have been born to fight at 160", he would have had confidence to go inside and vary his work and not be out-muscled, which he found difficult when they fought.
