Why didn't Hagler ever move up in weight

Hagler wasn't BIG ... he just had Spartan conditioning, so his impressive physique made him appear to be more.

He was ripped to shreds but really was what I'd call an "average sized natural midddleweight".

Hagler didn't go up cos he was in the aftermath of Monzon's legacy ... Hagler wanted to set his own legacy as one of the great ones and if he had abandonned MW before fights with the Durans, Hearns' and Leonards of this world, he probably wouldn't have made as much money, wouldn't have as strong a MW legacy and with such good LHWs at the time, would've risked being just 'another contender' and not 'THE MAN' as he proved in the ring ... it's very likely that a LHW venture against the very elite, say ... around '83/'84 woulda had him rated lower p4p on the ATG list.

Hagler was a born MW and just like Monzon dominated his division for a number of years. Pep's p4p rating isn't hurt by being a one division ATG, neither should Hagler's or Monzon's.

 

If anyone has the HBO legendary nights 'Hagler-Hearns' episode. Check out Hagler when he's walking with his leather jacket and baseball cap on. He actually looks pretty small around the shoulders and he looks extremely lean. Just perfect IMO. If anyone has clips of the Leonard-Hagler weigh-in check that out as well. I know he wasn't a particularly large middleweight height wise, but overall thickness from head to toe he wasn't a 'tank'.

Hagler was a perfect physical machine for the middleweight division. Average height, long reach, strong, and very good power without it being chilling.

 

We train at Goody Petronelli`s gym. My son is trained by Goody and myself. Marvin never thought of venturing up because he was a true middleweight. That was his natural weight, and true he wasn`t that tall. Look what happened to poor Dick Tiger against Bob Foster! Marvin was hell bent at establishing his legacy at middle. he also had his eye on Monzon`s title defense record. We all know how that turned out. in the amateurs, at the nationals. Marvin was a jr. middleweight. There was now one to fight. So Marvin fought at 165 and tore through everybody. Goody said that`s when he knew they had a champion. He also told me his work ethic was the most intense he has ever seen...

 

Plus everyone knows the money is at middle. Marvin wasn`t just a great fighter, also a smart one as well

 

the big money fights were at middle and the super middle division was not around for most of his reign

he would of challenged spinks if the money was right

 

Hagler was an average size middleweight. No need to move up in weight

 

He didnt wanna move up to 175 where Spinks was. Hagler could NOT have beaten Spinks.

 

Hagler was too smart ... he knew he was a natural 160 pounder and much closer to 154 than 175 ...

 

The reason the Hagler - Duran fight came off is Bob Arum said he saw
Marvin and Roberto side by side at some boxing function and realized it wasn't that much of a physical mismatch.

Monzon, BHop & JTaylor are much bigger than Marvin.

 

Note to myself, never make an avatar bet with anyone :rofl I was wondering what's up with that, then read under it. In good fun Samurai

On To Marvin.

1 He was a Natural middlewight, good at it and knew it.

2 He wanted Monzon's record if he could get it

3 As some had mentioned, Middleweight is the second most prestigious division historically, and hot in the early 80's.

4 Money fight and prestige were there in the great Welters moving up

5 Though Hagler was a physical specimen, he wasn't an overpowering fighter or physically stronger than his contemporaries. Many of the middles he fought were physically stronger ie: Hamsho, Sibson, Roldan, Briscoe, maybe even Mugabi etc. He beat them by breaking them down and carving them up by boxing. This doesn't bode well for moving to LH.

6 I don't think he could have added the weight, and be effective imho. I had the chance to meet him after the Leonard fight, and I don't see him adding weight to that frame effectively.

7 The LH division was loaded with good big strong fighters, Mustafa, Sadd, Quai, then Spinks etc. He would have not been able to compete. Plus all to lose and little to gain.


So my take

 

Simply put, Hagler was better suited for conquering the middleweight ranks, and truth be told, the money and prestige was generally better in that neighborhood during the 1980's. Although a Michael Spinks fight would have probably generated millions anywhere between 1983 - 1985, Marvin was still better off chasing down the likes of Hearns, Duran and eventually Leonard.

How would Marvin Hagler have done HAD he ascended to the 168-175 Lb range? Who knows? I'm not sure that I agree with those who have already stated that he just wouldn't hack it though. Dwight Qawi was not a particularly large man at 5'8", was not as talented or fit as Hagler, and nor did he have the benefit of an amatuer career prior to turning pro, yet managed to become a champion at both lightheavy and cruiser. Thomas Hearns began his long and illustrious career at welterweight, and later proved to be very successful at 175 Lbs ( though he had a freakish frame that was made for it. )

That said, I think Marvin might have beaten some decent lightheavyweight contenders, and perhaps could have taken a fragment from one of the weaker champions. I'm not sure that I can see him conquering a fully polished Spinks however. Michael was not just any lightheavyweight. He was one of the greatest men to ever fight at 175 Lbs. Additionally, Spinks was considerably taller at 6'3", and showed that he had room for expansion as he later climbed the heavyweight ranks. Also, Michael knew how to use his height and awkward style to his advantage against a smaller foe. Furthermore, his chin was well tested against the best lightheavyweight hitters, and he was more than capable of going the 15 round stretch. Lastly, he was in the midst of his prime between 1983 -1985, while Hagler was probably starting to slow down a bit. This is a bad time for a smaller guy to rise up and face a natural resident of a higher weight class who was an all time great at his peak. Marvin would have made a bundle fighting Spinks, but he probably would have lost by a wide margin, perhaps cutting his career short. Consequently, he may have missed the later opportunity at a far more lucrative outing against the Sugar man. Nevertheless, it should not be held against him for never endeavoring to engage the Jinx. He was more than accomplished just where he was......

 

He knew Michael Spinks would be there waiting for him with the Spinks Jinx.....not an interesting prospect for even someone of Marvin Hagler's skills.

 

True...and Hagler was smart..as Monzon was, in realizing his ideal weight class and sticking with it...and cleaning it out instead of engaging in the often stupid mistake of division hopping.

 

Because he could have easily moved down but was good enough (relative 2 his opposition which was not strong during his prime years) 2 hold 2 his title 4 long @ 160 . For some traditional / historical reasons (popular bull****) D bigger money & public interest was @ 160 where he was .
Y should a small lightmiddleweight move up 2 a division where he can meet men who struggle making 175 ?

 

I think about this myself. I think he knew his advantage at middleweight was his physical strength and stamina, and moving up he would lose that and not be as dominant a fighter. He seemed to be aware that moving up would not be the smart move to make. Although had he moved up we could have seen how great he really was. I think he would have become a boxer more in the upper weights like he was earlier as a middleweight.