Would Hagler be remembered better had he retired after the Thomas Hearns fight

I always thought Marvin put his all emotionally and physically into the Hearns fight and never could reach that high again. Had he retired after Hearns and never fought Leonard, what would his legacy have been? Better than it is now?

 

I agree. I think the thing is -I don't think he was spent physically, but mentally something changed after Hearns for Hagler. He is a sensitive and intense and shy person. He put his all into training and going to jail or however he described training camp, and I think he thought Leonard would never fight him after Ray retired in 82 and then after Kevin Howard, and Hearns was the next best thing.
So he put his all into fighting that war and coming out of it and knocking out Hearns, whom he associated with as the best fighter next to Leonard who was prime. I think once he beat Hearns he felt satisfied and the endorsements and respect came after that. I just think he reached a pinnacle for himself and that was what he always wanted, and physically he was never the same after Hearns. He seemed to put what he wanted into boxing and reached the top spot he wanted to with Hearns. I think he just wanted respect and some acclaim and he got it big time with coke and pizza hut and the deodorant commercial.
. Then he is off a year and fights Mugabi who was tough and too tough for a Hagler who was off a year and not too motivated, then when Ray came out in May of 1986 after seeing Marvin slower and rusty for Mugabi-Ray announces at that TV station in Maryland to say he would fight Hagler, Marvin came out days after Hearns fought Medal in Vegas to say whom he wanted to fight? Hearns in a rematch or Leonard. He said I don't know what I want to do.. Maybe I will just retire. He said something like that. But later he picked Leonard to fight since it was almost his destiny, but to me he was a guy who really could only reach that top spot he craved once. After Hearns I don't think he could have gotten up mentally. The only thing I can think is maybe in a rematch with Leonard he could have turned into the Hagler who came after Hearns, although by the time that rematch would happen it would be spring of 1988 -3 years after Hearns, and another year not fighting.

 

I always wondered this. Is it better to have a guy like Leonard on his resume and lose to him, or never fight Ray but retire after a dominant performance against Hearns. And this is similar to fighters like Mayweather now. Will his resume look better as undefeated with guys like Ortiz and Guerrero rather than maybe a loss to Pacman or Martinez.