He was the champion, the true champion. Marvelous Marvin Hagler, the greatest middleweight ever. You hear about Ali, Tyson, Foreman, all the heavy weights, but does anyone remember this guy??
He has a decent career in the 70's but by the end of the decade he had a chance for the world title against the champ then Antuofermo. At that time he had a 45-2-1 record and a 20 fight winning streak going on. After a tough fight, the fight was declared a draw. Three straight wins in 1980, though,and Hagler was in the of the picture again. Antuofermo had lost the belts to Englishman Alan Minter since fighting Hagler, and on September 27 1980, Marvin took on the new champ in London. He destroyed him!
Two fights later, he stood against Antufermo. He defeated him in five rounds. Later in his life, they became good friends, and even acted together.
Despite his wins, he did not get the respect he deserved, but a chance was knocking on his door. In late 1983, former lightweight and welterweight champ Roberto Duran was back and wanted to step up. Duran was a superstar, attracting big money. The fight itself was anticlimactic. Hagler had prepared for the aggressive Duran that had defeated Sugar Ray Leonard so when Duran utilized a conservative approach, Hagler and his trainers were caught off-guard. After 12 rounds of slow, tactical boxing, Duran had a slim lead on the scorecards. Feeling the championship he had worked so hard to attain slipping away, Hagler went on the attack in the final three rounds and won a close decision. Duran was the first challenger to Hagler's crown to last the fight's distance.
After a couple of fights, Hagler had his name legally changed to include his "Marvelous" nickname. Feeling he was still underappreciated by the fans and media, he reasoned that if he made it his legal name, writers and TV announcers would be forced to at least call him Marvelous.
The name change wasn't the only tactic Hagler used to force the world to recognize his greatness. For 10 years, he had been labeled a "front-runner", satisfied with only doing enough to win the fight. Looking to shed this unflattering label and prove he could be as exciting to watch as popular stars like Thomas Hearns, Hagler approached his rematch with former 11th-round TKO victim Mustafa Hamsho with a different outlook: a philosophy he dubbed "Destruct and Destroy."
I bet you all remember him
The Syrian who had lots of attention because he was fighting for all arabs.
Hamsho as many know was a a tough, straight head brawler with a flair for bypassing the rules. In their first fight, Hagler had been criticized for allowing the crude challenger to make a fight of it. This time, infuriated by Hamsho's flagrant fouls, Hagler pounded the Syrian, ending the fight in the third round with a devastating knockout.
This approach made him top bill for the top fighters. Sugar Ray Leonard retired, two-division champion Thomas "The Hitman" Hearns stepped up to the plate to challenge Marvelous Marvin and an electrifying right hand punch to the fight. He got rid of him in the third round with fashion with two right hands in the third round!
in 1987 Sugar Ray Leonard announced he was making a comeback, and that he was going straight for Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Hagler wanted the fight so bad that he made nearly every concession in negotiations, from ring size to glove styles to the number of rounds (12 as opposed to 15). Unfortunately he lost at the end in a controversial fight. Marvelous Marvin Hagler called for a rematch, but Sugar Ray refused to answer. Frustrated and bitter, Marvelous Marvin Hagler moved to Italy and began a career in Italian action films.
So I ask you again, why does this man does not get the recognition he deserves? He is the champion, pure and simple.
Momma said Knock you out... BAM! BAM ! BAM !
