Marvin Hagler RIP (1954-2021)

[coyote]

"Marvelous" Marvin Hagler has died - www.BBC.co.uk/sport/boxing/56390270. As a child I remember him defeating Alan Minter and losing controversially to Sugar Ray Leonard when Hagler clearly "won" the fight. Great boxer, he was THE middleweight for many years. 66 is no age these days

[jno]

Very sad, always seemed a genuine guy. RIP

[wayne2467]

Big shock- always seemed fit and well. A true legend of boxing

[felixdeburgh]

I remember the Minter fight - he’d been built up as a real champion but Hagler showed that he was in a different class. One of the sport’s all-time greats.

RIP.

[running16]

Went to the Manchester Apollo to watch Marvin v Tommy Hearns on the big screen in 1985. Reg Gutteridge was the commentator and described the fight as "3 rounds of absolute mayhem".
It remains one of the greatest fights of all time. 
Marvin ruled the middleweight division for 6-7 years.
He lost on points to Sugar Ray Leonard  in 1987 but Ray cleverly fooled the judges by throwing punches in the last 30 seconds of every round.
Alan Minter  whom Marvin stopped in 3 rounds at Wembley Arena in 1980 to become world champion died only 6 months ago.

[Arch Stanton]

I was looking through a bunch of his old fights just the other week, admiring him. Marvin was completely underrated. An absolute great of the sport and a fine athlete. Incredibly fit and aggressive, with excellent raw power.

When I was younger watching the Sugar Ray fight, I remember hoping SRL would win, looking back on it now though I doubt I would want the same outcome.

Marvin was devastating in his fights. He smashed Minter to bits, and Minter deserved that for making it racial political fight “No black man is ever going to take my belt.” Or whatever rubbish he spouted... Then bang!
Marvin certainly didn’t deserve the fan backlash at the end of the fight where they start throwing glass bottles at him.
He deserved that win and absolutely clattered Minter.

His “gazelle jab” was a supremely effective weapon, springing in to land powerful shots, and although right handed he would fight southpaw (I naturally do the same) and so his ‘stronger’ arm would be his jabbing arm. Then switch styles and lead with blistering, accurate left hooks. Meaning he could hurt his opponent from just about anywhere.
So he had a strong jab, used the bouncing “gazelle jab” to cover distance quick meaning he could chase his opponents down and when he got in close his head was low and because of his athleticism he rarely grappled and instead got inside his opponent and just opened up a flurry of shots, that’s why he beat so many on the inside.
He was relentless.
Watch the Thomas Hearns fight again, you’ll see what I mean.


RIP Marvin. A true boxing great, that never really got the recognition he deserves.

[Arch Stanton]

See what I mean here..



Goes southpaw, then switches it, springs in with jabs against a man with superior range and height, then works inside chopping him up.

Tommy Hearns was a bloødy dangerous boxer too, he wasn’t a mug.

[Arch Stanton]

And here in the Minter fight...

Watch how Hagler springs in and out, with that Gazelle Jab. Covering ground quickly to get inside Minter’s natural boxing range and....bang!. At one point both his feet leave the canvas as he springs in. Then when he gets inside, Minter just cannot handle him. He keeps trying to tie up Hagler’s arms and grapple but Marvin is having none of it and he cuts Minter to pieces.
Again it’s only 3 rounds but if you watch from round 2 you’ll see what I mean.

Edit: YT downed the vid. If I find another I’ll replace it.

[mybodyguard]

He grew up not far from me and is an even bigger local legend than on the national and global scales. RIP

[thewoodster]

RIP.