12 Legends of Christmas: Marvin Hagler

The man known as 'Marvelous' waited years for his big chance and refused to give up

Name: Marvin Hagler

Nickname: Marvelous

Date of First Fight: 18th May 1973

Date of Retirement: 6th April 1987

Titles: WBC, WBA and IBF world middleweight titles

Biography:

Marvin Nathaniel Hagler was born on 23rd May 1954 in Newark, New Jersey. Despite being raised by his mother in New Jersey, Hagler and his family moved to Brockton, Massachusetts to escape riots that were happening in their area.

Hagler hooked up with boxing trainer Goody Petronelli and his brother Pat. Marvin would stick with the brothers as his trainer and manager throughout his amateur and professional career. Hagler lied about his age so he could be allowed to box in amateur tournaments. He grew into a strong fighter and won the 1973 US National Championships at middleweight.

He turned pro later that year and, across his 14 years, always boxed around 160 pounds. After some early career setbacks, including two losses and a draw, Hagler finally got his shot at the WBC and WBA middleweight titles in 1979 when he fought Italy’s Vito Antuofermo. Even though it seemed like Hagler had won the fight, it was declared a draw and Hagler waited patiently for another shot.

In 1980 Antuofermo had lost the belts to Alan Minter, so Hagler travelled to the UK to cut Minter so badly that he was stopped after three rounds. There were 12,000 people at the fight and the British fans were so angry that they threw bottles and cups at the new champion as he left the ring.

Hagler returned to the United States and went on a run of defences. This included a revenge victory over Vito Antuofermo, a first-round KO win over hard-hitting William ‘Caveman’ Lee and a win over Britain’s Tony Sibson. Hagler also picked up the IBF middleweight title by knocking out Wilford Scypion.

Hagler beat Roberto Duran on points and knocked out Thomas Hearns in a rollercoaster three-round fight in 1985. While Hagler was beating undefeated John ‘The Beast’ Mugabi in 1986, Sugar Ray Leonard was watching at ringside. Even though he was officially retired, Leonard suddenly decided that he could beat Hagler. He challenged the champion, who accepted, and they faced off in Las Vegas in 1987. Leonard won a disputed decision and Marvin was so angry that he never fought again.

Hagler was an outstanding fighter and champion. From 1980 to 1987, he reigned as the undisputed middleweight king, making 12 defences against top contenders. Only Roberto Duran managed to last the 15-round distance in this time. All other 11 opponents were stopped.

Hagler was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and regularly appears in greatest fighter pound-for-pound lists. Not only was he a massive puncher, with a 78 per cent KO ratio, but he was only officially knocked down once and was never knocked out. Hagler was a southpaw who watched his opponents’ early movements while bobbing and weaving behind a solid jab.

After his loss to Sugar Ray Leonard, Hagler moved to Italy and lived a quiet life with his second wife. He starred in several movies, including a role in the action thriller Indio. Hagler died in 2021, aged 66, while back in America.

Images Credit: Sports Illustrated, IMDB.