Why Hagler Could Take a Punch

(as detailed in ‘Sorcery at Caesars’) Hagler’s lineage provided him magnificent boxing genes – that much was certain. He was graced with long arms and shoulders as wide as his ambition. More remarkable was his temporalis – a muscle that runs across the skull at both temples. Most temporalis are a quarter-inch thick, but both of Hagler’s were one inch, a phenomenon that astounded his physician when it was discovered during a routine exam in 1983. Hagler’s temporalis acted as a natural helmet and almost certainly helped him absorb blows. But he was sensitive to the notion of freakish physicality, perhaps from a racial perspective, and bridled at questions about his temporalis.