The fighter who had everything.

[The Slaughter]

gtfoh...hagler was 60+fights old, with wars against hearns, & mugabi, behind him, taking on all comers,and srl, was on the shelf, for damn near 4 years, still in his 20's...

truth is, sugar ray leonard, he ain't want it with marvelous marvin hagler in his prime...he fake retired, and hid safely behind the mike, until he saw hagler slip bad in the mugabi fight...

sugar ray leonard, fought kevin howard, in what was thought to be a tuneup for hagler, but after kevin howard, put sugar ray leonard on the deck, sugar ray leonard, figured it was better to get back behind the mike, than face hagler, after that scare with the light hitting kevin howard...

...and what was up, with sugar ray leonard, rematching marvelous marvin hagler?...i guess sugar ray leonard knew his history, because he had to know, that marvelous marvin hagler, avenged every loss and draw on his record, dude welched on the rematch, and left hagler a bitter dude behind it...

You nailed it!
Just to add this, Ray said more than once that he wouldnt been able to take more punishment from Hagler and would have been down if the fight went on for another round. Hagler was way past his prime at that point. Prime Hagler was a scary mofo.
But dont put too much into this as the OP says Ray clearly beat Hagler and at the same time said Froch clearly beat Kessler..

[Motofan]

Ray was as good as it gets.

[djtmal]

Leonard was a class act. Extraordinary speed, intuition and over-all skills.

As far as the Hagler bout I say Leonard handled him like a true craftsman. I believe that he had Hagler very tentative to let his puches go once Hagler saw how outclassed he was in speed, he was simply worried that Leonard would make him look bad. With Marvins extremely high sense of pride he was tentative through the whole bout and never did really let his hands go fluidly. Leonard won that fight.


Overall Leonard is easily within the peramiters of an All-Time Great............Rockin'

eeeh, i thought sugar ray leonard, was *****-made, in the hagler fight...how can the challenger, run, shoeshine, be ghost in the championship rounds, and take a fighter as great as hagler's title, like that...i think, sugar ray leonard, wanted to trade a little bit more, but his corner kept urging him, to stay on the bicycle...

yeah, he got a points win, but did he really beat the man?...naaaa...lol..still, even with the victory, he'd never be considered higher than hagler, in any boxing expert's opinion, in terms of all-time great middleweights...only monzon, and robinson, hold that distinction...now welterweight, much props to sugar ray leonard there, no doubt...

[KayDub]

Both Hagler and Duran are better fighters than Sugar Ray Leonard.

They're all pretty much even as far as boxing goes, though.

I just can't give any respect to fighters that fight like little *****es, especially when they "beat" a champion by running away the whole fight.

[prinzemanspopa]

yeah, he got a points win, but did he really beat the man?...naaaa...lol..still, even with the victory, he'd never be considered higher than hagler, in any boxing expert's opinion, in terms of all-time great middleweights...only monzon, and robinson, hold that distinction...now welterweight, much props to sugar ray leonard there, no doubt...

Considering Leonard barely fought at the weight,how the hell is that an accomplishment? Overall,Leonard was a better fighter than Hagler ever was.Could you imagine Hagler fighting once in a five year period and coming back and beating Michael Spinks? Nope,neither can I.



Hagler would never have gotten in the ring with Spinks even at his very best.Too busy calling out welterweights,I suppose.

[TysonBomb]

Both Hagler and Duran are better fighters than Sugar Ray Leonard.

They're all pretty much even as far as boxing goes, though.

I just can't give any respect to fighters that fight like little *****es, especially when they "beat" a champion by running away the whole fight.

This

Leonard is an overrated prick

[SkillspayBills]

Am I the only one that thought this would be about Butterbean?

[djtmal]

You nailed it!
Just to add this, Ray said more than once that he wouldnt been able to take more punishment from Hagler and would have been down if the fight went on for another round. Hagler was way past his prime at that point. Prime Hagler was a scary mofo.
But dont put too much into this as the OP says Ray clearly beat Hagler and at the same time said Froch clearly beat Kessler..

slaughter, thanks for the kind words, regarding my assessment, of sugar ray leonard vs marvelous marvin hagler...i can't comment on froch vs. kessler (didn't watch that fight), but when it comes to 80's boxing, i followed all of the big names careers...

people tend to forget, that sugar ray leonard vs. marvelous marvin hagler, was probably the first mega fight, that went only 12 rounds, when 15 rounds was the norm...marvelous marvin hagler, spotted sugar ray leonard, the last 3 rounds in the negotiations, to make the fight happen...spotted sugar ray leonard the ring size, probably the gloves, and who knows what else, just to get sugar ray leonard, to sign on the dotted line...lol...

turns out, that marvelous marvin hagler, dropped the first 3 rounds fighting orthodox, and needed rounds 13, 14, & 15, to put a gassed sugar ray leonard, on his back...marvelous marvin hagler, put everbody on their backs, my man...marvelous marvin hagler is originally from newark, nj, such as i, so you see why i get personal when it comes to untrue and bogus facts, regarding marvelous marvin hagler...

[Rockin']

eeeh, i thought sugar ray leonard, was *****-made, in the hagler fight...how can the challenger, run, shoeshine, be ghost in the championship rounds, and take a fighter as great as hagler's title, like that...i think, sugar ray leonard, wanted to trade a little bit more, but his corner kept urging him, to stay on the bicycle...

yeah, he got a points win, but did he really beat the man?...naaaa...lol..still, even with the victory, he'd never be considered higher than hagler, in any boxing expert's opinion, in terms of all-time great middleweights...only monzon, and robinson, hold that distinction...now welterweight, much props to sugar ray leonard there, no doubt...

If you look at it the other way what damage did Hagler inflict on Leonard, except for a couple of rounds where he had Leonard hurt Hagler did next to no damage except for those particular rounds. Ofcourse Leonards blows were for the most part little more than an annoyance to Hagler, but they did what was needed for Leonard to carry many of the rounds when added to Haglers lack of action.

The memories of the indestructable war machine were just that on that particular evening, only memories. Hagler looked slow, tentative and unsure of himself and his punches for the entire fight. He simply could not handle Leonards speed and skill after a career full of glorious wars that on that night came to the forefront and exposed the worn champion as just that, a worn champion.

A champion enters the ring as the champion. He is then announced as the champion. But once everybody is out of the ring, except for the 2 fighters and the referee, and that bell rings nobody is the champion until their arm is lifted by the referee in victory when the fight is over. It doesnt matter if one does it with extremely cautious boxing or by brutal knockout. Constant agression only matters on the scorecards if you are landing the punches, Hagler was not and Leonards arm was raised............Rockin'

[Rockin']

slaughter, thanks for the kind words, regarding my assessment, of sugar ray leonard vs marvelous marvin hagler...i can't comment on froch vs. kessler (didn't watch that fight), but when it comes to 80's boxing, i followed all of the big names careers...

people tend to forget, that sugar ray leonard vs. marvelous marvin hagler, was probably the first mega fight, that went only 12 rounds, when 15 rounds was the norm...marvelous marvin hagler, spotted sugar ray leonard, the last 3 rounds in the negotiations, to make the fight happen...spotted sugar ray leonard the ring size, probably the gloves, and who knows what else, just to get sugar ray leonard, to sign on the dotted line...lol...

turns out, that marvelous marvin hagler, dropped the first 3 rounds fighting orthodox, and needed rounds 13, 14, & 15, to put a gassed sugar ray leonard, on his back...marvelous marvin hagler, put everbody on their backs, my man...marvelous marvin hagler is originally from newark, nj, such as i, so you see why i get personal when it comes to untrue and bogus facts, regarding marvelous marvin hagler...

Hagler signed for 12 rounds and everything else for the fight, get over it...........Rockin'