SWC75
Bored Historian
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I just watched most of the 1987 Sugar Ray Leonard-Marvin Hagler fight. it was match between the two greatest fighters of the baby boomer generation, something fans had been waiting for for most of a decade. I was a big Sugar Ray fan but also had enormous respect for Marvin. I expected this to be the beginning of a three fight series that woudl define the 80's in boxing the way Ali-Frazier had defined the 70's.
My memory of it was that Sugar Ray landed more punches but they had less of an impact than Hagler's punches, that Ray won the fight by being more flashy and flurrying at the end of rounds. I thought Marvin really won the fight but Ray won the decision with his tactics. Two judges had it 115-113 , one for each fighter. the third judge had it it 118-110 for Ray, which was absurd. I was glad Ray won but had an uneasy feeling about it because bought the viewpoint of many that he had "stolen" the fight.
I didn't score tonight's showing on ESPN classic because i didn't tune in until the fight had already started, (midway through the second round). But watching it while on my exercise bike, (which drown out the announcers, i felt that Sugar Ray had fought much better than I remembered. He moved back and fourth and avoided trading blows with Marvin for the first half of the fight but won the exchanges and piled up the points, much as he had done in the second Duran fight.
In the second half Marvin's body work seemed to have slowed Ray down and there were many more exchanges. But Ray held his own, (just as he had done in the first Duran fight), even if Marvin was clearly the harder puncher. When Ray started his flurries it forced Marvin into a shell and allowed ray to escape. At the end of the fight both fighters, in incredible condition, were clearly exhausted. probably if the fight had been a 15 rounder, Marvin would have won but i felt Ray's early lead held up. he didn't just win because flurries at the bell. It was a great performance and legitimate victory.
I hoped for a rematch but it never happened. My memory was that Marvin was disgusted with the decision and retired but per Wikipedia, it was Ray who retired. Marvin went off to Italy to make movies, (I've never seen one but apparently he did OK). When Ray unretired in 1988, Marvin decided to stay retired and keep making his movies. it was probably for the best. Ray was never nearly this good again and a lot of people said that one of the reasons Marvin lost was that he was slowing down, too. 1987 should have been the third fight, not the first one.
Sugar Ray Leonard - Wikipedia
Marvelous Marvin Hagler - Wikipedia
My memory of it was that Sugar Ray landed more punches but they had less of an impact than Hagler's punches, that Ray won the fight by being more flashy and flurrying at the end of rounds. I thought Marvin really won the fight but Ray won the decision with his tactics. Two judges had it 115-113 , one for each fighter. the third judge had it it 118-110 for Ray, which was absurd. I was glad Ray won but had an uneasy feeling about it because bought the viewpoint of many that he had "stolen" the fight.
I didn't score tonight's showing on ESPN classic because i didn't tune in until the fight had already started, (midway through the second round). But watching it while on my exercise bike, (which drown out the announcers, i felt that Sugar Ray had fought much better than I remembered. He moved back and fourth and avoided trading blows with Marvin for the first half of the fight but won the exchanges and piled up the points, much as he had done in the second Duran fight.
In the second half Marvin's body work seemed to have slowed Ray down and there were many more exchanges. But Ray held his own, (just as he had done in the first Duran fight), even if Marvin was clearly the harder puncher. When Ray started his flurries it forced Marvin into a shell and allowed ray to escape. At the end of the fight both fighters, in incredible condition, were clearly exhausted. probably if the fight had been a 15 rounder, Marvin would have won but i felt Ray's early lead held up. he didn't just win because flurries at the bell. It was a great performance and legitimate victory.
I hoped for a rematch but it never happened. My memory was that Marvin was disgusted with the decision and retired but per Wikipedia, it was Ray who retired. Marvin went off to Italy to make movies, (I've never seen one but apparently he did OK). When Ray unretired in 1988, Marvin decided to stay retired and keep making his movies. it was probably for the best. Ray was never nearly this good again and a lot of people said that one of the reasons Marvin lost was that he was slowing down, too. 1987 should have been the third fight, not the first one.
Sugar Ray Leonard - Wikipedia
Marvelous Marvin Hagler - Wikipedia
