Marvin Hagler vs Nigel Benn

[SlimTrae]

Marvelous

[johnsebastianmiran]

Benn was a high energy fighter that kept coming at you and his fists were always moving and if his opponent stayed still he would be in a hurt locker. Marvin had a stiff straight jab and used angles that most Philadelphia educated fighters would use. Marvin could fight inside or outside and his use of angles would make you miss. Eubank was awkward and gave Benn problems but Marvin was well schooled with angles and had an underrated defense. Marvin always controlled the other guy's pace. He was relentless but a thinker.
Benn was a crowd pleaser but erratic. I pick Marvin by unanimous decision.

[Jimanuel Boogustus]

Great post. Some big body shots from Marv in this one too (straight lefts)!

[Master]

Great post. Some big body shots from Marv in this one too (straight lefts)!

That is why I think he would have stopped a middleweight Benn.

Saw Nigel on the Sunday show and he was inspiring. Benn is a legend and miss his intensity and power. He would tear Eubanks Junior apart if he was around.

[Primo Carnera]

Great post. Some big body shots from Marv in this one too (straight lefts)!

That is why I think he would have stopped a middleweight Benn.

Saw Nigel on the Sunday show and he was inspiring. Benn is a legend and miss his intensity and power. He would tear Eubanks Junior apart if he was around.

Nigel Benn v Eubanks Jr. now that is a fight I would've loved to watch. The Jr. version would've thought there were 3 Nigel Benn's in the ring! Benn would've obliterated him.

[X]

I loved Nigel Benn, and have had the pleasure of meeting him a few times. He was one of the most aggressive fighters I've ever seen in a ring, big heart, great power and as behave as they come. Never in a bad fight. He would have a punchers chance against anyone, in my opinion.

Now here's the problem ..... Marvin was a genuine bona fide BEAST. He could do everything, he could box, he could punch, very underrated skills, one of the best chins of all time.

There are three deciding points in this fight for me:

- Benn did tend to run out of steam in the second half of a fight if he hadn't blasted his opponent out of there. We know Marvin could go at a hard pace for fifteen rounds, never mind twelve
- Marvin was a truly intimidating fighter. Many people were frightened by Benn before they even got in the ring. That would not be th case here and I would argue that Nigel might find himself being intimidated in this one. Once Benn gives Hagler any respect inside the ropes, the fight is over
- I can only see Nigel winning this fight by stoppage. He is not going to out point Hagler over 12, never mind 15. But Marvin had a granite chin and was never legitimately knocked down in his entire career, and he faced some guys who hit every bit as hard as Benn.

[Dark Lord Al]

I loved Nigel Benn, and have had the pleasure of meeting him a few times. He was one of the most aggressive fighters I've ever seen in a ring, big heart, great power and as behave as they come. Never in a bad fight. He would have a punchers chance against anyone, in my opinion.

Now here's the problem ..... Marvin was a genuine bona fide BEAST. He could do everything, he could box, he could punch, very underrated skills, one of the best chins of all time.

There are three deciding points in this fight for me:

- Benn did tend to run out of steam in the second half of a fight if he hadn't blasted his opponent out of there. We know Marvin could go at a hard pace for fifteen rounds, never mind twelve
- Marvin was a truly intimidating fighter. Many people were frightened by Benn before they even got in the ring. That would not be th case here and I would argue that Nigel might find himself being intimidated in this one. Once Benn gives Hagler any respect inside the ropes, the fight is over
- I can only see Nigel winning this fight by stoppage. He is not going to out point Hagler over 12, never mind 15. But Marvin had a granite chin and was never legitimately knocked down in his entire career, and he faced some guys who hit every bit as hard as Benn.

That is a fine summary of this matchup , nice one.

[IamInuit]

I loved Nigel Benn, and have had the pleasure of meeting him a few times. He was one of the most aggressive fighters I've ever seen in a ring, big heart, great power and as behave as they come. Never in a bad fight. He would have a punchers chance against anyone, in my opinion.

Now here's the problem ..... Marvin was a genuine bona fide BEAST. He could do everything, he could box, he could punch, very underrated skills, one of the best chins of all time.

There are three deciding points in this fight for me:

- Benn did tend to run out of steam in the second half of a fight if he hadn't blasted his opponent out of there. We know Marvin could go at a hard pace for fifteen rounds, never mind twelve
- Marvin was a truly intimidating fighter. Many people were frightened by Benn before they even got in the ring. That would not be th case here and I would argue that Nigel might find himself being intimidated in this one. Once Benn gives Hagler any respect inside the ropes, the fight is over
- I can only see Nigel winning this fight by stoppage. He is not going to out point Hagler over 12, never mind 15. But Marvin had a granite chin and was never legitimately knocked down in his entire career, and he faced some guys who hit every bit as hard as Benn.

I agree with Al, great breakdown however I don't think Hagler saw anyone as compact with the torque of Nigel or that really came as close on the power meter. Hearns could punch but he lost a good portion of the concussive pop he carried at 47 and 54. Marvins prime was most likely in the early 80's and he never faced a shadow of Benn in those years. Same goes for Benn I suppose and most of his notable scraps were 168 but one can include the two weight classes for the purpose of this debate as both could have fought in either and Marvin never had a 168 division. Marvin gets far to much credit imo for beating x welters that were longer in the tooth then he was. I think Nigels power could be a real game changer and this matchup would have made a great trilogy.