Leonard v Hagler

[mikeeod]

Not sure how much there is to this, really just me thinking out loud, but I am of the opinion that the Hearns fight set Marvin up for failure. He walked through one of the most fearsome punchers in history and left him battered and broken, while soaking up adulation like he never had before. I feel that at that moment he felt invincible, and set his mind to not only outskilling his opponent, but truly dominating and destroying him. Marvin could have easily outfoxed and countered Mugabi to a knockout, but he craved that adulation from the Hearns fight, and likely felt the need to walk through a fearsome puncher again and take his soul (I feel like he did). Ray recognized the slight slip/abandoning of his skilled fighting style, as well as the hubris that would eventually lead to Marvin's defeat. I felt that Hagler won the fight, but in reality, it shouldn't have even been close.

[Master]

Not sure how much there is to this, really just me thinking out loud, but I am of the opinion that the Hearns fight set Marvin up for failure. He walked through one of the most fearsome punchers in history and left him battered and broken, while soaking up adulation like he never had before. I feel that at that moment he felt invincible, and set his mind to not only outskilling his opponent, but truly dominating and destroying him. Marvin could have easily outfoxed and countered Mugabi to a knockout, but he craved that adulation from the Hearns fight, and likely felt the need to walk through a fearsome puncher again and take his soul (I feel like he did). Ray recognized the slight slip/abandoning of his skilled fighting style, as well as the hubris that would eventually lead to Marvin's defeat. I felt that Hagler won the fight, but in reality, it shouldn't have even been close.

As you said earlier Hagler was a very skilled intellegnet boxer in his early days but with age, slowing down, he relied on his chin, conditioning and punching to win his fights.

So I say it is more to do with age that toughness that made him have a war with Mugabi.