So How Good was Marvin Hagler Exactly?

[The Fightfan]

I just don't know. I think the snip-its on Monzon show he is extremley strong. He does have a solid jaw,and he punches with great precision. If Hagler were to stand up to him as he did Hearns I think he would be in trouble, but if he boxed a bit he could win the desicion. Monzon is very underrated because you simply can't find anything on him but we do know one thing he can punch. America and the world grew up watching Hagler's rise through the ranks therefore making it much easier to assess the way this fight would turn out. To close to call but it would have been one helluva a fight.

[kingfrnk]

That book is the business. Read it twice already.

[X]

Hey, interesting article, thanks for posting it up.

I think Hagler is the best middleweight to ever step into a ring. Technically, he had it all .... good skills, ampidextrous, had power, never undertrained, chin like an anvil.

On the downside (as Joe Frazier said to him) he had three strikes against him - he was black, he was a southpaw, and he was good. Marvin was avoided for years and he nearly blew it against Antuofermo before he managed to get Minter in the ring with him. Just like Sonny Liston, there was a hit iof mystery as to how old he really was once he was champ and I think he may have really been thr best middleweight around for some time prior to being noticed by anyone.

He had to struggle to the top, nobody ever gave him the glory that SRL got so early and it always ranked with hagler.

I still think that Leonard didnt do enough to get the decision over Marvin, he pulled off a great con job on the judges .......... but I also think marvin treated ray with a bit too much respect in the ring that day, just as he did with Duran.

[Fran@myboxingcoach]

Hey, interesting article, thanks for posting it up.

I think Hagler is the best middleweight to ever step into a ring. Technically, he had it all .... good skills, ampidextrous, had power, never undertrained, chin like an anvil.

On the downside (as Joe Frazier said to him) he had three strikes against him - he was black, he was a southpaw, and he was good. Marvin was avoided for years and he nearly blew it against Antuofermo before he managed to get Minter in the ring with him. Just like Sonny Liston, there was a hit iof mystery as to how old he really was once he was champ and I think he may have really been thr best middleweight around for some time prior to being noticed by anyone.

He had to struggle to the top, nobody ever gave him the glory that SRL got so early and it always ranked with hagler.

I still think that Leonard didnt do enough to get the decision over Marvin, he pulled off a great con job on the judges .......... but I also think marvin treated ray with a bit too much respect in the ring that day, just as he did with Duran.

great post...particularly the 3 strikes observation. A similar thing was said by Larry Holmes (to a journalist): "It's tough being black. You ever been black? I was black once, when I was poor." For men considered to be lacking in education and brains, there are certainly some profound and eye-opening quotes in the game.

helluva thread by the way

[THE THIRD MAN]

I just don't know. I think the snip-its on Monzon show he is extremley strong. He does have a solid jaw,and he punches with great precision. If Hagler were to stand up to him as he did Hearns I think he would be in trouble, but if he boxed a bit he could win the desicion. Monzon is very underrated because you simply can't find anything on him but we do know one thing he can punch. America and the world grew up watching Hagler's rise through the ranks therefore making it much easier to assess the way this fight would turn out. To close to call but it would have been one helluva a fight.

This is correct, people just don't know how good Monzon was, he beat everybody who was put in front of him and make no mistake in any other era Rodrigo Valdez would be recognised as a great Middleweight yet Monzon handled him twice. Monzon never wasted a punch, he was accurate, powerful and tough. The Monzon right hand was devastating and that is the southpaws worst enemy. Monzon was also a technically skilled boxer, his ability to box and use his long legged frame to avoid punches was outstanding, then he would strike like a cobra and when he did it was lights out. All this from a man who didn't really train for a fight, smoked like a chimney, drank like a fish and fucked everything in a skirt (it also got him shot in the leg once) Imagine if he had of put his mind to boxing? Monzon was a phenomenon, coming from Argentina doesn't help his profile in the US all that much and his out of the ring behaviour cloud people's judgement of him. His story would make an incredible film.

[daptone]

One of the toughest men to enter the ring and an inspiration to inside fighters.