Marvin Hagler: from a Brockton gym to undisputed middleweight champion | Ultimate Boxing Reunion

Why fans still care

MARVIN HAGLER held the middleweight championship for about six and a half years and defended it 12 times. He was never knocked out in 67 professional fights. When he lost it, in his last fight, he lost a split decision to Sugar Ray Leonard, Who’s Who number 16, and afterwards he said he still felt like the champ.

He was a southpaw who could swap to orthodox mid fight, with a shaved head and a legal first name of Marvelous.

Early life

He was born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler in Newark, New Jersey, on 23 May 1954, and grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts. As an amateur he gave a false age to get into tournaments.

The Guardian says that in 1969 he walked into the gym run by the Petronelli brothers, Pat and Goody, after being roughed up on the street. The Boston Globe adds that the gym was above a hardware store. In 1973 he won the United States amateur national title, and he turned professional that year.

The early fights

He made his professional debut on 18 May 1973 with a second round knockout of Terry Ryan in Brockton. Three years later, in 1976, he lost twice in Philadelphia, to Bobby Watts and to Willie Monroe. He beat Monroe twice in 1977.

On 30 November 1979 he got his first title shot at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas against the champion Vito Antuofermo, and the fight was ruled a draw.

Career chapters

1. 1969Walks into the Petronelli gym in Brockton
2. 1973Wins the United States amateur title and turns professional
3. 1979Draws with Vito Antuofermo in his first title fight
4. 1980Stops Alan Minter in round 3 at Wembley to win the world middleweight title
5. 1982Goes to court to legally change his first name to Marvelous
6. 1983Beats Roberto Durán, Who’s Who number 13 on a unanimous decision over 15 rounds
7. 1985Stops Thomas Hearns, Who’s Who number 27 in round 3
8. 1986Knocks out John Mugabi in round 11, his 12th successful defence
9. 1987Loses a split decision to Sugar Ray Leonard, Who’s Who number 16 and never fights again
10. 1988Announces his retirement in Ravenna, Italy, aged 34, and goes on to work in Italian action films

Minter at Wembley 27 September 1980

On 27 September 1980 he fought the champion Alan Minter at Wembley Arena in London, formerly the Empire Pool. The build up was hostile. In round 3 the referee, Carlos Berrocal, stopped the fight at 1:45 because of cuts. Hagler won the undisputed WBA and WBC middleweight titles, and a riot followed in which bottles were thrown.

He was 26, seven years after his professional debut.

Durán 10 November 1983

On 10 November 1983 he defended the title against Roberto Durán, Who’s Who number 13 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. In round 6 he switched from a right handed to a left handed stance. Hagler won a unanimous decision, 144 to 142, 144 to 143 and 146 to 145 on the three cards. Durán led on two of them after 13 rounds, and Hagler won rounds 14 and 15 on all three. It was the first time Hagler had gone the full distance as champion. Afterwards he said, “He was a legend and I beat him.”

Hearns, The War 15 April 1985

He defended the title against Thomas Hearns, Who’s Who number 27 outdoors at Caesars Palace. It lasted eight minutes and one second. Hagler was bloodied by a cut, and in round 3 the referee, Richard Steele, stopped it at 2:01. It was Hagler’s 11th defence, and The Ring named it Fight of the Year for 1985.

The next day he said, “Right now I feel as though this is the pinnacle of my career.” Steele said straight after the fight, “I haven’t seen that much action in three rounds in my life.”

Mugabi 10 March 1986

On 10 March 1986 he fought John Mugabi, who was unbeaten, at the same outdoor arena at Caesars Palace. Through ten rounds the cards read 97 to 94, 97 to 94 and 96 to 95 for Hagler. In round 11 he knocked Mugabi out at 1:29, with Mills Lane the referee. It was his 12th successful defence. UPI’s punch count had him landing 398 of 707 punches, and 184 of 304 jabs.

Leonard 6 April 1987

On 6 April 1987 he fought Sugar Ray Leonard, Who’s Who number 16 for the WBC title at the Caesars Palace outdoor arena. It was a split decision over 12 rounds. Lou Filippo scored it 115 to 113 for Hagler, Dave Moretti 115 to 113 for Leonard and Jo Jo Guerra 118 to 110 for Leonard.

It was his first loss in 11 years and 37 fights. He said afterwards, “I feel in my heart I’m still the champ.”

Italy and the end of the career 1988 onwards

He retired in June 1988, aged 34, about 14 months after his last fight. He announced it in Ravenna, Italy, after watching his half brother Robbie Sims fight, saying he wanted to pursue an acting career. AP reported that a year after the Leonard fight he said, “I feel fortunate to get out of the ring with my faculties and my health.”

He moved to Italy and worked in Italian action films. His first, Indio, was shot in Italy in 1988. He kept homes in Milan and in New Hampshire.

Style, technique and the corner

How he fought

He was a southpaw who could switch to orthodox mid fight, and the Guardian called him awkward, with a near freakish ability to take punches. The LA Times described “unorthodox, ambidextrous percussions”. He was never knocked out, and the one knockdown of his career came against Juan Roldán in 1984. Teddy Atlas called him “one of the greatest southpaws of all time”.

He shaved his head, and had always done so. The LA Times quoted him on the subject in 1985, on the tennis player John McEnroe’s shaving adverts: “I use more Bics than he does.” His slogan was “Destruct and Destroy”. AP quoted him saying, “If they cut my bald head open, they will find one big boxing glove.”

The name

In 1982 he went to court to legally change his first name to Marvelous. A ring announcer had insisted on introducing him as plain Marvin Hagler. His mother, Mae Lang, said he came back and told her, “I didn’t change my name, I just added to it.”

Training

The LA Times described his camp before the Hearns fight. He did roadwork of eight to 12 miles before sunrise on the Provincetown dunes, with the last mile run backward, and he boxed ten rounds a day with what the LA Times called “carefully selected barbarians”. He trained in Palm Springs, and worked out at Johnny Tocco’s gym in downtown Las Vegas with nobody allowed to watch. He had been training in Provincetown since 1977.

He told the Guardian, “It’s difficult to get up to do roadwork at five in the morning when you are sleeping in silk pyjamas.” Lennox Lewis, Who’s Who number 29 said he copied his own training camps from Hagler’s.

The corner

Pat and Goody Petronelli trained and managed him for his whole professional career. According to the Boston Globe, Pat negotiated and Goody was the cut man. Promoter Bob Arum called Hagler “the most loyal, dedicated fighter I’ve ever promoted”. The LA Times noted that he was criticised for staying with them when his career stalled.

Stories people still tell

1. Three strikes.

   Hagler said that Joe Frazier, Who’s Who number 32, who trained Willie Monroe, told him he had “three strikes against” him. Monroe beat him in March 1976. Four and a half years later, in September 1980, he was champion.

2. Dawn on the dunes.

   Eight to 12 miles before sunrise, the last mile backward. Lennox Lewis, Who’s Who number 29 says he built his own training camps on it.

3. A name he added.

   In 1982 he went to court to legally change his first name to Marvelous, so that announcers would say it. His mother said he told her he had not changed his name, only added to it.

4. Four Kings.

   ESPN groups Hagler, Hearns, Leonard and Durán as the Four Kings of the 1980s. Hagler fought all three of the others and beat two of them.

5. In his own words.

   After the Leonard fight he said, “I feel in my heart I’m still the champ.”

Legacy

He held the middleweight title for about six and a half years, and defended it 12 times. He was never knocked out. He was Boxing Writers Association Fighter of the Year in 1983 and 1985, and he is in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.

He died on 13 March 2021, aged 66. In May 2021 Brockton held a memorial for him at Rocky Marciano Stadium.

Sugar Ray Leonard, Who’s Who number 16 says Hagler “brought out the best in me”, and Bernard Hopkins, Who’s Who number 9 (story coming soon), who kept a scrapbook of Hagler pictures in Graterford prison, says there will never be another Marvin Hagler.