Legendary middleweight champion Marvelous Marvin Hagler, one of the “Four Kings” of boxing who, along with rivals Sugar Ray Leonard, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran, carried the sport during the 1980s with a memorable round robin of fights, died March 13 near his home in New Hampshire. Hagler was 66.
“I am sorry to make a very sad announcement,” Kay Hagler, his wife, said in a statement posted to Hagler’s verified Facebook fan page. “Today, unfortunately, my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly.”
Hagler’s son, James, later said his father was hospitalized earlier in the day after experiencing breathing issues. When Hearns posted on social media that a reaction to a COVID-19 vaccination caused Hagler’s death, Kay Hagler immediately said that was untrue. She also posted that there would be no funeral or church service because “Marvin hated funerals.”
She added, “He wants to be remembered with a happy smile, but I would be happy if each of you can light a candle for him.”
Hagler is universally considered one of the greatest boxers in history. The bald-headed southpaw with tremendous power and a granite chin was elected to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993 after a remarkable 14-year career that started in 1973 and ended with his retirement in 1987.
He was best known for his epic slugfest with Hearns, a former welterweight champion and a reigning junior middleweight champion, when he moved up in weight to challenge Hagler at the famed outdoor area at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas on April 15, 1985.
They produced a rock ’em, sock ’em spectacle for the ages, charging each other at the opening bell in an electrifying three minutes many consider the greatest first round ever. It was a brief but thrilling battle in which a badly bleeding Hagler knocked Hearns out in the third round for his greatest triumph, one that shot him to superstardom.
Born in Newark, New Jersey, on May 3, 1954, before moving in the late 1960s to Brockton, Massachusetts, the same hometown as heavyweight great Rocky Marciano, Hagler (63-3-2, 52 KOs) spent his entire career in the middleweight division. He made his bones against several tough Philadelphia contenders such as Bobby “Boogaloo” Watts, Willie “The Worm” Monroe, Eugene “Cyclone” Hart, and Bennie Briscoe before linking up in 1979 with Top Rank promoter Bob Arum, who arranged a title shot.
Hagler was 46-2-1 when he faced undisputed 160-pound champion Vito Antuofermo in Las Vegas on Nov. 30, 1979, on ABC in prime time on the undercard when Leonard stopped Wilfred Benitez in the 15th round to win a welterweight title. Hagler was held to a heavily disputed draw.
“He beat the s— out of Antuofermo,” Arum, who promoted both fighters, recalled hours after the announcement of Hagler’s death.
After three straight wins, Hagler got a second shot 10 months later. He traveled to London and stopped Alan Minter in the third round for the undisputed crown. The result so upset Minter’s fans that they pelted the ring with bottles, preventing Hagler from receiving his belt and having his hand raised in the ring, something he always resented.
But Hagler, managed and trained by brothers Goody and Pat Petronelli, held the title with a vicelike grip for the next seven years. He made 12 defenses until losing it by split decision to Leonard on April 6, 1987, in Las Vegas in one of the biggest fights and most controversial results in history.
Hagler was so disgusted, he refused to consider a rematch that would have paid him eight figures. Instead, he retired to Italy, where he lived for many years and acted in films.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s the best middleweight of the 55 years I’ve been in boxing,” said Arum, who promoted Hagler’s final 19 bouts, including all 15 title fights. “I can’t compare him to (Harry) Greb and Sugar Ray Robinson. Those guys were before my time. But Hagler’s the best middleweight and one of the best fighters I’ve ever promoted.
“He was a man of honor and a man of his word, and he performed in the ring with unparalleled determination. He was a true athlete and a true man. I will miss him greatly.”
Dan Rafael, an award-winning journalist, has covered professional boxing full time since 2000, including for ESPN and USA Today.
