Sugar Ray Leonard reflected on his famous fight with Marvin Hagler following the news on Saturday about his late opponent’s death at the age of 66.
Leonard and Hagler fought in 1987 in what marked Hagler’s final fight. Leonard got Hagler to agree to special terms in order to come out of retirement for the fight. Those terms included 12 rounds instead of 15, 10 ounce gloves instead of eight, and a larger ring.
There was a great disparity in the way people viewed the fight, with many feeling Hagler won, and several others thinking Leonard was victorious. That controversy was reflected in the judging, where two scoring the fight had it for Leonard, and one had it for Hagler. Leonard won via split decision.
Chris Mannix says he talked with Leonard on Saturday night about Hagler. Leonard told Mannix that the fight was the closest he has been to death.
Talked to @SugarRayLeonard tonight about Marvin Hagler, his middleweight rival who passed away on Saturday at age 66. Said Leonard of their epic 1987 war, “it was the closest I’ve been to death.”
— Chris Mannix (@SIChrisMannix) March 14, 2021
Leonard, 64, was two years younger than Hagler. He retired and unretired many times throughout his boxing career, including when he faced Hagler.
Leonard was 36-3-1 when he retired for good. He lost to Roberto Duran during the middle of his career. His other defeats came to Terry Norris and Hector Camacho in his final two fights, well after his prime. Leonard also fought Tommy Hearns to a draw. His comment about Hagler is a great compliment to Marvelous’ skill and ability.
Photo: EricEnfermero/Wikimedia via CC BY-SA 3.0
