Marvin Hagler is one of the greatest fighters to ever step in the ring, helping him become one of the ‘Four Kings.’
‘Marvelous’ had an incredible career that spanned 14 years, as he is a former undisputed middleweight champion. Hagler is also considered to be one of the greatest middleweights of all time.
His lengthy resume includes some notable names, including the other ‘Four Kings’; ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, and Thomas Hearns.
Only losing to one of the ‘Kings’ in the final bout of his career, Hagler was not able to get revenge on Leonard in a rematch. However, in 1985, Hagler had an incredible win over Hearns.
Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns had one of the greatest fights of all time in 1985
Hagler became the undisputed middleweight champion in 1980, claiming the WBA and WBC titles. Then, in 1983, ‘Marvelous’ claimed the inaugural IBF World Middleweight title, making him a three-belt, undisputed champion.
Hagler defended these three world titles three times over the course of a year. This included a win over Duran.
On April 15th, 1985, he would look to defend his undisputed title against Hearns, who was the super welterweight champion.
Hearns’ run at super welterweight would see him defeat Duran and Wilfred Benitez, the youngest world champion of all time. However, he would succumb to defeat against Hagler.
The opening round of their bout in Las Vegas is considered to be the best first round in boxing history. Hagler would have an aggressive start, with Hearns responding to the pressure well.
Both men were caught with significant shots in a wild opening to the bout, as each fighter was swinging for the fences.
Somehow, neither man was knocked down in the first round. However, Hagler wore some damage on his face, with Hearns likely bruised as well.
In the second round, the tempo dipped slightly but both fighters were still throwing hard punches at one another. Hagler was relentless in his approach, as he seemingly did not take a backward step for the entire round.
His incredible pressure would pay dividends towards the end of the round, as Hearns was caught multiple times against the ropes.
The third round would contain the final minutes of the almighty brawl.
Although Hearns was trying to evade the pressure of Hagler, ‘Marvelous’ would not stop coming forward, before a right hand caught his opponent.
Catching him with a second right hand, the challenger would fall flat on his back and would be unable to beat the count. The incredible fight would be called off, as Hagler retained his undisputed title.
Marvin Hagler fought just two more times in his career after Hearns victory
Following his brawl with Hearns, Hagler would not return to the ring for almost a year. When he came back to boxing, he faced undefeated contender John Mugabi.
Hagler defeated Mugabi by knockout after a hard-fought battle. The win would mean that ‘Marvelous’ once again retained his undisputed title.
The final bout of Hagler’s career came against Leonard. In what was a controversial decision, Leonard defeated the champion, claiming the WBC World Middleweight title. The WBA and IBF belts were not on the line for the huge fight.
Leonard won the bout via split decision. However, many felt that Hagler was the winner of the bout.
The former undisputed champion retired following the bout after his request for a rematch did not come to fruition.