Jimmy Johnson and Marvelous Marvin Hagler...

k9cane

Senior
Joined
Nov 20, 2011
Messages
8,775
Today is the one-year anniversary of the sudden and unexpected passing of the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler. It got me thinking about this pic which I have attached

Jimmy Johnson was/is a huge boxing fan, in the mid-80's he actually brought in the great Hagler to the campus and spoke with the team. Johnson was a regular at big fights in Vegas during the 90s. He says that the greatest fight he ever attended was Hagler-Hearns in 85, which is still the benchmark for most boxing fans

Alonzo Highsmith says he remembers that day well when Hagler came through. He recalls that the whole team went to the Knight Center to watch the closed circuit of Hagler's fight in March of 86 vs John 'the Beast' Mugabi(which turned out to be an absolute war) and the second to last fight of his career

RIP to Hurricane Hagler...
Screenshot_20220312-205510_Gallery.jpg
 
Advertisement
Today is the one-year anniversary of the sudden and unexpected passing of the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler. It got me thinking about this pic which I have attached

Jimmy Johnson was/is a huge boxing fan, in the mid-80's he actually brought in the great Hagler to the campus and spoke with the team. Johnson was a regular at big fights in Vegas during the 90s. He says that the greatest fight he ever attended was Hagler-Hearns in 85, which is still the benchmark for most boxing fans

Alonzo Highsmith says he remembers that day well when Hagler came through. He recalls that the whole team went to the Knight Center to watch the closed circuit of Hagler's fight in March of 86 vs John 'the Beast' Mugabi(which turned out to be an absolute war) and the second to last fight of his career

RIP to Hurricane Hagler...View attachment 179544

This is a great share. I really appreciate you posting this. Marvin Hagler, my God what a boxer. Tommy Hearns also. Hitman Hearns. Just reminds me of my father, who was a huge boxing guy. Thanks.
 
This is a great share. I really appreciate you posting this. Marvin Hagler, my God what a boxer. Tommy Hearns also. Hitman Hearns. Just reminds me of my father, who was a huge boxing guy. Thanks.

yeah, that era with Hitman, Marvelous, Sugar and the Hands of Stone was incredible

Speaking of Hagler-Hearns, I know Al Golden(Yeah, I know, I know, lol) actually showed that fight to our team before the 2011 Ohio St game. I recall 'Raising Canes' doing a feature on it...
 
yeah, that era with Hitman, Marvelous, Sugar and the Hands of Stone was incredible

Speaking of Hagler-Hearns, I know Al Golden(Yeah, I know, I know, lol) actually showed that fight to our team before the 2011 Ohio St game. I recall 'Raising Canes' doing a feature on it...

There’s something else I didn’t know. I must’ve missed that featurette. That’s a great fight to rewatch on YouTube. Two guys giving their all.
 
Advertisement
If anybody’s interested, here’s the first round of that fight.

Not necessarily a “boxing clinic“, but just two guys determined to beat the shlt out of each other from jump.

Maybe one of the best first rounds, just in terms of competitiveness and wanting to get after it from the start.



I wish I had a dollar for the number of times I have watched Secretariat's Triple Crown runs and this Hagler-Hearns fight...both were awe-inspiring.
 
I wish I had a dollar for the number of times I have watched Secretariat's Triple Crown runs and this Hagler-Hearns fight...both were awe-inspiring.
The Douglas Tyson fight is a fun rewatch. Sure, it was a one sided fight, but the sheer impossibility of what was unfolding was something to behold.

On a side note, the judges had Tyson ahead, if I remember correctly.
 
yeah, that era with Hitman, Marvelous, Sugar and the Hands of Stone was incredible

Speaking of Hagler-Hearns, I know Al Golden(Yeah, I know, I know, lol) actually showed that fight to our team before the 2011 Ohio St game. I recall 'Raising Canes' doing a feature on it...
Were Cheeseburgers served during the fight??
 
Last edited:
Advertisement
The Douglas Tyson fight is a fun rewatch. Sure, it was a one sided fight, but the sheer impossibility of what was unfolding was something to behold.

On a side note, the judges had Tyson ahead, if I remember correctly.
When Tyson floored Douglas with that uppercut...there was 1st a delay in the count...and then a slow count, otherwise Douglas doesn't get up in time.
 
If anybody’s interested, here’s the first round of that fight.

Not necessarily a “boxing clinic“, but just two guys determined to beat the shlt out of each other from jump.

Maybe one of the best first rounds, just in terms of competitiveness and wanting to get after it from the start.


That cut on Hagler would've caused a stoppage in ANY other fight....I'm a HUGE Boxing guy...from a family of boxers...My brother was a Gold Gloves Champ in NYC in 66 & 67...before 2 tours of Vietnam.
 
That cut on Hagler would've caused a stoppage in ANY other fight....I'm a HUGE Boxing guy...from a family of boxers...My brother was a Gold Gloves Champ in NYC in 66 & 67...before 2 tours of Vietnam.

You know that’s a good point. As many times as I’ve seen that, honestly never thought of it. Because as you’re watching it you know that wasn’t going to stop him. He was a tough dude.
 
You know that’s a good point. As many times as I’ve seen that, honestly never thought of it. Because as you’re watching it you know that wasn’t going to stop him. He was a tough dude.
It was a nasty cut Hearns opened up...but of course, this was the Middle Weight fight of the Century, and wasn't going to be stopped....Loved Hearns...Top 3 of my favorite fighters of all time...with Salvador Sanchez being my favorite.
 
Advertisement
Today is the one-year anniversary of the sudden and unexpected passing of the great Marvelous Marvin Hagler. It got me thinking about this pic which I have attached

Jimmy Johnson was/is a huge boxing fan, in the mid-80's he actually brought in the great Hagler to the campus and spoke with the team. Johnson was a regular at big fights in Vegas during the 90s. He says that the greatest fight he ever attended was Hagler-Hearns in 85, which is still the benchmark for most boxing fans

Alonzo Highsmith says he remembers that day well when Hagler came through. He recalls that the whole team went to the Knight Center to watch the closed circuit of Hagler's fight in March of 86 vs John 'the Beast' Mugabi(which turned out to be an absolute war) and the second to last fight of his career

RIP to Hurricane Hagler...View attachment 179544
This so so great on so many levels.

Question for you Steve: Has an undisputed champ ever taken on a challenge against an easily avoidable (and justifiably so) fighter the way Hagler did when he took on Mugabi? Looking back, it just seems crazy that he would take that fight when he was trying so hard for the Leonard fight. I was too young to know the overall temperature around a Hagler vs Mugabi matchup, but I imagine it was more of a fight fans’ dream matchup rather than a fight that Hagler “had” to take due to media/industry pressure.

A lot of people have speculated that the fight with Mugabi took something out of him, which, of course it did because no fighter can be involved in a brawl like that and ever be the same. Both fighters left pieces of themselves in the ring. Those same people will say it’s the reason he lost to Sugar Ray. I have always felt Hagler did enough to get the nod vs Leonard because I guess I am old school in that I feel you HAVE to truly take the belt from the champ if you are the challenger. Either by KO or convincing decision. Leonard was a bad style matchup for Hagler, it is what it is, but I still can’t give him that fight over the champ when his strategy was to be on his bicycle and flurry the last 20-30 seconds. If your plan GOING IN is to try and “steal” rounds…well in my opinion you’ve already told us how you feel about yourself vs Hagler.

The only fighter that I can think of in the last 25-30 years that took a fight when he was on top and everyone called him crazy was when Mosley took on Wright. But the biggest difference I see with that is Mosley could have looked at it and figured “hey, he is bigger but I am still stronger and I will out work him.” And he tried, but we all went onto learn how incredibly difficult Wright’s defense was to penetrate.
 
When Tyson floored Douglas with that uppercut...there was 1st a delay in the count...and then a slow count, otherwise Douglas doesn't get up in time.
Wrong. Douglas did what any smart fighter does. He stayed on his knee until the count was to 9. He knew the rule. He could have gotten up earlier. He was knocked down, not out. Huge difference.
 
Wrong. Douglas did what any smart fighter does. He stayed on his knee until the count was to 9. He knew the rule. He could have gotten up earlier. He was knocked down, not out. Huge difference.
No you're wrong....it WAS delayed...the ref waited atleast 2-3 seconds...telling Tyson (as if he didn't know) to go to a neutral corner....then, it WAS a slow count.
 
Advertisement
The Douglas Tyson fight is a fun rewatch. Sure, it was a one sided fight, but the sheer impossibility of what was unfolding was something to behold.

On a side note, the judges had Tyson ahead, if I remember correctly.
yes, one judge did, the other had Buster head, the other even. So at that point it was a draw
 
Wrong. Douglas did what any smart fighter does. He stayed on his knee until the count was to 9. He knew the rule. He could have gotten up earlier. He was knocked down, not out. Huge difference.

a 10 count is not 10 seconds. People need to realize that. It's the 10 count of the referee, and it's the only thing that counts. Buster was clearly looking at Octavio Meyran prepared to get up as he was counting towards 10.
 
No you're wrong....it WAS delayed...the ref waited atleast 2-3 seconds...telling Tyson (as if he didn't know) to go to a neutral corner....then, it WAS a slow count.


I think he's saying that Douglas COULD have stood up earlier, but chose not to.

Regardless, anytime any boxer has extra time to get back up, it benefits him.
 
This so so great on so many levels.

Question for you Steve: Has an undisputed champ ever taken on a challenge against an easily avoidable (and justifiably so) fighter the way Hagler did when he took on Mugabi? Looking back, it just seems crazy that he would take that fight when he was trying so hard for the Leonard fight. I was too young to know the overall temperature around a Hagler vs Mugabi matchup, but I imagine it was more of a fight fans’ dream matchup rather than a fight that Hagler “had” to take due to media/industry pressure.

A lot of people have speculated that the fight with Mugabi took something out of him, which, of course it did because no fighter can be involved in a brawl like that and ever be the same. Both fighters left pieces of themselves in the ring. Those same people will say it’s the reason he lost to Sugar Ray. I have always felt Hagler did enough to get the nod vs Leonard because I guess I am old school in that I feel you HAVE to truly take the belt from the champ if you are the challenger. Either by KO or convincing decision. Leonard was a bad style matchup for Hagler, it is what it is, but I still can’t give him that fight over the champ when his strategy was to be on his bicycle and flurry the last 20-30 seconds. If your plan GOING IN is to try and “steal” rounds…well in my opinion you’ve already told us how you feel about yourself vs Hagler.

The only fighter that I can think of in the last 25-30 years that took a fight when he was on top and everyone called him crazy was when Mosley took on Wright. But the biggest difference I see with that is Mosley could have looked at it and figured “hey, he is bigger but I am still stronger and I will out work him.” And he tried, but we all went onto learn how incredibly difficult Wright’s defense was to penetrate.

The Mugabi fight was very tough, but Ive been told that Hagler for that camp showed real signs of slippage. After all, that was his 66th pro fight. It had been a long, tough road for him. And that was coming off the war with Hearns. Keep this in mind 'the Beast' Mugabi was 25-0 with 25 knockouts. He was a dangerous guy. Many fighters today would absolutely skirt him somehow

Bob Arum has told me numerous times that Marvin had to be talked into fighting again after Hearns, he had enough.

It was during this Mugabi fight as Marvin was getting scrapped up a bit that Ray Leonard -- who was there that night -- saw the decline and at that point decided he wanted to face Hagler next

People dont realize that Hagler's real peak was around 82, 83, he was like a 160 pound razor. There are also rumors he was older than his listed age

Keep this in mind, he retired at age 33(which back then was considered 'old' for pro boxers)
 
Advertisement
Back
Top