Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Marvin Hagler, towering champion of boxing’s middleweight division, dies at age 66
Giant among middleweights dead at age 66
Marvelous Marvin Hagler, a former undisputed middleweight champion who fought two of boxing’s most memorable bouts, against Thomas Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard, died Saturday at his home in New Hampshire.
He was 66. Hagler’s wife, Kay, announced his death on his verified Facebook fan club page.
“I am sorry to make a very sad announcement,” she wrote. “Today unfortunately my beloved husband Marvelous Marvin passed away unexpectedly at his home here in New Hampshire. Our family requests that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.”
Hagler (62-3-2, 52 knockouts) is considered one of the great middleweights in boxing history. He won the WBA and WBC middleweight titles from Alan Minter via third-round technical knockout Sept. 27, 1980, and claimed the inaugural IBF crown with a fourth-round victory over Wilford Scypion on May 27, 1983.
Hagler made 12 successful title defenses and fought seven times in Las Vegas.
His third-round knockout of Hearns on April 15, 1985, at Caesars Palace still lives in boxing lore. So does his split-decision loss to Leonard on April 6, 1987, at Caesars Palace — the final fight of Hagler’s career.
Hagler is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame, World Boxing Hall of Fame and Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame.
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, who promoted Hagler, said in a statement :
“Marvin Hagler was among the greatest athletes that Top Rank 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.”
Hagler’s fight against Hearns has been nicknamed “The War” because of the nonstop, intense action that occurred throughout the three rounds.
The loss to Leonard two years later was so controversial that it influenced Hagler’s decision to retire. Hagler was the more aggressive fighter and dictated the pace, but the judges ruled 118-110, 115-113, 113-115 in favor of Leonard.
“He didn’t show his emotions. (But) he was a real man — the kind of guy that if you were in a war and in a foxhole, you would want to be with a Marvelous Marvin Hagler,” Arum said of Hagler in 2017 in a remembrance of the fight against Leonard.
Hagler was born May 23, 1954, in Newark, New Jersey, and spend his adolescence in Brockton, Massachusetts. He began boxing in 1969 and turned professional in 1973 after a storied amateur career.
Hagler first challenged for the unified middleweight championship against Vito Antuofermo on Nov. 30, 1979. The fight was scored a draw, but Hagler went on to claim the crown against Minter at Wembley Arena in London. He won 11 of his 12 title defenses by knockout.
Hagler beat Roberto Duran by unanimous decision Nov. 10, 1983, at Caesars Palace in another one of his signature victories.
“If they cut my bald head open, they will find one big boxing glove,” Hagler once said. “That’s all I am. I live it.”