silkov wrote:I d give a peak Mugubi a good chance against Hearns... I think he'd have been too strong for Tommy... Hearns best chance would be to box and move but he loved to slug it out and even if he boxed and moved I can see Mugubi wearing him down!... just too big a puncher for Hearns. Mugubi was never the same after the Hagler fight, up till then he was a match for anyone at either 154 or 160... I think Duff made the mistake of going after Hagler when really they should have steered Mugubi to the 154 title first...
Yeah, I agree, although I suppose they thought Hagler was atad on the slide and had been inactive.
If Mugabi had beaten him he could have become one of Boxing's biggest superstars.
Prior to the Hagler fight none of the champions at 154 would fight him.
In 1983 and 84 Duff was calling out Hearns all the time, they didnt want to know.
MightyWarrior wrote:That's right I remember now, Max Parker: a dithering idiot, stood there flapping his arms while Mugabi almost decapitated Parker on the ropes.
That should've been his last fight as a ref.
The ref for the Frank Fletcher fight was a little slow too. Fletcher was trapped in between the second and third ropes from the top and Mugabi was blasting him as if he had a hammer. Fletcher really got stopped good. When was Mugabi's prime. Like I said, I was young. I saw some fights, but I depended on the record's section here. It just doesn't seem he stopped anyone who was a world beater.
MightyWarrior wrote:Like knockout says, Mugabi was completely shot when he faced Norris and co. I was ringside for the GMan fight and Mugabi could barely walk in a straight line on his way to the ring.
He suffered badly from syphilis and in the end it left him a shell of the fighter he once was.
Didn't he get medical treatment for his infection? It's not like they didn't have drugs that could cure syphilis back in the 70s.
I'd say Mugabi's best was the two years leading up to the Hagler bout, he was just what his nickname said, a "beast." Like someone else stated, he should have went gung-ho for the 154 title, which I'd guess that he would have ruled the roost for a number of years had he decided to go that route instead of the route he took toward Hagler. But then again, Mike McCallum would have been a difficult task, but a match between Mugabi and Julian Jackson would have been fun while it lasted! The middleweight divisions was very, very rich of talent during the 1980s.
I'll have to agree with FreeIke..
Hearns flattens Mugabi in one or two rounds..unless the Beast got extremaly lucky
All Mugabi is is a slightly bigger version of Pipino Cuevas..but probably not near as good as Cuevas..and we all know what happened to him when he stepped in against Hearns..
Also remember that the 154 pound version of Tommy Hearns chinned one of the greatest boxers of all time, Roberto Duran for the only time in his long and illustrious career..
Tommy was also capable of outslicking master boxer Benitez at 154...
Its one thing to wham on Curtis Parker, Frank The Animal , Hardrock Green.. Those guys were all warriors but they are not really in the same class as a first ballot hall of famer like Thomas Hearns..
zurdo wrote:I'll have to agree with FreeIke..
Hearns flattens Mugabi in one or two rounds..unless the Beast got extremaly lucky
All Mugabi is is a slightly bigger version of Pipino Cuevas..but probably not near as good as Cuevas..and we all know what happened to him when he stepped in against Hearns..
Also remember that the 154 pound version of Tommy Hearns chinned one of the greatest boxers of all time, Roberto Duran for the only time in his long and illustrious career..
Tommy was also capable of outslicking master boxer Benitez at 154...
Its one thing to wham on Curtis Parker, Frank The Animal , Hardrock Green.. Those guys were all warriors but they are not really in the same class as a first ballot hall of famer like Thomas Hearns..
Hearns is a great fighter, there is no doubt about that.
To say Mugabi was just a bit bigger than Cuevas is just silly.
Mugabi may have been the same height as Cuevas but he was huge in comparison.
Hearns never unified a championship in a single weight division.
MightyWarrior wrote:Like knockout says, Mugabi was completely shot when he faced Norris and co. I was ringside for the GMan fight and Mugabi could barely walk in a straight line on his way to the ring.
He suffered badly from syphilis and in the end it left him a shell of the fighter he once was.
Didn't he get medical treatment for his infection? It's not like they didn't have drugs that could cure syphilis back in the 70s.
I seem to remember he had a bad case of it in Uganda ( owned a night club ) and never told Duff or anyone else as he was too embarassed....and it just got worse. Must have got his shots in the end, but I know Mickey Duff said it pretty much ruined him.
Mugabi was a big light middle too, bigger than Cuevas, and big enough to give Hagler all the trouble he could handle for ten or so rounds.
And Hagler was P4P # 1 in the world at the time.
Even Tommy couldn't go three with Hagler. Duff had to move him up to 160 for the Hagler fight, it was a long shot,but none of the 154 champs would give Mugabi a shot, unless it was for BIG money.
I met him a couple of times and me and him were the same height and at the time I was Boxing at Welterweight, he seemed MASSIVE. His upper body was huge.
He never looked after himself, he loved a drink, he ate shit and was always in nightclubs. He was a kid really. He hated training, especially running.
His prime was like Halleys comet, gone in a flash.
I don't think the Barkley thing is a good analogy ..They were both brawlers and Punchers Barkley is over 6 feet tall and a big Midddleweight ..
Mugabi is onlt 5'8 Same as Cuevas..like Hearns Hearns sometimes had trouble with guys who were as tall as him... But against normal sized JR middle It would have been target practice for Hearns
What about the trouble Juan Roldan gave Hearns? almost stopped him before getting stopped himself ...and for me Mugubi was a much better all round fighter than Roldan, probably with a bigger punch and faster too!!...
I'm not saying Hearns would have no chance but I lean towards Mugubi!...
Mugabi was a big puncher but I wouldn't fancy him to beat someone with the Skills that Hearns had. I think Jackson and Mcallum would have beaten Mugabi also.
The only problem for Hearns would be what Hearns showed up. If Hearns showed up and boxed, he would probably knock out Mugabi, but if he threw away his skills and brawled, I'd certainly lean toward Mugabi because Hearns did not have the ability to take a great amount of punishment for any length of time, probably his only downfall as a boxer, but if Hearns landed that big right hand anything could happen, but likewise the same thing could be said for Mugabi about the right hand landing!
zurdo wrote:I don't think the Barkley thing is a good analogy ..They were both brawlers and Punchers Barkley is over 6 feet tall and a big Midddleweight ..
Mugabi is onlt 5'8 Same as Cuevas..like Hearns Hearns sometimes had trouble with guys who were as tall as him... But against normal sized JR middle It would have been target practice for Hearns
silkov wrote:What about the trouble Juan Roldan gave Hearns? almost stopped him before getting stopped himself ...and for me Mugubi was a much better all round fighter than Roldan, probably with a bigger punch and faster too!!...
I'm not saying Hearns would have no chance but I lean towards Mugubi!...
Yeah, but Hearns was fighting at 160 now, against a bigger guy than Mugabi, and Hearns was no longer at his best weight class here. Plus, who knows if Hearns was really still in his prime, after that brutal war with Hagler.
At 154, Hearns was arguably at his best weight here.
What I meant about Barkley was the power aspect.... look at Roldan... a good fighter yeh but a brawler who wore down his opponents rather than a huge puncher like Mugubi... Roldan almost koed Hearns so I think Mugubi certainly had a good chance to do so as imo Mugubi was a superior boxer skills and speed wise and had harder one punch power...
Lickszz wrote:Mugabi was a big puncher but I wouldn't fancy him to beat someone with the Skills that Hearns had. I think Jackson and Mcallum would have beaten Mugabi also.
McCallum may have beaten Mugabi, but Jackson would not have.
Lickszz wrote:Mugabi was a big puncher but I wouldn't fancy him to beat someone with the Skills that Hearns had. I think Jackson and Mcallum would have beaten Mugabi also.
McCallum may have beaten Mugabi, but Jackson would not have.
Mugabi was better than him in every department.
I don't think theres any "may" about it Mike Mc Callum would have destroyed Mugabi ..no doubt it would be even more one sided than a Hearns -Mugabi fight
If Mugabi was so much better in every department how come Julian Jackson won all those title fights ...and Mugabi didn't
>This comparable common opponent fought both men when they were at or very close to their primes.<
I'd have to disagree. Jackson was just coming up when he fought Ramsey and was about six years away from his prime, which I would say was in 1990. Mugabi also was a couple of years away from his prime. This would be a fight of who landed first, because both were very, very devastating punchers who could take out an opponent with one punch, and I mean really take them out. Very exciting, but short fight that I would pick Mugabi to win.
