Hagler vs. Mugabi

tiredoldngrey · Post by **tiredoldngrey** » 14 Jun 2005, 11:51

Inspired by all th posts referring to Hagler v Leonard... Ray owes Mugabi, big. This fight was war as the Beast did not believe he could lose. I have watched this tape countless times and am convinced that what Hagler left in that ring kept him from routing Leonard (i thought he won any way) Mugbi hurt Hagler several times with blows to the head and landed enough hard body punches to wear down a dozen opponents. The commentators wonder why Hagler didn't box , move and jab more as the fight went on; I don't believe Hagler had the legs for it after the 5th, 6th, 7th rounds. Also, it was psychological. Mugabi knew Hagler would be hard to hurt, but knew that he would hurt him; but Hagler never backed out of the fight, because that bit of weakness would have inspired the Beast and made it like fighting a leopard in a tree. Throughout the bout Mugabe landed hoos to the side if Hagler was lefty, uppercuts to the belly if he was orthodox and those othered Marvin...Rambling again. My point is that this was a fascinating fight on many levels and that the pre-Beast Hagler was more than fast enough to handle RLL and Leonard

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 15 Jun 2005, 08:17

Hi

I think you mentioned once on another post how Hagler often got himsefl caught up in slugfests that didn't always play to his strengths. I guess that having such a sound chin (the best in the last 20 years for my money) gave him great confidence when going toe-to-toe.

Mugabi landed some very hard shots but just seemed to slowly wilt. I think both men took a lot out of one another. I really thought Mugabi would go on to become one of the top MWs. he seemed to lsoe his way and although still a very dangerous man was not quite the same.

Anyone remember the press conference when John punched through the Hagler poster?

KO Artist · Post by **KO Artist** » 15 Jun 2005, 13:17

Ezzard wrote:Hi

I think you mentioned once on another post how Hagler often got himsefl caught up in slugfests that didn't always play to his strengths. I guess that having such a sound chin (the best in the last 20 years for my money) gave him great confidence when going toe-to-toe.

Mugabi landed some very hard shots but just seemed to slowly wilt. I think both men took a lot out of one another. I really thought Mugabi would go on to become one of the top MWs. he seemed to lsoe his way and although still a very dangerous man was not quite the same.

Anyone remember the press conference when John punched through the Hagler poster?

Yeah, great days, this fight had a real buzz about it in the build up. This was one of Hagler's greatest performances, for me more impressive than the Hearns win (who avoided Mugabi at 154, Mickey Duff was calling Tommy out since May 1983)

Mugabi SHOULD have gone onto greater things but he was lacking in desire and dedication.

A real waste of talent.

babyhuey · Post by **babyhuey** » 15 Jun 2005, 16:11

this is by far one of my favorite fights ever!!!!
i have it on tape, and i put it in the vcr
after a ppv event wasent worth the money i spent
always makes me feel better
haggler just broke him down over time
its no wonder sugar ray wanted a big ring
and a 12 round fight not 15

BrocktonBlockbuster49 · Post by **BrocktonBlockbuster49** » 15 Jun 2005, 19:57

Didnt doctors find that Hagler had extra padding around his temple or head area or something???? I remember hearing somewhere about it. thats why he was virtually impossible to be knocked down i guess.

Ezzard · Post by **Ezzard** » 16 Jun 2005, 04:25

BrocktonBlockbuster49 wrote:Didnt doctors find that Hagler had extra padding around his temple or head area or something???? I remember hearing somewhere about it. thats why he was virtually impossible to be knocked down i guess.

Never heard that one before BB. Where did you hear it? When you say padding I take it you mean msucle or sinew or something?!?!?

Come on, what do you know?

tiredoldngrey · Post by **tiredoldngrey** » 17 Jun 2005, 11:57

I think that what happened to Mugabi is that he gave everything, not believing that he could lose if he gave that type of effort. After that he got easier to lose. The Mugabi that entered the ring that night was competitive with any middle, ever, and could've/would've beaten many great fighters. Who besides Hagler would take those punches? When Gil Clancy aid Mugabi needed to learn to throw combinations and get more rounds, I laughed. Fighting who? Hagler again ? And isn't hitting a guy on the floor illegal?

Spreadking · Post by **Spreadking** » 17 Jun 2005, 16:28

Hagler, greatest chin of all time ? has to be right up there.

great fight vs Mugabi. The blows Mugabi landed with such force, made the sweat on Marvin's head rise like the dirt would when a nuclear bomb lands on it. 1 of Marvin's best performances ever. Of course if Mugabi becomes a champ after this and wins some big fights, then Marvin's legacy would be even more thought of. but on that night, not many fighters around at that time would have won.

Marvin's pride in the ring makes him special.

The_Power · Post by **The_Power** » 18 Jun 2005, 08:24

I think the fact that Mugabi was so competitive in that fight was a sign of Hagler's skills slowly wilting away before the leonard encounter.

Great fight, but the Hagler of yesteryear would have done a more efficent job on him.

elmersalsa · Post by **elmersalsa** » 20 Jun 2005, 11:44

I think this was Hagler's most complete and FINEST performance. He showed all his skills that night. He boxed when he wanted it to, he slug it out when he wanted it to, picked his spots well, took his time little by little and wore down Mugabi as the fight went on.

Mugabi hit Hagler with some great shots, but Hagler did not flinch. His victory over Hearns was his greatest and most emotional, but not his finest performance. His finest and most complete performance was with Mugabi.

Hagler an all-time great??? Definately!!! A top 20 all-time??? Without a doubt, a BIG YES!!! One of the best fighters that I have ever seen, period!!!

KOJOE90 · Post by **KOJOE90** » 20 Jun 2005, 12:35

elmersalsa wrote:Hagler an all-time great??? Definately!!! A top 20 all-time??? Without a doubt, a BIG YES!!! One of the best fighters that I have ever seen, period!!!

Very true.

Jukejar · Post by **Jukejar** » 22 Jun 2005, 00:56

I always thought the first two rounds of Hagler-Mugabi were among the toughest of Hagler's career. The Mugabi who fought that night was special. I think the fact is that Mugabi at his very best still comes up just a little short against Hagler--no shame in that assessment, of course. Would love to have seen Mugabi fight Hearns with the same heart and spirit he showed against Hagler. As has been pointed out, something was missing from Mugabi after that fight. Seemed to be something of a broken fighter.

As for Hagler's standing as an all-time middle, I'd put him in the top 3 without blinking. Very few weak spots in his armor. Leonard squeaked by by exploiting the tiniest bit of age reduction in Hagler (and playing to the judges--Leonard was damn smart).