John Mugabi

[crusader]

What is your opinion of how good a fighter he was?

From what I've gleaned he seems to be rated fairly highly, but his record reveals a dearth of notable wins and aside from the Hagler fight, which he of course lost by knockout, he was stopped early when he faced top opposition. I watched some footage of him this morning and while he clearly had notable power even though he never stopped a world class opponent with it, he was also limited in other respects and I question whether he deserves the plaudits I've regularly seen him receive; it seems to me like it may be a case of a fighter's rating being too heavily based on one good performance.

[Noxy]

Yeah, I think the Mugabi myth is bigger than what he actually achieved. He gained a lot of respect for his performance against Hagler where he proved he belonged at that level. He was the epitomy of an exciting fighter, i.e. vulnerable and devastating at the same time. Having said that, he did tend to come up short in his biggest fights. I think his discipline wasn't always the best - problems with motivation, weight etc.

On the other hand, his reputation is enhanced by the big names he mixed it with and the stories that used to circulate about his exploits in the gym, unusual behaviour etc. They made him come across as an unorthodox, charismatic kind of bloke.

[tommo100]

the beast was on a knockout tear when he faced hagler,something like 26-0,he gave hagler a very stern examination for 6 rounds,the turning point came when Mugabe unleashed his immortal uppercut,hagler just shrugged his head and came forward,that was the end of Mugabe and hagler made short work of him soon after,he was never quite the same fighter,even though he did a title,at the end of his career,he managed to get a shot a fresh Gerald McClellan,who frankly beat what little was left out of him in a round
very exciting to watch in his prime,just didn't have the stamina to last out in long fights,it was the hagler fight where s.r.l,after seeing Mugabe repeatedly punish hagler in the early rounds,decided to come out of retirement and fight him

[Bodyshot3]

I think Mugabi's ability to end things dramatically and very early did somewhat inflate his reputation...plenty of those blast-outs now look less than stellar when you look at who he was facing and he was on the wrong end of a few himself.

But we all love an explosive hitter who pulls the trigger early and freely ....and I think that canny old buzzard Mickey Duff did an awful lot to propel John into being a household name. And when he got put in with Hagler; he showed up and fought hard.

One suspects that it may have been Duff who came up with the 'Beast' tagline as well.....I know he was probably as tricky as hell, but I miss characters and showmen like Duff.

Bob Arum and Mickey Duff having a big, swanky Vegas dinner would have been a meal I would have loved to have joined!

[dr_devious]

Marvin Hagler ruined him

[Ambling Alp II]

He probably should have fought for the Jr Middleweight title before going after the middleweight title. He does seem like a guy who could not handle a defeat.

[Ronthetruth]

He probably should have fought for the Jr Middleweight title before going after the middleweight title. He does seem like a guy who could not handle a defeat.

Agree totally should of stayed at Lmw for longer big step up especially v an opponent like the marvellous one!

[palooka]

Mugabi v Ayala Jnr would have been a brutal war.

[Nile4000]

Very good fighter, though I don't see him beating a McCallum, or prime Davey Moore. He would've stopped Ayala, however.

[Ambling Alp II]

At his best I think he would have beat Moore. Certainly the Mugabi who fought Hagler would have beaten Moore. In a way their careers were similar. They both were not quite the same after their first loss.

Also to be fair to Mugabi, someone of his wins were against guys who were good though certainly flawed fighters. James "Hardrock Green, Frank "The Animal Fletcher" and Curtis Parker were all ranked contenders when Mugabi beat them. And he beat them pretty convincingly.

These guys are largely forgotton now, but got some exposure on free Network TV in the 1980s. Maybe they got a little overrated, but still those were nice wins for Mugabi.

[Seamus]

Hard Rock Green almost stopped Mugabi in the 3rd rd. It was a close fight that was stopped with Green on his feet in the final rd.

[Nile4000]

Was going to mention Green. That fight was a bit tough for Mugabi. Also think he got Parker and Fletcher at the tail end of their careers. But John was no joke. Though Hearns and Benitez and possibly Barkely, Hamsho, Roldan, and Curry would take him.