The richest fight in boxing history produced one of the sport’s most controversial decisions as Sugar Ray Leonard defied the odds and the still formidable skills of middleweight legend Marvelous Marvin Hagler to become the 10th man to win world titles at three different weights.
Leonard, the former welterweight and light-middleweight (WBA) champion, ended Hagler’s seven-year spell at the top of the middleweight division with a superbly executed but bitterly disputed split decision win in front of a capacity 15,000 crowd in Las Vegas’ Caesars Stadium and an estimated worldwide TV audience of around 300 million on April 6, 1987.
Leonard (11st 4lbs) had boxed only once in five years, and by fight time had drifted to four to one against in the Las Vegas betting.
The gamble paid off gloriously, even if I could not agree with the verdict, and especially with the ludicrously wide margin of 118-110 which judge Jo Jo Guerra of Mexico City awarded the new champion, giving Hagler only two of the 12 rounds.
Leonard’s other vote came from judge Dave Moretti, 115-113, while the third official, Lou Filippo, had it 115-113 for Hagler (11st 4 1/2 lbs). I scored it 116-113 Hagler or 7-4-1 in rounds.
Hagler was scathing about the judging: “Leonard came to me at the end and said: ‘You’ve won, man you beat me.’ But I thought – let’s wait. This is Las Vegas, the big betting town. They did this to me before with Antuofermo.” (Hagler’s first bid was against Vito Antuofermo in this city in 1979, when he got a draw).
Leonard, unmarked except for some slight lumpiness around the left eye, gave his press conference before Hagler and so could not be questioned as to whether he had, as Hagler claimed, acknowledged defeat in the ring.
Certainly there was no suggestion of it in anything he said at the conference.
A second conference was scheduled for Tuesday morning, local time, after the issue had gone to press.
“This was what I said I would do and I did it,” he said. “It wasn’t for the title – just beating Marvin Hagler was enough.
“Tonight was a special accomplishment for me. This fight meant the world to me. I want to thank Marvelous Marvin Hagler for giving me this chance to make history. My strategy was to stick and move, hit and run, taunt and frustrate and it worked.”
Hagler replied by saying “Leonard fought like a girl. I really thought they should have deducted points for all the holding and grabbing. His punches meant nothing.
“I fought my heart out. I kept my belt. I can’t believe they took it away from me. A champion shouldn’t lose on split decisions.”
The fight should have happened five years ago, before Leonard was forced into retirement by his eye injury. Neither is clearly as good as he was then but between them they still produced a championship which justified the hype and the $23m guarantee that they shared.
The fight fell into two segments, with Leonard winning the early rounds and Hagler coming on strongly to take command from the fifth.
Leonard’s lead was steadily eroded – at least on my card – until by the 10th it had disappeared.
But it was always a fascinating tactical battle, even if it lacked the fire and fury of Hagler’s epic wins in this ring over Thomas Hearns and John Mugabi.
