BoxRec

Don't laugh, but I would like to know if Hagler ever had hair?

He was boxing in the 70's, when it was customary to have an afro, yet he was completely shaven headed.

Is he really bald? Are they any pictures of him with hair?

I just read about this the other day in a book called In the corner. Its a book about Boxing Trainers. Goody Petronelli said that as a teenager , Hagler who was already fighting, just showed up in the gym with his head shaved one day and said "What do ya think". Goody said he was surprised cuz Marvin had a good head of hair.

Once around at a mates house about ten years ago I came across an old edition of The Ring from the early 1970's. In it was a picture of a young Marvin Hagler in a Boxing pose and he had hair, it was no big afro, but he had hair.

I once read Hagler shaved his head to "Remind him of the hard times".

Back in the seventies not too many guys were shaving their heads. When Marvin would stroll into a weigh in with the Fu manchu and the shaved skull, it probably made an impression on the guy he was fighting that night.

expug, That's a fair bet....I can think of one time where that idea didn't work out so well. And that's with Joe Frazier and his second go round with Foreman. Didn't seem to distract Foreman in any way.

Jeez Buzz, I forgot abot that. That look didnt work too well for Joe your right about that.

Earnie Shavers used to shave his head as well as sporting a full beard. He started this look when he was well into his career.

Shavers was a very imposing person and a lot of fighters were intimidated by him. Once in his amateur days the fighters on an amateur card were all made to share the same dressing room. Shavers, the biggest guy on the whole card, thought he'd scare his opponent a little before their fight and suddenly stood up and yelled "nobody here's getting out alive!". Nobody in the room else spoke for several minutes.
He won his fight later that night.

-KOKid-

Thankyou guys!!!!

I'd love to see a picture!!!

I might have to email the marvellous bald one himself!!!!!!! :P

expug wrote:Back in the seventies not too many guys were shaving their heads. When Marvin would stroll into a weigh in with the Fu manchu and the shaved skull, it probably made an impression on the guy he was fighting that night.

I've always wondered if Hagler's look was influenced by Rubin Hurricane Carter, who obviously had a similar look. Although his hometown was Brockton, Hagler was born in Patterson NJ were Carter is from.

Insidently i read the reason Carter shaved his head back in the 60s when it was even more uncommon was influenced by Jack Johnson.

Actually, fighters who shave their heads have always been around. James Figg used to shave his head before his fights, as did Jack Broughton. We're talking early to mid 1700s here.
John L. Sullivan would cut his hair real short for some of his fights.
I guess this was to keep opponents from pulling his hair during fights. Some of those bare-knuckle brawls could get pretty out of hand at times.

But who was the fighter who drenched his hair is some foul smelling oil or grease before fights and try as much possible to rub his hair in his opponents faces while in clinches?
After a while his opponets would srart to fell sick because of the foul smell.
It might have been Billy Papke og Mickey Walker, but I'm not sure.
Anyone know?

-KOKid-

Bennie Briscoe shaved his head too in the 60s... anyone know who shaved their head first Bennie or Ruben... I have a pic of Bennie in'63 and he had hair in it. Funnily enough Briscoe it seems was a barber early in his career, so I've read... 8)

In a fight it might actually offer a biophysical advantage, it's like having a heavy duty radiator on your car. You cool down about a shade faster which in some cases could be helpful especially in a fight staged in a hot climate.

I'm honestly not sure if anyone has done a serious study on it but the basic physics are there to be purused. It's the place on your body where the most heat is lost in any given circulation cycle. I suppose it could cut both ways depending on the specific circumstances.

I've been shaving my head since 1981.

BoxBuzz wrote:In a fight it might actually offer a biophysical advantage, it's like having a heavy duty radiator on your car. You cool down about a shade faster which in some cases could be helpful especially in a fight staged in a hot climate.

I'm honestly not sure if anyone has done a serious study on it but the basic physics are there to be purused. It's the place on your body where the most heat is lost in any given circulation cycle. I suppose it could cut both ways depending on the specific circumstances.

That's probaby correct. Anyone who had shaved their head will tell you that it's a lot cooler without hair. I have tried this myself.
On the other hand, if a fight is staged outside in the sun, your scalp could get sunburned if you're white. A sunburned skull is very sore and definitley not cool. I have experienced this as well.

Bob Fitzsimmons had a big bald patch on his head and it got quite burned in his fight versus Jim Corbett in 1897. Some reports even say it was all blistered from the burning. Although he won that fight, it certainly did not make it easier for him with a burned scalp.

For fighters today, who either fight indoors or in roofed rings outside, I would think having a shaved skull would be an advantage in terms of heat loss, albeit a very minor one.
I wonder if any fighter will ever use not having a shaved skull as an excuse for their loss.
Hell, I'm surprised none of the Wladimir Klitchko fans haven't tried that one yet. As piss poor as it would be, it's better than the vaselined legs.

-KOKid-

-KOKid- wrote:Anyone who had shaved their head will tell you that it's a lot cooler without hair.

Very true.

-KOKid- wrote:A sunburned skull is very sore

Yes, two summers ago I got drunk at a music festival and spent too much time in the sun, oh boy did I ever suffer with a sore scalp the next day. :(

Well I'm happy to say I don't have the burden of hair on top of my head these days. I feel sorry for those of you who have to carry that stuff around all the time.

Skins in baby!!!!!

I'm not too sure I'm comfortable with the fact that there's at least three bald guys participating in this thread...

-KOKid-

http://members.shaw.ca/cartermyths/Pics ... aining.jpg


http://www.marvelousmarvin.com/info/inf ... ampion.jpg[/url]

Ironic that Hagler was trained by two men who wore probably the worst toupees of their time (after Howard Cosells!) :x 8)

I'm sure toupee's were worn in order to keep confusion to a minimum as to who was the star of the show. Hagler not wanting to share the limelight.

-KOKid- wrote:I'm not too sure I'm comfortable with the fact that there's at least three bald guys participating in this thread...

-KOKid-

What the hell ,grass doesnt grow on a busy street!

-KOKid- wrote:I'm not too sure I'm comfortable with the fact that there's at least three bald guys participating in this thread...

-KOKid-

4, I shave my head every morning

BOXREC SUMMER PARTY 2006
http://stmarks.jcu.edu.au/associationpage/skinheads.jpg

LET'S NOT FORGET TO INVITE SOME GIRLS THOuGH!!!!

(people may talk)

KOJOE90 wrote:Once around at a mates house about ten years ago I came across an old edition of The Ring from the early 1970's. In it was a picture of a young Marvin Hagler in a Boxing pose and he had hair, it was no big afro, but he had hair.

I once read Hagler shaved his head to "Remind him of the hard times".

I have the same mag. Its a copy of the ring from 1975 with Paul Porrier Larry Middleton and Ray Lunny III also featured. The article states that Hagler worked for Petronelli construction

I bought the mag in 1986 when I was 14.