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Happy Birthday to the late Marvin Hagler
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Twitter: AJMckenzie94847
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00:22Hi everybody, I'm Brian Kenney, and welcome to ESPN Classics Top 5 Reasons You Can't Blame,
00:27a series that takes a fresh look at sports personalities who are remembered largely for
00:31their mistakes, controversial moments, or questionable decisions. By 1987, marvelous
00:36Marvin Hagler had already gained legendary status. Long denied a shot at the middleweight title,
00:49he ruled his division ruthlessly once he got it. Twelve brutal title defenses with only Roberto
00:54Duran going the distance. A month shy of his 33rd birthday, he stepped into a super fight against
01:00Sugar Ray Leonard. Leonard was one of the best fighters of all time, but he was a much smaller
01:04man. He was a true welterweight and hadn't fought in nearly three years. It was widely viewed at the
01:09time as a dangerous mismatch. Hagler, a 4-1 favorite, going into the ring at Caesars Palace.
01:15Before we count down the top five reasons you can't blame Hagler for losing to Leonard,
01:19let's look back at the events surrounding the controversial night in Las Vegas.
01:28It is over. Lee Sacks against the rope. He's out of it.
01:33He wanted to destroy you, destruct the opposition.
01:38But each fight that Marvin prepared himself for, he got himself hooked all up into a rage.
01:46He don't punch at his target, he punches through his target.
01:50Stiff right hand, attack for a hard left hand. Lee goes down.
01:54He was going to fight hard. He was going to fight brutal. He was going to do what he had
01:58to do to make sure that title went with him.
02:02Hamshows against the rope. That's another right hand.
02:04He didn't shoot off his mouth. He just came to fight, period. That's it.
02:10He was the type of guy that, if one guy was running five miles before the fight, he was running
02:13six.
02:14One guy was doing 100 push-ups, he was doing 101 push-ups.
02:18If he'd have been the iceberg that the Titanic collided into,
02:22the Titanic would have gone 20 miles out of its way to get around.
02:26In 1985, a massive collision occurred between middleweight champion Marvin Hagler
02:32and former welterweight champion Thomas Hitman Hearns.
02:36Get your popcorn and your beer and don't move out your seat because it's faking in early.
02:42Hagler was right. The bout lasted just 59 seconds short of three rounds.
02:47Three rounds, man.
02:49But in those eight minutes, two of the most lethal punchers of their generation
02:54put on a matchless display of ferocity and courage.
03:02This one toe-to-to-toe. There was no respect there.
03:07Don't hurry!
03:08Tommy landed his best punch right on Marvin's kissing.
03:15And he just busts his head wide open.
03:20But Hagler said, I will not let you stop this fight on the cut.
03:24There's blood all over Marvin Hagler's face!
03:26So when the doctor says, can you see?
03:29I says, I ain't missing a memory.
03:33So they let me loose.
03:38Take him on the right!
03:39Burns in deep trouble again!
03:41Burns is down!
03:42At this point...
03:50Mugabe.
03:51Mugabe.
03:52Mugabe.
03:52It was...
03:57A fighter with an attached retina is as much as saying they have AIDS.
04:04Las Vegas.
04:05The build-up to the fight was not who's going to win the fight.
04:09The build-up to that fight was,
04:12is Ray Leonard going to die in the ring?
04:14Is Marvin Hagler going to kill Ray Leonard?
04:16Hagler hadn't lost in...
04:1911 years.
04:20There was a perception that Ray was just a pretty boy.
04:24I don't think I've ever seen an athlete in better shape than Marvin Hagler.
04:27He was a soft paw.
04:29He was tough.
04:29A lot of people ducked him.
04:31I never thought Leonard was going to fight him.
04:33For God's sake, I mean, you know,
04:35why would you want to go in the ring with Marvin Hagler?
04:38Ray Leonard said that the first round is going to be the most important round to the fight.
04:42And here we go.
04:43Marvin Hagler came out against Sugar Ray Leonard fighting right-handed.
04:48He was a soft paw.
04:49Hagler is not boxing as a soft paw.
04:51I just don't like that in a ring.
04:53I was very nervous.
04:54But by him coming out as an orthodox,
04:58it gave me a chance to get my feet wet early.
05:02He made Ray comfortable.
05:03He couldn't have made him any more comfortable
05:04than if he had drawn him a bath and gotten him in his slippers.
05:10He always said the motto was destruct and destroy.
05:13Well, he didn't have that mindset for this fight.
05:16Nice combination by Leonard.
05:19Hagler's talking to him.
05:21He's smiling at him.
05:22Leonard won the first four rounds.
05:24So in a 12-round fight,
05:26he'd given up a third of the fight.
05:27It's inexcusable.
05:31Hagler didn't switch back to his natural left-handed style
05:34until the fourth round.
05:35When he did,
05:36the momentum shifted in his favor.
05:39Hagler backing up Leonard.
05:41Into the Leonard corner.
05:43Fort right uppercut.
05:45Nailing him now, Tim.
05:47Hagler
05:48really started to throw some meaningful punches.
05:51There were several times in that fight
05:52where I think Ray really got stung
05:54and really got hurt.
06:00But he just, you know,
06:01was able to run himself out of it.
06:03Looks like Leonard to me
06:04is going to nail Hagler
06:05so I'm going to get on the way around.
06:06Got moved by Leonard out of that corner.
06:09Even though Hagler was hurting Leonard,
06:11he failed to employ one of the techniques
06:13basic to his offense.
06:15He was chasing Leonard.
06:17He never cut off the ring successfully on Leonard.
06:19He simply followed him around the ring.
06:21He should have been...
06:23Leonard made the fight 12 rounds.
06:25Instead of 15.
06:28And made the ring bigger.
06:33Fighting his own fight.
06:35Taking it to him.
06:37Or vicious punches.
06:38Marvin didn't make it a street fight.
06:39Marvin let Leonard fight his fight.
06:41Marvelous Marvin Hagler
06:42looks very, very slow.
06:44The next thing you know,
06:45he was missing wildly
06:47because he got frustrated.
06:48And he sure didn't look like Marvin Hagler.
06:51Caught off guard by the challenger's speed,
06:53power, and endurance,
06:55Hagler could not recover
06:56to thwart Leonard's late rallies.
06:59The winner,
07:00by his quick decision,
07:02and new
07:03middle of the champion
07:04of the world
07:05for Ray Leonard.
07:10Marvin blew the fight
07:12more than
07:13Ray Leonard won the fight.
07:15He takes a lot of the blame
07:16for losing that fight
07:17because if he had just done
07:19to his normal game plan
07:20and his typical routine,
07:21maybe he would have won the fight.
07:23That loss is going to haunt him
07:24for the rest of his life
07:25because it was a winnable fight.
07:30He should have been able
07:31to do more
07:31against Ray Leonard,
07:32but he couldn't.
07:35You've just seen
07:36why Hagler is blamed
07:37for losing to Leonard.
07:38But before we present
07:39the top five reasons
07:40you can't blame Marvelous Marvin,
07:42here are a few
07:43that just missed the cut.
07:44We call them
07:44the best of the rest.
07:47The killer camera.
07:48A TV camera
07:50blocked the view
07:51of Hagler's corner team
07:52during the first three rounds
07:53of the fight.
07:54Hagler lost all three
07:56of those rounds
07:56on two scorecards.
07:58Hagler lost the fight
08:00because he gave away
08:00the first three or four rounds
08:01fighting right-handed.
08:02If you can't see,
08:04how can you comment
08:05on the fight?
08:06One of the Petronelli's
08:07grabbed those cords
08:08and yanked it
08:09as hard as he could
08:10and at that point
08:12they got the cameraman out.
08:15It was definitely
08:15a handicap for me.
08:16You know,
08:17I had to bob and weave
08:19for trying to catch the fight.
08:22Our other best of the rest,
08:24Head Games.
08:25Leonard was a master
08:26at psyching out
08:27his opponent.
08:28Exhibit A,
08:29Roberto Duran in 1980.
08:32Ray boxed him
08:34and tantalized him
08:36and matadored him.
08:38He drove Roberto Duran
08:40so crazy
08:42that what did he do?
08:45He quit.
08:46Exhibit B,
08:48at a charity event
08:49in 1982,
08:50Leonard stung Hagler's ego
08:52with a surprise announcement.
08:55Marvin was sitting there
08:56expecting Ray to announce
08:57that he was going
08:57to challenge him.
08:58A fight
08:59with this great man,
09:01this great champion,
09:02could be one of the greatest fights
09:04in the history of boxing.
09:06But unfortunately,
09:08it'll never happen.
09:10Thank you
09:10and God bless you all.
09:12Was I cold
09:12to have him there
09:13knowing fully well
09:14that I was going to say no?
09:15Yeah,
09:16it was pretty cold.
09:18Marvin Acker
09:18was fit to be tied.
09:19There weren't ropes
09:20strong enough
09:21to tie him down.
09:22He was hot.
09:24He let Leonard
09:25get under his skin
09:26and he was brooding
09:27and I thought
09:28that that took away
09:29from his ability
09:30to fight a more
09:32expressive,
09:33free fight.
09:35The Beast,
09:37John Mugabe.
09:38This guy just woke up
09:40and he started attacking me
09:42throwing big hard punches.
09:43John the Beast Mugabe
09:44was hitting him
09:45with some body shots
09:47that was hurting me.
09:49When the 31-year-old Hagler
09:51struggled to defeat Mugabe,
09:53Leonard,
09:54a ringside commentator
09:55for the fight,
09:56took notice.
09:57That's why
09:58Ray Leonard came out
09:58of retirement
09:59for the ultimate challenge
10:00of his career.
10:00I noticed that
10:01Mugabe was outboxing
10:03Marvin for a while
10:05and I felt that
10:06I was a better boxer
10:07than Mugabe.
10:08The Mugabe fight
10:10exposed him
10:10as a fighter
10:11who could be hit
10:12and hit a lot.
10:13There was blood
10:14in Hagler's urine
10:15for days afterwards.
10:17After his 11th round
10:19knockout of Mugabe,
10:20a dispirited Hagler
10:21contemplated retirement
10:23over dinner
10:24with Leonard.
10:25I'd ask him,
10:26you know,
10:27what's next
10:28and he kept saying,
10:28I'm not motivated.
10:30I cut too easy.
10:32It's just not
10:32in my heart anymore.
10:34Marvin knew better
10:34than anybody
10:35that he wasn't
10:35the fighter
10:36he had been anymore.
10:37I'm saying to myself,
10:38this would be
10:39the perfect time
10:40to fight him.
10:41In their primes,
10:43Leonard never
10:44would have fought
10:45that.
10:47I don't think
10:48the punch.
10:49What are you going to do
10:50with a guy
10:50who can do everything?
10:54One down,
10:55four to go.
10:56Here is reason
10:56number four.
10:58Bad management.
11:00Team Hagler
11:01was outmaneuvered
11:02during pre-fight
11:03negotiations
11:03with Leonard's camp.
11:06Ray's management
11:07team totally
11:09bamboozled
11:10Hagler's team.
11:11I had to give him
11:12everything he wanted.
11:13Oh, I'm not going
11:13to be able
11:14to fight this guy.
11:16During the bargaining,
11:17Hagler reps
11:18Goody and Pat Petronelli
11:19focused on their
11:20share of the purse,
11:21while Mike Traynor
11:23and Leonard
11:23looked at the bigger picture.
11:25The negotiation
11:26was first
11:27to bat the money,
11:29and he got
11:29a little bit more.
11:30Then the flip side
11:31was,
11:32you got to do
11:33something for us.
11:34Leonard gave Hagler
11:36the most money
11:37and took
11:38the other three
11:39elements which
11:39would prove
11:40to be decisive.
11:41Size of glove,
11:43size of ring,
11:44number of rounds.
11:48While larger gloves
11:49helped to take
11:50some of the sting
11:50out of Hagler's punches,
11:52a spacious
11:5320 by 20 ring
11:54offered Leonard
11:55room to hit
11:56and run.
11:58For me,
11:59it was
11:59about the ring size.
12:02And last time
12:03I'm a boxer,
12:03I want a big ring.
12:04It wouldn't have been
12:05as easy for him
12:06to get out
12:06of the way
12:06of those punches
12:07and the whole
12:08history of boxing
12:08could have changed.
12:09Leonard continues
12:10to put a lot of
12:11piles on those
12:12new sneakers.
12:13Hagler's style
12:14was to fight
12:15in smaller rings.
12:17Hagler and his
12:17determination
12:18to get the fight
12:19agreed to the
12:2020-foot ring.
12:22Leonard's camp
12:23also won
12:23another major
12:24concession.
12:25Instead of 15 rounds,
12:27then the standard
12:28for title fights,
12:29Team Hagler
12:30agreed to a
12:3112-round bout.
12:32They didn't think
12:33Leonard could go
12:35more than 12 rounds.
12:3812 rounds
12:39instead of 15
12:40was crucial.
12:41Leonard had had
12:42only two
12:43piddling little
12:44fights in six years.
12:46He's flying it,
12:46Tim.
12:47Look at those eyes.
12:48Words cannot
12:48describe how
12:49exhausted I was.
12:51He had to be
12:51held up at the
12:52final bell
12:54so that he would
12:56look like a loser.
12:57Had that fight
12:58gone 15 rounds,
12:59even Ray admits
12:59he would have
13:00been knocked out.
13:00Who won that
13:01fight was Mike
13:02Traynor won that
13:03fight and the
13:04Petronellis lost
13:05the fight.
13:05A lot of the
13:06smaller things
13:06went to Leonard.
13:07Ultimately,
13:07they were critical
13:08in deciding the
13:09outcome of a
13:10very, very close
13:11fight.
13:12Sugar wasn't
13:13so sweet.
13:15Leonard's
13:15questionable ring
13:16tactics were not
13:17penalized by the
13:18referee.
13:19I remember
13:20Richard Steele
13:20clearly telling
13:22him,
13:23holding him,
13:23low blows.
13:26Girl, quit
13:26holding, Ray,
13:27quit.
13:31But Hagler
13:32wasn't protesting
13:33his holding,
13:35so, you know,
13:36I just let it
13:37go.
13:37When the
13:38referee's breaking
13:39us apart,
13:40pulling us apart,
13:41I would throw a
13:42little uppercut.
13:43I kept doing
13:43that.
13:46Richard Steele
13:47continues to warn
13:48Ray Leonard
13:48for holding, Tim.
13:49Now, after a few
13:50warnings, you have
13:51to do something
13:51about it.
13:53When Leonard
13:54landed blows that
13:55appeared low, he
13:56did not lose any
13:57points.
14:01Leonard's winding
14:02up with a windmill
14:03with one hand.
14:04The punch lands
14:05low, and the crowd
14:06goes crazy, and the
14:07ref lets it go.
14:08If Marvin Hagler
14:08had hit Ray
14:09Leonard low, he
14:09would have been
14:10severely chastised
14:12and penalized.
14:15The referee was
14:16completely out of
14:17his league that
14:17night.
14:19Another punch
14:20yet for the
14:21belt by Leonard.
14:22Well, you're
14:22talking about one
14:23of the most
14:23skilled fighters
14:23in history.
14:25No penalties,
14:26no nothing.
14:27If they took
14:28points away from
14:28Leonard because
14:29he was hitting
14:30low and grabbing
14:30and all this
14:31kind of stuff,
14:32definitely has an
14:33effect on their
14:34decision.
14:36Have we begun
14:37to change your
14:38mind yet?
14:38If not, take a
14:39look at reason
14:40number two.
14:42Bad judgment.
14:43The judges'
14:44split decision in
14:45favor of the
14:46challenger prompted
14:47cries of outrage.
14:49The judges,
14:50the three blind
14:51mice.
14:52No question.
14:53We have a split
14:55decision.
14:58That wasn't a
14:58split decision.
14:59That was a
15:00shattered decision.
15:01It was times that
15:02I watched this
15:03fight for the
15:04second, third,
15:05fourth, fifth time.
15:06I had to look down
15:07to see what score I
15:07gave.
15:08Some of the rounds
15:09were so close.
15:10I said, who did I
15:10give that to?
15:12Judge Dave Moretti
15:14scored the fight
15:15115-113 for
15:17Leonard.
15:18Judge Lou Filippo
15:19115-113 for
15:21Hagler.
15:22But Mexican
15:23Judge Jose
15:24Jojo Guerra
15:25scored it 118-110
15:28for Leonard,
15:29giving 10 of 12
15:30rounds to the
15:31challenger.
15:39There's no way that
15:40Ray Leonard won 10 of
15:42the 12 rounds.
15:42This here official
15:43here, his name is
15:45Jojo Guerra, should be
15:47put in jail.
15:48Jojo Guerra of
15:49Mexico.
15:50At best, you could
15:51say it was 116-112.
15:54Leonard.
15:55either did a dreadful
15:57job of judging,
15:59didn't know how to
16:00judge, or suddenly
16:01developed cataracts
16:03during the fight.
16:04Jojo Guerra, of
16:05course, should have
16:06immediately gone for
16:07an eye check after
16:08that fight.
16:08I hope he did.
16:10Although Leonard
16:11landed an average of
16:12one blow per round
16:13more than his
16:14opponent, Hagler
16:15complained that what
16:16Sugar Ray was
16:17throwing didn't
16:18qualify as punches.
16:20He didn't do
16:21nothing.
16:21He wasn't scoring.
16:22You know what I
16:23mean?
16:23He was just
16:23pitter-pattin'.
16:24I mean, it was
16:25like a little girl.
16:28Get glory by
16:29Leonard.
16:30He said, slow
16:31down, you little
16:32bitch.
16:32Fight like a man.
16:34He said, fight me
16:35like a man.
16:36I said, not right
16:37now.
16:38He never hurt me
16:39at all in the
16:40fight.
16:40Leonard was throwing
16:42more punches, but
16:43Hagler was landing
16:43more powerful punches.
16:46That's all in right
16:47by Hagler.
16:48I thought Hagler
16:49won, but I was
16:52overruled by two
16:53guys.
16:53I blame the judges
16:54still, because I
16:55think they got it
16:56wrong.
17:00Leonard.
17:01His chauvin
17:02ship in and out
17:03of the ring
17:04overshadowed Hagler.
17:05Sugar Ray Leonard
17:06was a product of
17:08not only his great
17:09talent, but the
17:10darling of the
17:11media.
17:11Ray was articulate
17:12and Ray was
17:13nice looking.
17:14You're going to be
17:15back.
17:15One way or the
17:16other, you've got to
17:16come back.
17:17That's better.
17:18Leonard rose to
17:19prominence after winning
17:20a gold medal at the
17:211976 Olympics.
17:23With Muhammad Ali
17:24nearing the end of
17:25his career, many
17:27saw Leonard as the
17:28new face of boxing.
17:29Ray Leonard was a
17:31star the moment he
17:33won that gold medal.
17:34When people didn't
17:36want to let go of
17:36Ali, but had to
17:38finally, they...
17:40Sugar Ray
17:40Leonard was kind of
17:44descended.
17:44He just transferred
17:45it to Leonard.
17:46After I knock him
17:47out, I'm going to
17:48invite him to my
17:48house for dinner and
17:49show him the film and
17:50show him exactly how
17:51I knocked him out.
17:53He had a tremendous
17:54media buildup.
17:55Hagler didn't have
17:56any of that.
17:56Hagler was just a
17:57fighter, but Leonard
17:59had all the other
17:59pretty stuff.
18:00He had all the
18:01window dressings.
18:02You know, he wasn't
18:03just a department
18:04store, he was
18:05Macy's.
18:06After a three-year
18:07layoff...
18:10Leonard was the
18:11bigger story going
18:12into the Hagler
18:13fight.
18:13He's going to go
18:14blind in the ring.
18:15He's going to knock
18:15his eye out of his
18:16head.
18:16He showed me that
18:17he was one of the
18:18bravest men to ever
18:19put on a pair of
18:20boxing gloves.
18:21Sugar Ray Leonard
18:21was like a
18:22Muhammad Ali.
18:23His name gave him
18:25a couple points
18:26before he even
18:27entered the ring.
18:28Once the bell
18:29sounded, Leonard
18:30evoked shades of
18:31Ali, both in style
18:33and substance.
18:36Right now, Leonard
18:37is floating like a
18:38butterfly and singing
18:39like a baby.
18:46Clearly, he understood
18:47the idea of
18:48showmanship being
18:49part of winning a
18:50fight.
18:50He had such a
18:51colorful, flamboyant
18:53style.
18:53Ray could throw
18:5420 punches in not
18:55one land and the
18:56crowd was just
18:57going crazy.
18:59A right by Leonard.
19:01Marvin had Ray
19:02pinned on the ropes.
19:04Ray backed him up
19:05with a barrage
19:07to fight.
19:08People stopped
19:09watching the fight
19:11and started
19:12watching Ray
19:12Leonard.
19:15People were so
19:16mesmerized that
19:17Leonard was even in
19:17the fight that they
19:18couldn't see what
19:19Hagler was doing.
19:20Tactically, Ray
19:21picked up something
19:22from Muhammad Ali
19:23where he would fight
19:24the last 30, 45
19:25seconds of a round
19:26to steal the round.
19:28I said 30 seconds
19:29before the bell rings,
19:30yell 30 seconds
19:31because I would win
19:32that round by
19:33throwing more
19:34punches.
19:35And Leonard
19:36three against
19:38Hagler.
19:38So the judges,
19:39that's the last
19:40thing they see,
19:40so they put it
19:41down on the
19:41scorecard.
19:42He certainly
19:43gave the impression
19:44he had won that
19:44fight.
19:45Late in the fight,
19:46Leonard's arrogance
19:46was an extension
19:47of his corner,
19:48headed by Ali's
19:50former trainer,
19:51Angelo Dundee.
19:52From the 12th round,
19:54Angelo's standing
19:54up on the apron
19:56as Ray goes out.
19:58Go get him,
19:58you're champ,
19:59you're champ.
20:00Go get him,
20:00champ.
20:05That's right,
20:06I said,
20:07new champ.
20:08And Ray got up,
20:09he put his arms
20:09up.
20:10Great moment.
20:11As the fight
20:11was winding down
20:12and people were
20:13on their feet
20:13screaming and
20:14yelling,
20:14Leonard was
20:15waving to the
20:15crowd while the
20:17fight was going
20:17on.
20:19Look at Ray
20:19Leonard,
20:20what a cocky
20:21kid.
20:22If they fought
20:23a trilogy,
20:25Hagler would win
20:26two out of three
20:26fights.
20:28But on that
20:29night,
20:29that was Ray
20:29Leonard's night.
20:31By the
20:31winner,
20:32by his
20:33good decision,
20:34and new
20:35memory
20:36trumpet
20:37of the world,
20:38Sugar Ray
20:39Leonard.
20:41You can't blame
20:42Hagler for losing
20:43that fight
20:44because Sugar Ray
20:45Leonard would not
20:46have lost to
20:47anybody in his
20:48weight class,
20:49maybe of all
20:50time that night.
20:56So there you have
20:57it,
20:58the top five
20:58reasons you
20:59can't blame
20:59Marvelous Marvin
21:00Hagler for losing
21:01to Sugar Ray
21:01Lent.
21:02Try that again.
21:03Hagler then
21:03became a true
21:04rarity among
21:05Hall of Fame
21:05boxers.
21:06He walked away
21:07and never went
21:08back.
21:09He once told me
21:10he didn't even
21:10work out in
21:11boxing clubs once
21:11he retired for
21:12fear of falling
21:13into old habits
21:14and lacing them
21:15up again.
21:15I'm Brian Kenney.
21:17Thanks for
21:17watching.
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