Whenever this particular ring anniversary comes around, boxing fans everywhere who are old enough recall where they were, who they were with, and who they felt won the fight. It was, of course, the epic, so, so debated “Super Fight” between Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler – April 6th, 1987, Caesars Palace, Las Vegas.
Where were YOU?
It was a controversial fight even before the first bell, this as former welterweight king Leonard was coming back after having his eye surgically repaired, the retinal injury forcing Sugar Ray to quit the ring in 1982. Since then, Leonard had boxed just once, against a fringe contender in Kevin Howard, and Leonard retired again immediately after the 1984 fight that saw him suffer the very first knockdown of his career.
“I’m retired again, for good,” a downbeat Leonard said after his 9th round TKO win. “It’s just not there.”
Now, three years on, why on earth would it be there for Sugar Ray? But Leonard, who had seen an ageing Hagler get more miles put on his clock in a gruelling battle with John “The Beast” Mugabi, was now convinced he could come back and beat Hagler. And he’d do it without a tune-up fight.
Hagler took his time for a while, relishing being in control, but of course Marvelous took the fight, and the gargantuan payday that would come with it. And the biggest, most talked about, and yes, most controversial fight of the 1980s was on!
And we all witnessed a masterpiece from Leonard. For, whoever you think deserved the decision at the end of those 12 thoroughly engrossing rounds (12 rounds instead of 15, as per Leonard’s pre-fight demand, this along with his call for a 22X22 foot ring and 10-oz gloves instead of 8-oz, all of which Hagler and his team agreed to) – it cannot be denied that Leonard showed an amazing combination of skill, nerve, ring IQ, cunning, and heart and desire. And Hagler fought the wrong fight for long periods, famously “blowing” the opening few rounds by boxing orthodox, not southpaw.
Hagler made the fight closer than close, indeed, but Leonard dazzled us, and he dazzled the three judges, or two of the three; one so masterfully that the scoring official managed to hand in a 118-110 card in Sugar Ray’s favour. To this day, millions of us argue who really won the fight of 38 years ago, and the debate may well be one that never ends.
Some say Hagler was robbed, others say Leonard stole the fight fair and square. There was talk of a rematch but it never happened, perhaps for the best. Now, a fight, and a debate to cherish, Leonard’s marvelous fight with Hagler holds a very, very special place in boxing history. And whoever you think won, we must all agree it was a great fight, a great event, and a fascinating clash of styles and of personalities.
And it probably ranks as Leonard’s career-greatest win.
