The death of a legend. One of the greatest boxers of all time, Marvin Hagler, who held the world title in the middleweight division in the 1980s and was also known as a film actor, passed away at the age of 66.
The boxer who travels by the nickname Marvelous (wonderful) first won the title in 1980 after defeating the British Alan Minter. He guarded it 12 times until he lost to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987.
(Watch Marvin Hagler defeat Thomas Harness)
His victories over Roberto Duran in 1983 and Thomas Hurns in 1985 entered the classics as his greatest. He defeated the Renaissance in a battle that lasted three rounds and was nicknamed the “War”. After losing his title in 1987, he retired from boxing at the age of 33, moved to Italy and starred in films. In 1993 he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
Hagler’s wife, Kay G. Hagler, announced his death when she wrote on Facebook: “I am sorry to announce a sad message. Unfortunately my beloved husband died today unexpectedly in our home in New Hampshire. Our family wishes you to respect our privacy during this difficult time.”
(Watch Hagler defeat Roberto Duran)
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The win over Roberto Duran was one of Hagler’s greatest
(Photo: AP)
Hagler was born in New Jersey and moved with his family to Brooklyn, Massachusetts in the late 1960s. In the early 1970s, his boxing talent was discovered by the Patronelli brothers, who ran an institute on the site.
In a 14-year career that lasted from 1973 to 1987, Hagler recorded 62 wins out of 67 fights in which he participated (52 in knockout), lost by three and ended two fights in a draw. Rocket Mayor Robert Sullivan called Hagler’s death a “devastating loss to the city.”
Hagler’s baldness was his trademark and stood out in his photographs over the years. In one of the interviews he gave he said: “If anyone cuts my bald spot and opens his head he will find two boxing gloves inside. That’s all I am, I live it.”
Another former boxer, Oscar de la Hoya, commented: “I was sorry to hear of the death of Marvin Hagler, one of the greats who ever entered the arena.”