When Two Ring Greats Collided
Brian Doogan’s book, The SuperFight: Marvelous Marvin Hagler-Sugar Ray Leonard, is reviewed by Patrick Myler
After a satisfying steak meal with his charming host, Sugar Ray Leonard, continuing to pour liberally from the bottle of Dom Perignon, Marvin Hagler relaxed into a discussion about what might have happened if the pair had ever met in the ring.
“We talked about it as the Fight of the Century, the best against the best,” Leonard would recall.
Of course, it was never going to happen. Ray, having undergone an eye operation, had fought just once in five years, climbing off the floor from the first knockdown of his career to halt journeyman Kevin Howard in nine rounds and, sadly accepting the erosion of his remarkable skills, had gone back into retirement.
Hagler, nine months on from his savage destruction of Thomas Hearns in the most explosive three rounds in boxing history, was between training camps, or “prison” as he liked to refer to the torturous isolation, felt more than a trifle envious of Ray’s leisurely life after boxing.
He then did something he had never done in his 61 fights. He lowered his guard.
“Truth is, Ray, I’m not as motivated as I used to be,” he admitted. “Like I always say, it’s tough to get out of bed at five a.m. To do roadwork when you’re sleeping in silk pajamas.”
Hagler’s admission that he was contemplating joining him in retirement surprised Sugar Ray. It also served to re-ignite his desire to pull on the gloves again and prove to himself, and the world, what he always believed, that he could win the Fight of the Century.
When Marvin learned of Leonard’s comeback plan, he was furious. He felt that Ray had tricked him into revealing his feelings while covering up his own audacious ambition. “He felt as if a friend had stabbed him in the back,” said Marvin’s brother Robbie. He felt betrayed.
Of course, when the fight was announced for Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, on April 6, 1987, there was hardly anyone outside of Sugar Ray’s inner circle who thought he had a ghost of a chance of upsetting one of the game’s all-time great middleweights. Especially without a warm-up fight.
Only a genius could do it. Leonard, a 4-1 outsider, showed that he belonged in the same league as the original Sugar Ray, the fabulous Robinson, by capturing the WBC belt, albeit on a bitterly disputed split decision.
“I had fun tonight,” beamed the new champion. “This is what I said I would do and I did it. It wasn’t for the title. Beating Marvin Hagler was enough.”
Hagler’s contempt for his opponent was complete. “Leonard fought like a girl. His punches meant nothing. I fought my heart out. I can’t believe they took my belt away.”
He showed his disgust by turning his back completely against boxing and relocating to Italy, where he went into the movie business, playing action parts. His fans remembered when he shot down guys without a gun.
Brian Doogan, author of The SuperFight, takes readers on a vivid journey right into the heart of the action and the gripping build-up and aftermath of the fight. And, through his painstaking research, interviews with both fighters and gift for great writing, he offers a unique microscopic look into the hearts and minds of the combatants.
British weekly Boxing News has called it “one of the best boxing books of recent years”. This reviewer would go a step further than that. It has a legitimate claim to being the best.
Brian Doogan, born in Northern Ireland, is an award-winning journalist who co-wrote Joe Calzaghe’s autobiography. For 20 years, he was European correspondent for The Ring. He now fronts his own communications company. His book is available from www.briandooganmedia.com or from www.amazon.com
Patrick Myler is an author and boxing historian. He is a member of the IBRO and is on the election panel of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He lives in Dublin, Ireland.