Result: "Sugar" Ray Leonard
SD12 "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler
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"Super Fight"
Hagler Vs. Leonard November 30, 2008
by Scott
Muoio
Bout of Saturday, April
06, 1987.
Twenty one years after the fact,
I sat down at my computer and watched the 1987 "Sugar"
Ray Leonard vs. "Marvelous" Marvin Hagler encounter,
probably the biggest boxing match of the 1980s, for the
very first time. I was not dissapointed.
Featuring two all-time greats going
at it for the middleweight title, the bout was a cat and
mouse game of epic proportions. Hagler was the aggressor,
bull dozing his way toward Leonard for 12 consecutive
rounds. Leonard, for his part, was the dancer: dashing
in, getting out, shuffling around every inch of the squared
circle. In the end the judges were torn, awarding Leonard
the split decision victory.
Commentary on the fight has ranged
from spite and dissaproval of the decision to agreement
and acceptance. Lines have been drawn between those who
favor the hard-nosed brawling of Hagler and those who
appreciate the dynamic speed and chutpah of Leonard. In
the end, little has been settled as the war of words continues
to haunt this still fascinating bout.
Both men showed dynamism on that
occassion: Leonard for moving up 10 pounds after a 3 year
lay-off to face the champion of the middle weight division,
and Hagler for never relenting in his pursuit to track
down and pulverize the ever-elusive Leonard. But rather
than contribute to the back and forth banter on this mesmerizing
encounter, suffice it for me to merely give my own scoring
of the fight and commend these two warriors on a tremendous
match.
Here is the official
scoring of the fight:
118-110, 115-113,
113-115 (Leonard by Split Decision)
My Scoring of the
Fight:
Round
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
Total
Leonard
10
10
9
10
9
10
9
9
9
10
10
10
115
Hagler
9
9
10
9
10
9
10
10
10
9
9
9
113
Best Round of the Fight: Round
9
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Want to tell Scott Muoio he scored the bout with
his eyes closed? Or maybe you agree. Email him at scottmuoio@undependentmedia.com