WHEN I few to America 41 years ago to interview Marvelous Marvin Hagler, before he challenged Alan Minter for his world middleweight title, he refused to see me.
Hagler then was an unknown quantity in this country which is why I arranged with his managers Pat and Goody Petronelli, to spend time getting to know him at his Provincetown training camp at the tip of Cape Cod.
Minter’s unforgivable remark “I’ll never lose my title to a black man” had been splashed in every newspaper in the US and Hagler got it into his head everyone in Britain was a racist.
I told the Petronelli’s as I had travelled 3000 miles at considerable expense, if I didn’t get the interview I would be sacked. That was not the truth, I admit.
The Petronelli’s took my sob story to Hagler – he not only relented but it was the start of an extremely friendly relationship which lasted long after he retired seven years later.
When I initially shook hands with Marvin little did I realise I was in the presence of greatness who could genuinely lay claim to being the greatest world middleweight champion of all-time.
Hagler was one of those enigmatic boxing characters. There was the ever-smiling quietly spoken compassionate family man who went out of his way to help others.
This is what he had to say about himself once he stepped inside the ropes.
“There’s a monster that comes out of me in the ring.
“I think it goes back to the days when I had nothing. It’s hunger I think.
“That’s what the monster is and it’s still there.”
Marvin held the middleweight crown seven years and made twelve successful defences and you have to look no further than his background to find an explanation for his unyielding attitude once he turned to boxing to make a living.
He was brought up with his brother and four sisters by his single mother in the toxic Newark, New Jersey ghetto in the 1960’s.
During one of the worst race riots, when 46 people died, the Hagler family locked themselves in their apartment for three days to stay safe from the rioters and police marksmen.
One night as they all lay under a bed to escape two stray bullets smashed through a window into the ceiling above them.
That was enough for Mrs. Hagler. She took her kids to live in the tranquil environment of Brockton, Mass. and that’s where the 15 year old Marvin walked into the Petronelli’s gym and asked to be taught how to box.
The Petronelli’s had no idea they were about to strike gold. But they transformed the southpaw novice into one of the deadliest and most feared fighting machines ever to grace the sport.
When Hagler came to London in September,1980 his slashing punches cut Minter’s face to ribbons and he’d won the title in less than three rounds.
Shamefully Hagler and his entourage were showered with beer bottles and glasses from racist fans and had to be escorted to his dressing room by a posse of police.
Hagler was one of the Four Kings. – the other three were Roberto Duran, Tommy ‘Hitman’ Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard who had nine incredible fights between them.
I was fortunate to cover seven of them. But I believe Marvin’s glittering career will always be defined by his clashes with Hearns and Leonard – both in Las Vegas.
The opening three minutes of his battle with Hearns will go down as arguably the greatest first round in history.
They launched themselves at each other like a couple of ravenous pitbulls who suddenly had the smell of raw meat in their nostrils. Every punch landed was thrown with bad intentions.
If they had been seen fighting like that in the street they would have been arrested and charged with Grievous Bodily Harm with intent.
As they went back to their corners Hagler had an ungly gash over his left eye and Hearns was nursing his right hand which he broke against Hagler’s bald skull.
Before Hagler finished Tommy off in round three blood was pouring into his eyes Referee Richard Steele in the middle of the action asked him “Can you see Marvin”.
Hagler’s memorable reply was “I’m not missing him am I”?
Leonard was considered deranged for tackling Hagler having had just one fight in five years.
But he outwitted and outboxed to win a shock split twelve round points decision and off he went with the title.
Hagler convinced he’d been robbed by the judges psychologically never recovered from that loss and he never fought again.
He certainly didn’t like Leonard and he regarded Sugar Ray, from a much softer lower middle-class background, as something of a dilettante.
Pat Petronelli said “That defeat turned Marvin into a recluse for months.
It shattered Marvin’s life. He became moody and depressed and he hasn’t been able to deal with it. He said he would take this to his grave. It’s more to him than death itself.”
I hope that was no longer true with the passing of time.
We will never know if Marvelous Marvin was the best middleweight ever. But he is certainly up there with Harry Greb, Sugar Ray Robinson and Carlos Monzon.
