Marvin Hagler
Encyclopedia
Marvelous Marvin Hagler (born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler, in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

, May 23, 1952)http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6983512/view/full/hagler-vs-leonard, is a former professional boxer
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 who was undisputed world middleweight champion between 1980 and 1987. Hagler holds the distinction of having the highest KO% of all middleweight champions at 78%. In 1982, upset that network announcers often did not refer to him by his nickname of "Marvelous", Hagler legally changed his name from "Marvin Nathaniel Hagler" to "Marvelous Marvin Hagler".

Hagler is an inductee of the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...

 and the World Boxing Hall of Fame
World Boxing Hall of Fame
The World Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Riverside, California, United States, in Southern California. The WBHF is one of two recognized international boxing halls of fame with the other being the International Boxing Hall of Fame , with the IBHOF being the more widely recognized...

. In 2002 he was named the 17th greatest fighter of the past 80 years by Ring Magazine
The Ring (magazine)
The Ring is an American boxing magazine that was first published in 1922 as a boxing and wrestling magazine. As the sporting legitimacy of professional wrestling came more into question, The Ring shifted to becoming exclusively a boxing oriented publication...

. The International Boxing Research Organisation (IBRO) rates Hagler as the sixth greatest middleweight of all time. Boxrec rates Hagler the fifth best middleweight of all time. At six years and seven months, Hagler's reign as undisputed middleweight champion is the second longest of the last century, behind only the seven year reign of Tony Zale
Tony Zale
Anthony Florian Zaleski was an American boxer. Zale was born and raised in Gary, Indiana, a steel town, which gave him his nickname, "Man of Steel." In addition, he had the reputation of being able to take fearsome punishment and still rally to win, reinforcing that nickname...

 in the 1940s.

Early life and amateur career

Hagler was raised by his mother in Newark, New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...

's Central Ward. During the summer of 1967, the Newark Riots
1967 Newark riots
The 1967 Newark riots were a major civil disturbance that occurred in the city of Newark, New Jersey between July 12 and July 17, 1967. The six days of rioting, looting, and destruction left 26 dead and hundreds injured.-Social unrest:...

 occurred July 12–17. Twenty-six people were killed and $11 million worth of property damage was caused by the disorder, which included the destruction of the Hagler family tenement
Tenement
A tenement is, in most English-speaking areas, a substandard multi-family dwelling, usually old, occupied by the poor.-History:Originally the term tenement referred to tenancy and therefore to any rented accommodation...

. Following the riots, the Haglers moved to Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton, Massachusetts
Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...

 where Hagler soon began boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...

 training at the Petronelli brothers' gym in 1969. In 1973, Hagler became the National AAU
Amateur Athletic Union
The Amateur Athletic Union is one of the largest non-profit volunteer sports organizations in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs.-History:The AAU was founded in 1888 to...

 165-pound champion after defeating Terry Dobbs of Atlanta.

Professional career

Hagler was a # 1 ranked middleweight
Middleweight
Middleweight is a division, or weight class, in boxing. Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have begun in the 1840s. In the bare-knuckle era, the first middleweight championship fight was between Tom Chandler and Dooney Harris in 1897...

 boxer for many years before he could fight for the title. He often had to travel to his opponents' hometowns to get fights. He lost decisions to Willie Monroe and Bobby 'Boogaloo' Watts
Bobby 'Boogaloo' Watts
Bobby "Boogaloo" Watts is an American born middleweight boxer who fought primarily in the mid-1970s. Born in Sumter County in a small town named Rembert, South Carolina, Bobby Watts came to Philadelphia at age 10 and began boxing at the urging of his cousin, future heavyweight contender Jimmy...

.

Hagler avenged his two defeats by knocking out Monroe and Watts in rematches, and won a 10-round decision over Bennie Briscoe
Bennie Briscoe
"Bad" Bennie Briscoe was the quintessential Philadelphia boxer."Bad" Bennie fought from 1962 to 1982, and retired with a career record of 66 wins 24 losses and 5 draws. Briscoe was a top-rated Middleweight contender during the 1970s, unsuccessfully challenging for the World Title on three...

. By then, promoter Bob Arum
Bob Arum
Robert "Bob" Arum is the founder and CEO of Top Rank, a professional boxing promotion company based in Las Vegas. He also worked for the US Attorney's Office for the southern district of New York in the tax division....

 took notice and signed him.

In November 1979, Hagler fought World Middleweight Champion Vito Antuofermo
Vito Antuofermo
Vito Antuofermo is an Italian-American actor who is also a former world Middleweight boxing champion.-Background:Antuofermo was born in Italy, in the town of Palo del Colle, which is located about 15 km inland from the city of Bari. but his family moved to the United States when he was 17...

 at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

. After fifteen rounds, most thought that Hagler had won. Referee Mills Lane
Mills Lane
Mills Bee Lane III is a retired boxing referee, a former boxer, was a two term Washoe County District Court Judge, and television personality...

 directed Hagler to turn and face the television cameras. "Congratulations," he said. "Now stay facing this way until they announce the decision and I raise your arm." Hagler and many others were surprised when the decision was announced as a draw and Antuofermo retained his title. This only added to Hagler's frustrations.

Antuofermo lost his title later to Alan Minter
Alan Minter
Alan Minter is a former middleweight world champion boxer.-Amateur career:Minter was the 1971 ABA Middleweight Champion. He won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games...

, who gave Hagler his second title shot. Hagler went to London and beat Minter, who had stated that "No black man is going to take my title," in 3 rounds at the Wembley Arena. At the conclusion of this bout a riot broke out and Hagler and his trainers had to be carried away to their locker rooms by the police, in the middle of a rain of beer bottles and glasses.

Hagler proved a busy world champion, and he defeated future world champion Fulgencio Obelmejias
Fulgencio Obelmejias
Fulgencio Obelmejias , sometimes known also as Fully Obel is a Venezuelan former boxer, who was world Super-Middleweight champion.-Biography:Obelmejias was born in San José de Río Chico...

 of Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

 by a knockout in eight rounds, and then former world champ Antuofermo in a rematch by TKO in four rounds. Both matches were fought at the Boston Garden
Boston Garden
The Boston Garden was an arena in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. Designed by boxing promoter Tex Rickard, who also built the third iteration of New York's Madison Square Garden, it opened on November 17, 1928 as "Boston Madison Square Garden" and outlived its original namesake by some 30 years...

 near Hagler's hometown, endearing him to Boston fight fans. Syrian born Mustafa Hamsho
Mustafa Hamsho
Mustafa Hamsho , born in 10 October 1953 in Latakia, Syria, was a Assyrian/Syriac boxer who never won a world title, but fought some big names in his career. Though he was not a winner in all of those fights, he did some things to make every one of his fights interesting and controversial in some...

, who would later defeat future world champion Bobby Czyz
Bobby Czyz
Robert Edward "Bobby" Czyz is a retired American boxer. A New Jersey native of mostly Polish and Italian descent, he is both a former world light heavyweight and cruiserweight champion.Czyz was born in Orange, New Jersey...

, became Hagler's next challenger, but he was beaten in 11 rounds. Michigan fighter William "Caveman" Lee
William "Caveman" Lee
William Lee is a former professional middleweight boxer who fought out of the fabled Kronk Gym in Detroit.-Career:...

 lasted only one round, and in a rematch in Italy, Obelmejias lasted five rounds. British champion (and mutual Alan Minter
Alan Minter
Alan Minter is a former middleweight world champion boxer.-Amateur career:Minter was the 1971 ABA Middleweight Champion. He won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games...

 conquerer) Tony Sibson
Tony Sibson
Tony Sibson is a former professional boxer.Tony Sibson was well known as Britain's best as he was Commonwealth and European champion and world title challenger...

 followed in Hagler's ever growing list of unsuccessful challengers. Sibson provided one of the most entertaining (to this point) fights of Marvelous Marvin's career , but he ultimately fell short, lasting six rounds. Next, came Wilford Scypion
Wilford Scypion
-Pro career:In February 1983, Scypion beat Frank Fletcher by a twelve round decision to take the USBA's regional Middleweight title. This victory guaranteed him a world championship try, against Marvin Hagler. The two competitors met on May 27, in a fight televised by HBO Boxing, which was...

, who only lasted four. By then, Hagler was a staple on HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...

, the Pay Per View of its time.

Hagler vs Roberto Durán

A fight against Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán
Roberto Durán Samaniego is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. A versatile brawler in the ring, he was nicknamed "Manos de Piedra" during his career....

 followed, and Duran was the first challenger to last the distance with Hagler in a world championship bout. Duran was the WBA light middleweight champion and went up in weight to challenge for Hagler's middleweight crown. Hagler won a unanimous 15-round decision, although after 12 rounds two of the judges had Durán ahead in a tough contest. Hagler fought tenaciously over the final three rounds to earn a unanimous decision.

Defenses

Then came Juan Roldán
Juan Roldán
Juan Domingo Roldán is an Argentine former boxer whose nickname was Martillo . Roldán was very famous across Latin America during the 1980s, many articles about him appearing on Ring En Español magazine....

 of Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...

, who became the only man to be credited with a knockdown of Hagler, scoring one knockdown seconds into the fight. Hagler protested bitterly that he had been pulled/pushed to the canvas and HBO replay clearly showed that he had indeed been pulled down. Hagler took his revenge though, brutalizing Roldan over ten rounds and stopping him in the middle of round ten. Sugar Ray Leonard was calling the fight ringside with HBO analyst Barry Tompkins. He noted to Tompkins between rounds that Hagler looked older and slower. "Marvin might finally be slowing down, Barry". Leonard remarked. Many people believe this is the fight that gave Sugar Ray Leonard the idea that he could actually win a fight with the aging Hagler.
Hamsho was given a rematch, but the Syrian was again TKO'd, this time in 3 rounds. Hamsho angered Hagler with a trio of intentional headbutts in the second round and a fourth early in the third, goading the normally patient and cautious Hagler into a full-out attack that left Hamsho battered and defensless in a matter of seconds.

Hagler vs Hearns aka "The War"

On April 15, 1985, Hagler and Thomas Hearns
Thomas Hearns
Thomas "Hitman" Hearns is a retired American boxer. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra" and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns became the first boxer in history to win world titles in four divisions. He would also become the first fighter in history to win five world titles in five different divisions...

 met in what was billed as The Fight; later it would become known as "The War
The War (boxing)
The War, also known as Marvin Hagler vs. Thomas Hearns or Hagler-Hearns, was a world middleweight championship boxing match between Undisputed Champion Marvin Hagler and challenger Thomas Hearns, who was himself the world's junior middleweight champion...

". Hagler, despite a cut to the head and being covered in blood, managed to overpower Hearns in the third round after a glancing right hand followed by two more rights and a left, scoring a decisive knockout. The first round of Hagler v Hearns is one of the best three minutes boxing in middleweight history as the two fighters stood toe to toe trading blows. Rounds two and three cannot live up to the first, as Hearns broke his hand in the first round, but are still very competitive, the fight only lasts eight minutes but it is rightly regarded as a classic.

Hagler vs Mugabi

Next was John Mugabi
John Mugabi
John "The Beast" Mugabi is a former boxer and world Jr. Middleweight champion. A world traveller, Mugabi was a part of an early 1980s Jr...

 of Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...

, who was 26-0 with 26 knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...

s and an Olympic silver medalist. The fight was fought on 10 March 1986 as Hagler had hurt his back and could not fight on the first date booked in 1985. Hagler stopped Mugabi in the 11th round of a brutal fight. Many ringside observers, including analyst Gil Clancy, noticed that Hagler was showing signs of advanced ring wear and age. He was much slower of hand and foot and seemed much easier to hit. He had also completely morphed his ring style from a slick, quick-fisted, boxer/puncher to a strictly flat-footed, stalking slugger to compensate for his loss of speed and reflexes.

Hagler vs Sugar Ray Leonard

Hagler's next challenger was Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard
Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...

, who was returning to the ring after a three-year retirement. During the pre-fight negotiations, in return for granting Hagler a larger share of the purse Leonard obtained several conditions which would be crucial to his strategy; a large ring (24x24ft), 12oz gloves and the fight was to be over 12 - not 15 - rounds. After the fight it also emerged that Leonard engaged in several real fights behind closed doors in preparation. Hagler, the natural middleweight and the more active fighter, was a heavy betting favorite. The fight took place at Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace
Caesars Palace is a luxury hotel and casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise, Nevada, an unincorporated township in Clark County, Nevada, United States in the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Caesars Palace is owned and operated by Caesars Entertainment Corp....

 in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...

 on April 6, 1987.

Many were surprised that Hagler, a natural southpaw, opened the fight boxing out of an orthodox stance. After the quick and slick Leonard won the first two rounds on all three scorecards, Hagler started the third round as a southpaw. Hagler did better, but Leonard's superior speed and boxing skill kept him in the fight. By the fifth, Leonard, who was moving a lot, began to tire and Hagler started to get closer. As he tired Leonard began to clinch with more frequency (in total referee Richard Steele gave him over 30 warnings for holding, although never deducted a point). Hagler buckled Leonard's knees with a right uppercut near the end of the round, which finished with Leonard on the ropes. Hagler continued to score effectively in round six. Leonard, having slowed down, was obliged to fight more and run less. However, he was able to outpunch Hagler along the ropes and got the better of several bristling exchanges. In rounds seven and eight, Hagler's southpaw jab was landing solidly and Leonard's counter flurries were less frequent. Round nine was the most exciting round of the fight. Hagler hurt Leonard with a left cross and pinned him in a corner. Leonard looked to be in trouble, but he furiously fought his way out of the corner. The action see-sawed back and forth for the rest of the round, with each man having his moments. Round ten was tame by comparison, as the pace slowed after the furious action of the previous round. Despite Leonard's obvious fatigue, he boxed well in the eleventh. Every time Hagler scored, Leonard came back with something flashier, if not as effective. In the final round, Hagler continued to chase Leonard. He hit Leonard with a big left hand and backed him into a corner. Leonard responded with a furious flurry. Hagler backed off, and Leonard danced away with Hagler in pursuit. The fight ended with Hagler and Leonard exchanging along the ropes. Hagler began dancing in celebration of his performance while a totally exhausted and spent Leonard collapsed to the canvas. Leonard threw 629 punches and landed 306, while Hagler threw 792 and landed 291. Video replay of the fight showed however, that many of Leonards punches that were credited as landing actually hit only arms and shoulders.

Leonard was awarded a controversial split-decision. Many felt that Hagler deserved the decision because he was the aggressor and landed the harder punches. Hugh McIlvanney
Hugh McIlvanney
Hugh McIlvanney is an award-winning, Scottish sports writer. He currently holds a long-running column on the back page of The Sunday Times sports section.- Life and career :...

 wrote in the British Sunday Times that Leonard's plan was to "steal rounds with a few flashy and carefully timed flurries....he was happy to exaggerate hand speed at the expense of power, and neither he nor two of the scorers seemed bothered by the fact that many of the punches landed on the champion's gloves and arms." McIlvanny also referred to Budd Schulberg
Budd Schulberg
Budd Schulberg was an American screenwriter, television producer, novelist and sports writer. He was known for his 1941 novel, What Makes Sammy Run?, his 1947 novel The Harder They Fall, his 1954 Academy-award-winning screenplay for On the Waterfront, and his 1957 screenplay for A Face in the...

's contention that simply being more competitive than expected meant that Leonard appeared more effective and to be doing more than he actually was.

Others felt that Leonard deservedly got the decision, arguing that Leonard landed more punches and showed better defense and ring generalship. Jim Murray
Jim Murray (sportswriter)
James Patrick Murray was an American sportswriter at the Los Angeles Times from 1961 to 1998.Many of his achievements include winning the NSSA's Sportswriter of the Year award an astounding fourteen times...

, long-time sports columnist for the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....

, wrote, "It wasn't even close...He didn't just outpoint Hagler, he exposed him. He made him look like a guy chasing a bus. In snowshoes. Leonard repeatedly beat Hagler to the punch. When he did, he hit harder. He hit more often. He made Hagler into what he perceived him to be throughout his career - a brawler, a swarmer, a man who could club you to death only if you stood there and let him. If you moved, he was lost."

To this day, the fight is still hotly debated. The scorecards from the ringside press attest to the closeness of the fight:
  • Associated Press: 117-112 Hagler
  • New York Daily News: 117-111 Leonard
  • New York Times: 114-114
  • New York Post: 114-114
  • Newsday: 115-114 Hagler
  • Chicago Sun-Times: 115-114 Hagler
  • Chicago Tribune: 7-5 Hagler
  • Houston Chronicle: 115-114 Leonard
  • Washington Post: 114-114
  • Boston Globe: 117-111 Leonard
  • Boston Herald 116-113 Leonard
  • Baltimore Sun: 7-5 Leonard
  • Oakland Tribune: 117-112 Leonard
  • San Jose Mercury-News: 116-115 Hagler


  • Many people feel that the decision and Hagler's loss of his title was unjust because as the challeger, it was Leonard's responsibility to bring the fight to Hagler, as opposed to retreating from Hagler for most of the fight.

    Hagler retired from boxing in June 1988, having been unable to secure a rematch with Leonard: "the only reason I would return would be to regain my title, but since Leonard has been playing games, it would probably take another year to work things out."

    Training style

    Hagler had a unique training regimen in which he would hole up on Cape Cod
    Cape Cod
    Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...

     in motels that had closed for the winter. For his "road work" he would take to the pavement in army boots, declaring running shoes "sissy shoes." He would run much of his route backwards to prepare for movements in the boxing ring.

    Awards and recognition

    • Named Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year for 1985 and 1987.
    • Inducted into both the International Boxing Hall of Fame
      International Boxing Hall of Fame
      The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...

       and the World Boxing Hall of Fame
      World Boxing Hall of Fame
      The World Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Riverside, California, United States, in Southern California. The WBHF is one of two recognized international boxing halls of fame with the other being the International Boxing Hall of Fame , with the IBHOF being the more widely recognized...

       in 1993.

    Career after boxing

    After the loss to Leonard, Hagler moved to Italy, where he became a well-known star of action films. His roles include a US Marine
    United States Marine Corps
    The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...

     in the films Indio and Indio 2. Other notable films starring Hagler include Brutal Bonanza, Geno's Plan and Lethal Lunch Date. In 1995, he starred alongside Giselle Blondet
    Giselle Blondet
    Giselle Blondet is a Puerto Rican actress and TV host.-Early history:Blondet was born Alba Giselle Blondet, to Victor Manuel Blondet and Alba Gomez, in New York City...

     in the low-budget thriller Black Market Wedding. Hagler does boxing commentary for British television. Another foray into the entertainment field includes work in the video game Fight Night: Round 3
    Fight Night: Round 3
    Fight Night Round 3 is a boxing video game developed by EA Sports. It is the sequel to EA Sports' previous boxing title, Fight Night Round 2, which was released in 2005. Fight Night Round 3 was released on February 22, 2006 for the Xbox, Xbox 360, PlayStation Portable and PlayStation 2...

    .

    Personal life

    Former middleweight southpaw boxer Robbie Sims
    Robbie Sims
    Robbie Sims was a former middleweight boxer out of Brockton, Massachusetts. A southpaw born November 5, 1959, he rose to prominence as a middleweight contender after defeating Roberto Durán in a split decision on 6/23/86. Sims lost to Sumbu Kalambay in a shot for the WBA title in 1988.Sims was...

     is Hagler's half brother. Hagler has five children with his first wife, Bertha, including Charelle, Celeste, James, Marvin, Jr., and Gentry. Although he owns a home in Bartlett, New Hampshire
    Bartlett, New Hampshire
    Bartlett is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 2,788 at the 2010 census. Bartlett includes the villages of Glen, Lower Bartlett and Intervale. It is set in the White Mountains, surrounded by the White Mountain National Forest...

    , Hagler currently lives in Milan
    Milan
    Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

    . On May 2000, he married his second wife Kay, an Italian woman, in Pioltello
    Pioltello
    Pioltello is a comune in the Province of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 14 km northeast of Milan. As of 31 December 2004, it had a population of 32,337 and an area of 13.1 km²....

    , Italy.

    Professional boxing record

    | style="text-align:center;" colspan="8"|62 Wins (52 Knockouts), 3 Defeats, 2 Draws
    |- style="text-align:center; background:#e3e3e3;"
    | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Res.
    | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Record
    | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Opponent
    | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Type
    | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Rd., Time
    | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Date
    | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Location
    | style="border-style:none none solid solid; "|Notes
    |- align=center
    |- align=center
    |Loss
    |62-3-2
    |align=left| United States Sugar Ray Leonard
    Sugar Ray Leonard
    Sugar Ray Leonard is an American retired professional boxer and occasional actor. He was named Ray Charles Leonard, after his mother's favorite singer, Ray Charles...


    |
    |
    |
    |align=left|
    |align=left|
    |- align=center
    |Win
    |62-2-2
    |align=left| Uganda John Mugabi
    John Mugabi
    John "The Beast" Mugabi is a former boxer and world Jr. Middleweight champion. A world traveller, Mugabi was a part of an early 1980s Jr...


    |
    |
    |
    |align=left|
    |align=left|
    |- align=center
    |Win
    |61-2-2
    |align=left| United States Thomas Hearns
    Thomas Hearns
    Thomas "Hitman" Hearns is a retired American boxer. Nicknamed the "Motor City Cobra" and more famously "The Hitman", Hearns became the first boxer in history to win world titles in four divisions. He would also become the first fighter in history to win five world titles in five different divisions...


    |
    |
    |
    |align=left|
    |align=left|
    |- align=center
    |Win
    |60-2-2
    |align=left| Syria Mustafa Hamsho
    Mustafa Hamsho
    Mustafa Hamsho , born in 10 October 1953 in Latakia, Syria, was a Assyrian/Syriac boxer who never won a world title, but fought some big names in his career. Though he was not a winner in all of those fights, he did some things to make every one of his fights interesting and controversial in some...


    |
    |
    |
    |align=left|
    |align=left|
    |- align=center
    |Win
    |59-2-2
    |align=left| Argentina Juan Roldán
    Juan Roldán
    Juan Domingo Roldán is an Argentine former boxer whose nickname was Martillo . Roldán was very famous across Latin America during the 1980s, many articles about him appearing on Ring En Español magazine....


    |
    |
    |
    |align=left|
    |align=left|
    |- align=center
    |Win
    |58-2-2
    |align=left| Panama Roberto Durán
    Roberto Durán
    Roberto Durán Samaniego is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all time. A versatile brawler in the ring, he was nicknamed "Manos de Piedra" during his career....


    |
    |
    |
    |align=left|
    |align=left|
    |- align=center
    |Win
    |57-2-2
    |align=left| United States Wilford Scypion
    Wilford Scypion
    -Pro career:In February 1983, Scypion beat Frank Fletcher by a twelve round decision to take the USBA's regional Middleweight title. This victory guaranteed him a world championship try, against Marvin Hagler. The two competitors met on May 27, in a fight televised by HBO Boxing, which was...


    |
    |
    |
    |align=left|
    |align=left|
    |- align=center
    |Win
    |56-2-2
    |align=left| Tony Sibson
    Tony Sibson
    Tony Sibson is a former professional boxer.Tony Sibson was well known as Britain's best as he was Commonwealth and European champion and world title challenger...


    |
    |
    |
    |align=left|
    |align=left|
    |- align=center
    |Win
    |55-2-2
    |align=left| Venezuela Fulgencio Obelmejias
    Fulgencio Obelmejias
    Fulgencio Obelmejias , sometimes known also as Fully Obel is a Venezuelan former boxer, who was world Super-Middleweight champion.-Biography:Obelmejias was born in San José de Río Chico...


    |
    |
    |
    |align=left|
    |align=left|
    |- align=center
    |Win
    |54-2-2
    |align=left| United States William Lee
    William "Caveman" Lee
    William Lee is a former professional middleweight boxer who fought out of the fabled Kronk Gym in Detroit.-Career:...


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    |Win
    |54-2-2
    |align=left| Syria Mustafa Hamsho
    Mustafa Hamsho
    Mustafa Hamsho , born in 10 October 1953 in Latakia, Syria, was a Assyrian/Syriac boxer who never won a world title, but fought some big names in his career. Though he was not a winner in all of those fights, he did some things to make every one of his fights interesting and controversial in some...


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    |Win
    |53-2-2
    |align=left| Italy Vito Antuofermo
    Vito Antuofermo
    Vito Antuofermo is an Italian-American actor who is also a former world Middleweight boxing champion.-Background:Antuofermo was born in Italy, in the town of Palo del Colle, which is located about 15 km inland from the city of Bari. but his family moved to the United States when he was 17...


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    |Win
    |52-2-2
    |align=left| Venezuela Fulgencio Obelmejias
    Fulgencio Obelmejias
    Fulgencio Obelmejias , sometimes known also as Fully Obel is a Venezuelan former boxer, who was world Super-Middleweight champion.-Biography:Obelmejias was born in San José de Río Chico...


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    |Win
    |51-2-2
    |align=left| Alan Minter
    Alan Minter
    Alan Minter is a former middleweight world champion boxer.-Amateur career:Minter was the 1971 ABA Middleweight Champion. He won the bronze medal at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games...


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    |Win
    |50-2-2
    |align=left| Mexico Marcos Geraldo
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    |Win
    |49-2-2
    |align=left| United States Bobby Watts
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    |Win
    |48-2-2
    |align=left| Algeria Loucif Hamani
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    |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw
    |47-2-2
    |align=left| Italy Vito Antuofermo
    Vito Antuofermo
    Vito Antuofermo is an Italian-American actor who is also a former world Middleweight boxing champion.-Background:Antuofermo was born in Italy, in the town of Palo del Colle, which is located about 15 km inland from the city of Bari. but his family moved to the United States when he was 17...


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    |Win
    |46-2-1
    |align=left| Argentina Norberto Rufino Cabrera
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    |Win
    |45-2-1
    |align=left| United States Jamie Thomas
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    |Win
    |44-2-1
    |align=left| United States Bob Patterson
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    |Win
    |43-2-1
    |align=left| United States Sugar Ray Seales
    Sugar Ray Seales
    "Sugar" Ray Seales, was the only American boxer to win a gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics.-Personal:...


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    |Win
    |42-2-1
    |align=left| United States Willie Warren
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    |Win
    |41-2-1
    |align=left| United States Bennie Briscoe
    Bennie Briscoe
    "Bad" Bennie Briscoe was the quintessential Philadelphia boxer."Bad" Bennie fought from 1962 to 1982, and retired with a career record of 66 wins 24 losses and 5 draws. Briscoe was a top-rated Middleweight contender during the 1970s, unsuccessfully challenging for the World Title on three...


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    |Win
    |40-2-1
    |align=left| Kevin Finnegan
    Kevin Finnegan
    Kevin Finnegan was an English boxer.In his early career when Kevin was still an amateur he was banned for 18 months for climbing into the ring to dispute a loss by his brother...


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    |Win
    |39-2-1
    |align=left| United States Doug Demmings
    Doug Demmings
    Doug Demmings was a middleweight professional boxer from Saint Paul, Minnesota.-Professional boxing career:Demmings' career began in inauspicious fashion with two losses in his first four fights, before he began an unbeaten streak than ran to 19 bouts over three years...


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    |Win
    |38-2-1
    |align=left| Kevin Finnegan
    Kevin Finnegan
    Kevin Finnegan was an English boxer.In his early career when Kevin was still an amateur he was banned for 18 months for climbing into the ring to dispute a loss by his brother...


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    |Win
    |37-2-1
    |align=left| United States Mike Colbert
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    |Win
    |36-2-1
    |align=left| Canada Jim Henry
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    |Win
    |35-2-1
    |align=left| United States Ray Phillips
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    |Win
    |34-2-1
    |align=left| United States Willie Monroe
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    |Win
    |33-2-1
    |align=left| United States Roy Jones
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    |Win
    |32-2-1
    |align=left| Guyana Reggie Ford
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    |Win
    |31-2-1
    |align=left| United States Willie Monroe
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    |Win
    |30-2-1
    |align=left| United States George Davis
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    |Win
    |29-2-1
    |align=left| United States Eugene Hart
    Eugene Hart
    Eugene "Cyclone" Hart was a terrific punching American middleweight boxer who fought from 1969 to 1982. Hart never fought for the title and could not get a victory against the upper echelon fighters he faced. His best showing against a top notch fighter was when he fought "Bad" Bennie Briscoe to...


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    |Win
    |28-2-1
    |align=left| United States DC Walker
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    |Win
    |27-2-1
    |align=left| United States Bob Smith
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    |Loss
    |26-2-1
    |align=left| United States Willie Monroe
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    |Win
    |26-1-1
    |align=left| United States Matt Donovan
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    |Loss
    |25-1-1
    |align=left| United States Bobby Watts
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    |Win
    |25-0-1
    |align=left| United States Johnny Baldwin
    John Baldwin (boxer)
    John Lee Baldwin is an American boxer who competed in the Light Middleweight category. He won an Olympic bronze medal in 1968.-Pro career:...


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    |Win
    |24-0-1
    |align=left| United States Lamont Lovelady
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    |Win
    |23-0-1
    |align=left| United States Jesse Bender
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    |Win
    |22-0-1
    |align=left| United States Jimmy Owens
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    |Win
    |21-0-1
    |align=left| United States Jimmy Owens
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    |Win
    |20-0-1
    |align=left| United States Joey Blair
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    |Win
    |19-0-1
    |align=left| United States Dornell Wigfall
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    |Win
    |18-0-1
    |align=left| United States DC Walker
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    |- align=center
    |style="background:#abcdef;"|Draw
    |17-0-1
    |align=left| United States Sugar Ray Seales
    Sugar Ray Seales
    "Sugar" Ray Seales, was the only American boxer to win a gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics.-Personal:...


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    |Win
    |17-0
    |align=left| United States George Green
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    |Win
    |16-0
    |align=left| United States Morris Jordan
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    |Win
    |15-0
    |align=left| United States Sugar Ray Seales
    Sugar Ray Seales
    "Sugar" Ray Seales, was the only American boxer to win a gold medal in the 1972 Summer Olympics.-Personal:...


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    |Win
    |14-0
    |align=left| United States Peachy Davis
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    |Win
    |13-0
    |align=left| United States Bobby Williams
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    |Win
    |12-0
    |align=left| United States Curtis Phillips
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    |Win
    |11-0
    |align=left| United States James Redford
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    |Win
    |10-0
    |align=left| United States Tracy Morrison
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    |Win
    |9-0
    |align=left| United States Bob Harrington
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    |Win
    |8-0
    |align=left| United States James Redford
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    |Win
    |7-0
    |align=left| United States Manny Freitas
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    |Win
    |6-0
    |align=left| United States Cocoa Kid
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    |Win
    |5-0
    |align=left| United States Cove Green
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    |Win
    |4-0
    |align=left| United States Dornell Wigfall
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    |Win
    |3-0
    |align=left| United States Muhammed Smith
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    |Win
    |2-0
    |align=left| United States Sonny Williams
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    |Win
    |1-0
    |align=left| United States Terry Ryan
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    External links


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    The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
     
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