Professional boxing in the 21st century has fallen into a worn state of disrepair, and this is something that still makes me sad. Persistent instances of corruption, rumors of fixed fights and dishonest promoters getting rich while fighters sometimes work as slaves have taken what was once one of the most closely followed and popular sports in the world and transformed it into shady, tabloid entertainment. Of course, it wasn’t always like this.
As a young man I was an avid fan, watching televised events, going to live bouts and subscribing to Ring Magazine. I even went so far as to take up boxing during my term in the military. That turned out to be a rather short career, as I quickly discovered that getting punched repeatedly in the face by large, muscular men ranked well below golf, reading and stamp collecting on my list of favored hobbies. But I still loved the sport, and on April 15, 1985 I witnessed what was likely one of the great moments in the history of pugilism.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler was once famously described by Howard Cosell as “a man so fierce that hair fears to grow on his head.” He was a middleweight fighter who fought his way through a lot of up-and-comers in the late 70s before finally capturing the title on September 27, 1980. Even then, questions had surrounded his career with some questionable decisions called on a few of his victories and claims from his detractors that he had avoided challenges from tough fighters. Advancing in age (for professional boxers, anyway) Hagler might have gone on to retire as one more on a list of former champions had it not been for a fateful meeting on Tax Day of 1985.
Tommy Hearns, a.k.a. “The Hit Man,” was the world Junior Middleweight Champion and had chewed through pretty much every fighter who came against him. However, that particular class held a lot less talent, media attention and money than the Middleweight division. He put on some weight and set out to capture the belt in the next higher class. This, of course, set him on a collision course with Hagler which resulted in the fight referenced above. While many heavyweight classics took on colorful descriptions such as “The Thriller in Manilla”, this meeting would later come to be known simply as The War.
Unlike other classics in fiction which drag on ten, twelve or even fifteen rounds, the Hagler-Hearns battle lasted only three, but it went down in history as one of the most incredible three rounds ever seen. There wasn’t much in the way of what we think of as classic “boxing” in the usual sense. There was no dancing around, jabbing from a distance or “rope-a-dope” strategy. In fact, there was very little of anything you could describe as defense in any sense of the word. The two men crossed the ring, met in the middle, and commenced one of the most brutal beatdowns on each other ever seen. They both absorbed unbelievable amounts of punishment with gashes opening up on both of their heads, eyes swelling shut and ribs breaking. By the next day, both men were in the hospital but Hagler had somehow outlasted The Hit Man and held on to his title in what would be recorded as one of the greatest fights of all time.
They were to meet again, but nothing quite matched up to that first fight. Later, Hagler would retire and move to Italy where he starred in a number of Western films, but he never forgot that historic meeting. Now, thanks to the wonder of YouTube, you can watch the greatest eight minutes in boxing right here. Those days may be gone, but we still have our memories.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dviNeE-j3kI