The late, great Marvin Hagler gave a shock answer when revealing the most durable opponent that he ever shared a ring with.
‘Marvelous Marvin’ established himself as a dominant force at 160lbs from the early 1980s where he would reign as the undisputed world middleweight champion for seven years between 1980 and 1987.
He made no less than twelve successful defences of his crown during this period, producing legacy-defining victories over the likes of John Mugabi, Roberto Duran and Thomas ‘The Hitman’ Hearns amongst many other world class opponents.
His reign as undisputed middleweight champion was brought to an end in April of 1987 when he suffered a controversial split decision defeat to countryman Sugar Ray Leonard at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
A rematch between the duo had been speculated but did not come to fruition, forcing Hagler to announce his retirement from boxing shortly after with an impressive professional record of 62-3-2.
In a ‘Best I Faced’ feature with The Ring Magazine, Hagler spoke fondly of former rival Alan Minter who he claims had the best chin of all the fighters he crossed paths with during his career.
“Believe it or not, I have to give it to Alan Minter because he was champion and he didn’t want to lose. I hit this guy with a lot of punches and he took a couple on the chin. He took a lot of punishment.”
Hagler defeated Great Britain’s Minter at the Wembley Arena in London back in September of 1980 to capture the undisputed middleweight championship, signalling the start of his dominance at 160lbs.
