The late, great Marvelous Marvin Hagler once named the best opponent of his accomplished professional boxing career, paying homage to one of his best ever rivals.
Hagler played a key role in one of the sports greatest ever eras during the 1980s where he reigned as the undisputed middleweight champion between 1980 and 1987.
He made no less than 12 successful defences of his crown during this period, producing legacy-defining wins over the likes of Thomas Hearns, John Mugabi and Roberto Duran along the way.
At the height of his tenure, Hagler became a member of boxing’s ‘Four Kings’ alongside former rivals Duran, Hearns and Sugar Ray Leonard, facing each of this legendary trio on at least one occasion before his retirement.
Hagler’s reign as middleweight champion came to a controversial end in 1987 when he suffered a split decision defeat to Leonard in what would prove to be the 67th and final bout of his decorated career.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, Hagler spoke fondly of Panamanian great Duran as he claims ‘Hands of Stone’ was the greatest opponent of his career.
“He caught me for three rounds at the start of the fight, which I didn’t understand. I would still say Roberto Duran [is the most skillful]. I loved that fight the most because between the both of us it brought out our skill. I would say Roberto Duran was [the best overall]. He was very experienced.”
Similar to Hagler, Duran is often credited with being one of the greatest fighters of all time. The Panamanian icon’s career stretched across an outstanding five decades between 1968 and 2001.
He became a world champion in five weight classes during this period and would get the better of a number of legendary fighters such as Iran Barkley, Carlos Palomino and Sugar Ray Leonard before hanging up his gloves.
