Marvelous Marvin Hagler once revealed who he considered to be the most durable opponent of his glittering professional career.
The Newark native rose to prominence during the late 1970s, establishing himself as a serious contender at middleweight before he captured the undisputed championship in September of 1980.
Hagler would go on to make no less than 12 successful defences of his crown during his seven year reign, defeating the likes of John Mugabi, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns before he was eventually dethroned by Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987.
Although he went up against some of the greatest fighters to have ever graced the sport, Hagler gave a surprising answer when asked to single out the one opponent that he faced with the best chin.
In a round of ‘Best I Faced’ with The Ring Magazine, Hagler revealed former undisputed middleweight champion Alan Minter as the most durable, paying homage to the toughness of the Brit.
“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.”
The late, great Hagler dethroned Minter of the undisputed middleweight crown when they clashed at the Wembley Arena in London, stopping him in the third round of their clash back in September 1980.
Minter – who passed away in 2020 – would go on to fight on a further three occasions before announcing his retirement from the sport in 1981 after he fell short in his attempt at becoming the European cruiserweight champion. He retired with a record of 39 wins from 49 fights. Despite Hagler’s praise, he was stopped in eight of his nine losses.
