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If the shoe was on the other foot, I’d have gave him a rematch because it shows the mark of a champion.” Duran: I would say Roberto Duran was very experienced, plus he was a three-time world champion when I fought him. I gave him the opportunity to win a fourth, which didn’t happen (laughs).
BN’S Harry Mullan described the victory in his ringside report as such: “Hagler’s performance was quite flawless: Sibson was the No. 1 contender, and the emphatic manner of his defeat emphasised the gulf that exists between the champion and the rest of the world.” Hagler was joined by Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran in creating a decade of memories, with no need to listen to ballads about the best never fighting the best. Unbeaten Irish-American John Collins, 29-0, 26 KOs, had built a following among the South Side Irish in his native Chicago. A willowy, six-foot-plus banger, he’d scored a brace of solid wins on NBC, over willing duo Lenny LaPaglia and Kenny Whetstone. Still too green at twenty-three to challenge Hagler, the aim was to leapfrog off Sibson into the top ten. Matthew Hilton vs Buster Drayton: Jim Lampley said it best during commentary: “You will seldom see a more spectacular demonstration of sheer courage and competitiveness on the part of two boxers.” Matthew Hilton’s gruelling victory over veteran Buster Drayton is how all world titles should be won, with maximum effort expended against a redoubtable foe who just keeps coming. All of them (laughs): Because when they stepped in the ring with me, they already knew the deal: It was going to be a tough fight. They had to use their skills, their brain, their physical and mental attitude against me because I was very unorthodox. I could fight on the left-hand side and right-hand side. So they had to probably train harder to adapt to my style. But every fighter I fought, I never fought the same way. Each fight I had I was always in better condition than I was before.Marlon Starling vs Mark Breland I: Marlon Starling’s come-from-behind win over welterweight champ and Olympic gold medalist Mark Breland was memorable for all the right reasons. Two excellent fighters in their prime did battle that night, and despite boxing intelligently for eleven rounds, Breland was unable to stop Starling’s brutal final onslaught. MULLAN went on to describe how “Hagler confused him with switch-hitting from southpaw to orthodox, cut him up with hurtful, stinging series of jabs, and went in punching to finish the job in the sixth. It was cold, ruthless, perfection, and it made nonsense of Sibson’s pre-fight boasts.” Tony Sibson: “When I caught him, he never wobbled or anything. I didn’t land my best shots against Hagler.”
Hagler wishes he could’ve faced fellow legend Carlos Monzon. The great Argentine retired in 1977, when Hagler was becoming a contender. As he was wont to do, Hagler changed stances in the first half of the fourth round in rapid fashion and random patterns so that the difference was nearly undetectable but served to further confuse Sibson’s footing and timing. Another distraction presented itself to the challenger within those same three minutes, as Tony began pawing at his nose which was now bleeding profusely from the blunt force trauma of Hagler’s right jab. Retiring from professional boxing in 1993, Tony Sibson left a legacy that will forever be remembered in British boxing history. His electrifying performances and warrior spirit continue to inspire young fighters to this day. Hagler found his groove after a slow start but it wasn’t enough to prevent Leonard from winning a split decision, which Hagler still disputes today.
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We could wish for the fantasy fights: would Hagler have beaten Sugar Ray Robinson in the 50s, Carlos Monzon in the 70s or Canelo Alvarez today? Every time Marvin was in England I would get a phone call from him saying: “Come and see me Tone, let’s meet up”. I always did, and he was always such great company. HAGLER would go on to destroy the challenger over six one-sided rounds before referee Carlos Padilla waved the contest off after Sibson’s second visit to the canvas in the round. Over the years, Sibson continued to prove himself as a formidable opponent, facing some of the best middleweights of his era. His punching power and ability to withstand punishment made him a fan-favorite and a tough challenge for anyone stepping into the ring with him.
Furthermore, Sulaiman relented to a regulation on the books kept by the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission which allowed for the referee, Carlos Padilla in this case, to score the fight in addition to two assigned judges. Tony Perez and Marcello Bertini would preside over the Centrum’s main event from ringside. As it would turn out, the point tallies and additional rounds were rendered meaningless by Marvin Hagler’s fists.
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I watched the fight overnight at the Royal Festival Hall in London, a special experience in the pre-satellite/cable-TV days in the UK and an indication of the magnitude of the event. In his 1980 autobiography, Minter stated: “I will be haunted forever by the memory of that terrible experience.” Livingstone Bramble vs Ray Mancini II : Mancini was the same perpetual motion machine, but as in their first fight, Bramble made his punches count, exploiting openings and inflicting cuts. In short, he had his man’s number; “Boom Boom’s” face was a mask of red as early as the fifth, and after a closely-fought contest, Bramble took a well-earned decision. The switch-hitting southpaw Hagler, on the other hand, was quite literally lean and mean. His shaved head and goatee only served to accentuate Marvin’s scary intensity, and his slender body was a sculpted masterpiece of angled, rigid muscle. “When I’m not fighting, I try to be a good human being,” Hagler assured the public. “Instead of the terrible monster you see in the ring.” I KNOW now what I’ve got to do to become champion of the world,” Sibson told the morning-after press conference with wry humour: “I’ve got to improve.”
The time had come; I’d had enough,” Minter said. “I won British title, European and world, lost the world title to Hagler. There was nothing else to do and, when they made the Sibson fight, I didn’t really want to fight Sibson because my career, as far as I was concerned was finished, I’d had enough. My team said, ‘Fight Sibson and we’ll get another world title,’ but I’d already done it.”
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The Hearns fight is remembered as one of the greatest of all time, as the principals exchanged murderous punches at a frenetic pace from the opening bell. Hagler sustained a deep cut to his forehead but continued to press Hearns until finally hammering his adversary to the canvas at 1:52 of the third round. Hagler: “Hagler had a good defense. Whether he was boxing orthodox or southpaw, the shots he would throw were phenomenal. He rolled and moved away from…he was very difficult to get a hold of, very slippery.” I have to start giving myself credit, ‘cos I beat a helluva fighter here today,” Hagler said to Larry Merchant. “I think Monzon was the last great middleweight champion and when I’m done with this game, I would like to go down in history in the same way.” He thought he was robbed in his own country, so I gave him a return and stopped him in eight rounds in London.”
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