Originally published at: On This Day: Hagler vs Hearns – The War That Lasted Eight Minutes but Lives Forever (1985) – Boxing News
On April 15, 1985, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns delivered three of the most explosive rounds in boxing history, a brutal shootout remembered simply as “The War.”
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The best and most exciting 3 rounds I have ever seen.
Two of the greatest boxers in history and they became immortal because of this contest.
Legend has it that Tommy had his legs massaged and did not feel strong walking into the ring. His trainer Manny knew what was wrong and changed the tactics from boxing Hagler to all out attack.
Hearns injured his right hand in the first round hitting the hard head of Marvin.
Marvoulous was cut and they could have stopped it but he fortunately knocked the Hit Man out.
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My only regret about this fight was that I was not watching live. I assume it was shown in UK. No idea.
Was a bit too young and not really into boxing at the time - other than Frank Bruno of course
Two superstars in their prime going all out. Just wow. That first round still takes my breath away every time I watch it - couple of times a year at least.
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Yep - Tommy had some buddies who were street guys, nothing to do with boxing and one of them decided to massage his legs beforehand …. So his body started to warm down.
Also, where is the blue font!
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Awesome look back. Absolute havoc and chaos over 3 all-time generational rounds. Been guilty of overlooking how hurt Hearns had Hagler early on. Hagler sponged it and bloody like strictly business. Also didn’t realize until first coming on here that it was initially postponed and then floated for a couple years. Tremendous display of boxing at its very highest peak.
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It was an incredible fight, and interestingly despite being dispatched in the third round, Hearns’ reputation has not suffered all that much from the loss
Hearns had been so good at 154, with something like 7 or 8 wins post-Leonard, you have to wonder if fights like this can happen today.
Commercially will guys make the same jump when they are in such lucrative positions, and if they do, surely they wouldn’t show the same aggression / wreckless abandon with which Hearn approached the first round?
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I wonder the same thing re fights like that happening again
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The best fighting the best at their absolute peaks. W-L records be damned. Throwing caution to the wind. Boxing at its absolute finest.
Damn… I miss those days.
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Rose tinted glasses can mean people forget that Hagler was chasing Leonard for years and it was only made when Sugar Ray saw Marvin slowing down.
We never saw Bowe v Lennox and even when Lennox did face Tyson it was a shell of Iron Mike.
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For once some good points Master. Well done. Keep it up
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IMO, Hagler fought the worst fight of his life against Sugar Ray. As much as I rate Sugar Ray, the Hagler that KO’ed Hearns would’ve made mincemeat out of Sugar Ray.
I remember being mad at an acquaintance who had said before the fight that it was gonna be “fixed” so that Sugar Ray would win. I told him he was crazy… then watched in disbelief as SRL won the fight.
My friend obviously gloated a whole bunch but I didn’t want to go there. It would’ve ruined boxing for me at that early age.
But the fact remains that for some CONFOUNDING reason… Hagler used the worst strategy in the world to fight Leonard. So if he lost the decision, he’s got no one to blame but himself.
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yeah ray was out of the ring for nearly three years & his last fight was at 149 coming into the marvin fight, the fact that it was approved for a title shot shows the circus has always been the same
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Hagler gave the early rounds away trying to outbox Leonard in an orthodox stance. When he went back to what he does best to win the latter rounds it was too late.
The showboating from Ray, incompetent judge and people wanting to see the underdog win meant Marvin was going to lose.
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Amazing that Hagler would do something like that, isn’t it??
I mean, we’re talking about a warrior who had just been through Durán, Roldan, Hearns, Mugabi…
Then he suddenly decides he’s going to try to (cough) “outbox” one of the greatest pure boxers in history?!?!?
C’mon!!!
I’m telling you… it took me some time to shrug off my friend’s claim of the fight being fixed.
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