The War

April 15^th 1985

The War

‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler v Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns

 

Caesars Palace, Las Vegas

"When a man goes into the ring, he's going to war." Marvin Hagler

This incredible fight was the earliest sporting memory I have; how much of it has been coloured by rewatching the worn out VHS tape over the years I can’t tell, but I distinctly remember Dad letting me stay up late to watch it & eating Easter eggs. Having checked, this is slightly confusing as Easter was the week before so I can only guess there must have been a good haul that year & they lasted several weeks….

Also wondering why the fight was on a Monday night. Seems a strange choice but the demand to see the fight was so huge it could have been put on at 6am on a Tuesday morning & millions would still have been tuning in

Hagler vs Hearns was a genuine 50/50 fight; it was for the undisputed World Middleweight title (oh the happy days before alphabet titles,  interim champions, champion in emeritus, “Super” champions, Diamond belts….) Hagler had been champion since 1980, reaching the top after a hard struggle; no golden boy treatment, he learnt the trade the hard way, came back from early career defeats & had to win the title on foreign soil; in London against Alan Minter in a cauldron of racial hatred, leading to shameful scenes afterwards. Hearns, already a two weight world champion & the Ring Magazine’s fighter of 1984, was moving up to middleweight for the first time. He had recently destroyed fellow legend Roberto Duran who had pushed Hagler close for the full 15 rounds in their meeting

  

Never has a fight lived up to its marketing more accurately; the War. Hagler tended to be a slow starter, warming into contests before breaking opponents down late on, but on this occasion, perhaps to confuse Hearns or due to the occasion, he launched a full assault from the opening bell. In the Hitman he found an opponent more than willing to engage & the first round has gone down in history as arguably the greatest round of all time. There was no feeling out process, no caution, they just went straight for full power shots; both were hurt, Hearns broke his hand, but there was no pause in the action. Even watching it today & knowing the outcome, it remains breathtaking

Watch here

The second round saw Hearns try to adapt his game plan due to his injury & turn to boxing rather than fighting but it was too late to change the tone of the fight, they were both in too deep. The third saw a cut open up on the forehead of Hagler  & the blood flooding down his face led to a break as the doctor was called to inspect the wound – it was allowed to continue but was already impacting on his vision & with the likelihood of the fight being called off Hagler went for the finish; with more than a passing resemblance to a lion stalking its prey he drove Hearns onto the ropes, a right hook caused the Hitman’s legs to betray him & he fell to the canvas. Bravely Tommy beat the count but was obviously in no condition to continue and referee Richard Steele ended the contest.  

It’s easy to see why it had such a strong impact on a young mind; it was all down to one man, ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler. As I’ve grown older I’ve learnt to appreciate Hearns for the incredible fighter he was, the Hitman is one of the all time greats & was technically a far superior boxer than Hagler; but to a six year old it was all about Hagler. Just the way he appeared was enough; gleaming bald head & black goatee, muscles bulging all over his compact frame, the blood streaming down his face, a ferocious look of hate & menace etched onto his features…he was terrifying and simply undeniably cool.

The first sporting event I remember and 26 years later, still the greatest