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The fight between Marvin Hagler (left) and Thomas Hearns holds a special place in boxing history - Getty Images/Leo Mason
It has been said over and again down the years that fights have the potential to be another ‘Hagler-Hearns’. This frequent nod to the eight-minute war of unrelenting ferocity between Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns on April 15, 1985, hints at its special place within the sport.
A battle for the ages pitted undisputed world middleweight champion Hagler against challenger Hearns, who was himself the world junior middleweight champ.
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‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler (left) was the undisputed world middleweight champion going into the fight - Getty Images/The Ring Magazine
The contest lasted only three rounds but is considered to be among the finest, most exciting boxing matches in history due to its constant action, drama and back-and-forth exchanges.
The two men never relented and Hagler won by knockout. Ring Magazine dubbed the fight “the most electrifying eight minutes ever”, and it has been the barometer of every thrilling fight since.
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How the Telegraph reported the fight
How the fight unfolded
Hagler-Hearns took place 40 years ago at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, on a Monday, remarkably, and was broadcast on ITV in the UK and on HBO in the USA.
When the two warriors met, it was for the WBC, WBA and IBF middleweight titles. Hagler, 30, had lost only twice, both much earlier in his career, while Hearns was 26 years old and had been beaten just once, stopped in the 14th round by ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard.
This was an era dominated by four great champions, and future Hall of Famers, with Roberto Durán, Hagler, ‘Hitman’ Hearns and Leonard collectively known as the ‘Four Kings’.
They formed a fierce rivalry in one of the greatest periods in the history of the sport as, across the 1980s, the four fighters collided with each other nine times. And the most dramatic shoot-out of them all was Hagler-Hearns. The first round, in particular, has often been described as the greatest of all time.
“Greatest first round in the history of boxing at any weight. Hearns hits him with the best right hand he ever threw, wobbles him, opens a cut on his forehead. But two rounds later Marvin fights off the blood and knocks him out. Seventy years covering boxing and I never saw anything like it,” says writer Jerry Izenberg, who was ringside for The Star-Ledger.
Marc Ratner, the Nevada State Athletic Commission Inspector for the fight, recalls the ferociousness of the high-octane action. “What I remember about this war was there was no feeling out, they just came out slugging from the opening bell. It was so loud outside at Caesars Palace, the most iconic venue, that made this fight even more special. I wish more fights were outside. I also thought that referee Richard Steele did a great job and just let them fight...”
Promoter Bob Arum, who made the fight and was ringside, believes only one clash in history has come close to matching it. “It seems like yesterday,” Arum recalls. “I remember I was sitting next to Joan Rivers and she looked at me in the first round and said: ‘Bob, are all these fights like this?’ I said: ‘No, Joan, you’re watching something special’.
“I wouldn’t say the Hagler-Hearns negotiations were easy but they weren’t the marathon that Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao a few years ago was. Times have changed.
“The only thing that’s comparable to Hagler-Hearns, which was a fight to the death, was the one between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier in Manila, although that went 14 rounds. Ali starts out giving Frazier a boxing lesson, Frazier comes on the middle rounds and thinks he’s going to stop a fading Ali. Ali rallies and Frazier can’t get out of the corner for the 15th because he can’t see. His eyes are both closed. We are talking about brutal, brutal fights.”
My Hagler memories
Hagler died in 2021 aged 66 but Hearns, who appears at big events from time to time, is still around and recently put out a social media post on the passing of George Foreman.
Back in 2007, I spent two days in Morocco with Hagler and his wife, Kay, on a charity project, writing a piece for Telegraph Sport, and he was just brilliant to be around.
We were joined by double Olympic champion Daley Thompson on a visit to a project run by Nawal El Moutawakel, the first Muslim, Arab, African woman to win a gold medal. On a dusty roadside village 20 miles outside Casablanca, the programme promoted sports among teenage girls living in rural locations.
There was a basketball match against the girls, who played quickly and aggressively. Hagler and Thompson joined the players on court. It got rough. When Hagler took a break on the sidelines, he showed the scratches on his muscular forearms.
“Look at my arms,” he said grinning. “Those girls mauled me like tigers out there. They are fantastic. So committed. No man ever did that to me.”
Not even Hearns? “Those were the days,” he responded, eyes becoming wide and more alive than ever.
My three greatest fights of all time... after Hagler-Hearns
Erik Morales vs Marco Antonio Barrera I, 2000
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Erik Morales (left) was declared the winner by split decision - Reuters/Steve Marcus
The first bout between the two Mexican legends took place on February 19, 2000 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. Morales was declared the winner by split decision, with scores of 115-112, 114-113 and 113-114, and captured the WBO super bantamweight title. It was hugely controversial, with Morales down in the 12th round. Many believed that Barrera deserved the decision. But the real winners in the fight were the fans, who were treated to a 12-round war. It was Ring Magazine’s Fight of the Year for 2000, and was also named as the best fight of all time in the same year.
Chris Eubank vs Nigel Benn I, 1990.
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Chris Eubank (right) stopped Nigel Benn in the ninth round - Getty Images/Bob Thomas
Lit by a deep mutual dislike, the battle between Benn, the Dark Destroyer of Bajan heritage, and Eubank, of Jamaican lineage, was a throwback war, a clash of chemistry. Eubank stopped Benn in the ninth round but not before they indulged in the kind of war reserved only for bitter enemies. Every punch was thrown with evil intent. In the fourth round, Eubank took a ferocious right uppercut to the chin when breaking from a clinch. The blow caused him to bite his tongue, leaving a severe gash which led to copious amounts of blood being swallowed. Eubank was down in the ninth before ending Benn’s night by referee stoppage. Richard Steele said it was “the most dramatic fight” he had ever refereed. Still considered a classic to this day.
Muhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier III, 1975
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Ring Magazine declared Muhammad Ali vs. Joe Frazier III ‘Fight of the Year’ - AP/Mitsunori Chigita
The trilogy between Ali and Frazier, for the heavyweight championship of the world, produced one of the most exciting, brutal battles in boxing history. Ring Magazine declared it ‘Fight of the Year’. The rivals drew every last scintilla of effort from their drained bodies, in a war which lasted 14 rounds. Eddie Futch pulled the exhausted Frazier out of the contest before the start of the final, 15th round. Ali later described his experience in that contest as “near to death”.
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