During his historic run as middleweight champion, Marvin Hagler was nothing short of impervious.
Once boasting the record for the most successful defenses of his middleweight crowns, the late Marvin Hagler managed to keep hold of his belts on a staggering 13 separate title defenses.
And taking on some massive foes during his time in the ring, Hagler of course shared the ring with his trio of Four Kings stablemates, Sugar Ray Leonard, as well as Thomas Hearns — whom he flattened in a brutal win, as well as the iconic Roberto Duran.
However, against the latter of those foes, Hagler would emerge with a victory nonetheless, but the Panama star holds a quite notable bragging right over the Brockton superstar.
Marvin Hagler saw huge KO record stopped by Roberto Duran
On this day in 1983, Hagler began his assault against his fellow Four Kings members, beginning with a defense of the WBA, WBC, IBF, and The Ring middleweight titles in Las Vegas.
And finding himself down on judges’ scorecards in the thirteenth round against a spirited Duran, Hagler would pour on the pressure and activity to steal the fight with a penultimate and final frame victory.
Landing a unanimous decision win (146-144, 144-143, 142-141), Hagler had stopped each of his last eight foes with knockouts as champion.
And after his win over Duran, the Hall of Fame icon would finish the next four challengers to his throne with knockouts, before his dubious loss to the above-mentioned Leonard.
Taking a morale win over Hagler, however, Duran became the first and last victim of Hagler to take him the distance during the East Coast star’s incredible reign at 168lbs.
Marvin Hagler brutally beat rival after numerous illegal blows
One fight removed from his win over Duran, Hagler would share the ring with a familiar foe whom he had already battered into an eleventh-round knockout win.
However, needing just three rounds to dispatch Mustafa Hamsho, Hagler poured on the offense against the Syrian, who had thrown a total of four intentional headbutts in the defending champion’s direction during their rematch.
Over the next two years, Hagler would finish Hearns in the best three-round fight in boxing history, before slaying John Mugabi in yet another heralded performance.