On September 27, 1980, Marvin Hagler, known as “Marvelous,” became the world middleweight champion by defeating English holder Alan Minter in three rounds in front of the hostile crowd at Wembley. There are boxers for whom a red carpet is rolled out as soon as they turn professional: the carpet leads, through a gradual and relatively smooth path, to the coveted world championship opportunity and is the result of careful management. Then there are others who have to fight tooth and nail for their shot at the world stage, facing tough opponents, formidable away trips, controversial decisions, and unexplained postponements. Marvin Hagler undoubtedly belonged to the latter group. Everything he achieved in his career was thanks to his perseverance and determination, facing obstacles that would have discouraged countless other boxers.
Marvelous turned professional in 1973 after a respectable amateur career, during which, according to some specialized magazines, he scored 52 victories, including 43 inside the distance, with only 2 defeats. Right from the start, he fought with a frightening frequency (11 fights in 1974 alone). At the time, Hagler was already an extremely aggressive and dangerous boxer, but he had not yet implemented the technical and tactical improvements that would later make him one of the most complete boxers in the world: if his ferocity was contained, he struggled to develop alternative strategies. Thus, former Olympic champion Sugar Ray Seales, after experiencing Hagler’s power for the first time in August ’74, emerged with a draw three months later with cunning and skill, despite ending the match noticeably marked. In addition to the difficulties posed by the elusive tactics of certain opponents, Marvin had to deal with problems related to the judging: thus, in January ’76, he suffered his first defeat, a genuine robbery by the judges who awarded Bobby Watts the victory in his hometown of Philadelphia in an inexplicable manner, as reported by the headlines of the time. However, the boxer who best helps us track the tremendous improvements that Marvin Hagler managed to achieve through daily and constant training is Willie Monroe. Monroe defeated Hagler quite decisively in ’76, causing him to bleed profusely from his nose for a significant portion of the fight and fully deserving the final verdict. Just a year later, in the rematch, the tables turned: this time the fight was much more balanced, and in the twelfth and final round, Hagler landed a magnificent combination consisting of a right uppercut and a left straight that knocked Monroe out instantly. Another six months later, Hagler’s maturation process was almost complete: in the third and final showdown between the two boxers, Monroe was knocked out in just two rounds, during which Marvelous gave a glimpse of the masterful stance switches that would make him famous later on. Marvin Hagler’s exponential growth, further certified by the two “vendettas” against Sugar Ray Seales and Bobby Watts, easily swept aside in ’79 and ’80, was partly tarnished, between the two aforementioned fights, during his first world title opportunity, once again in a very controversial manner. In a match well-known to Italian fans, Hagler was indeed cheated by an incredible draw verdict that left the WBA and WBC belts to our compatriot Vito Antuofermo, despite the overwhelming majority of insiders seeing a clear victory for Hagler.
This brings us to the historic fights we want to talk about today. Alan Minter, then barely twenty-nine years old, was about to defend his world title against Hagler for the second time, having won it from Antuofermo, who had been defeated twice by the Englishman, first in the United States due to a disputed Split Decision and then in England, this time due to retirement caused by numerous facial injuries. Like Hagler, Minter had to face multiple difficulties to reach the top. In his case, however, the main obstacle to his dreams of glory was his congenital predisposition to cuts with extreme ease, a weak point that accounted for 7 of the 9 losses he suffered in his career. Nevertheless, the southpaw from the historic county of Sussex did not give up, and when he was about to face challenger Marvin Hagler in the fiery atmosphere of Wembley, he came off 10 consecutive victories, including the tragic win over our Angelo Jacopucci, who died three days after the fight due to the injuries sustained, and the victory over the extremely powerful French-Tunisian puncher Gratien Tonna. The fight between Hagler and Minter, already highly anticipated, was further loaded with meaning by the skirmishes before the fight. At the beginning of September, Alan Minter had declared to journalists that he would never allow a black man to take his title and accused his rival of refusing to shake his hand when the two were introduced in Las Vegas. Former European middleweight champion Kevin Finnegan supported Minter, claiming to have been a victim of the same treatment by Hagler, who allegedly accompanied the refusal with the words “I don’t touch white skin.” Later, both boxers tried to downplay the racist implications of their behavior: Minter claimed to have said “That black man” referring exclusively to Hagler, while Marvelous said that he never shook hands with boxers he might face in the ring in the future, regardless of the color of their skin. However, the ingredients for an explosive confrontation were already on the table.
Minter, spurred on by the encouragement of the twelve thousand spectators present, tried to gain control of the ring early on and make his way with his right jab, but Hagler, relaxed and supremely confident, immediately demonstrated superior class by skillfully moving his torso and frequently countering his opponent. However, the champion managed to raise the pace in the final part of the first round, landing some good blows. After a brief calm period at the beginning of the second round, Minter decided to heat up the contest by challenging his opponent on his favorite ground and engaging in some furious exchanges in the center of the ring, but the decision proved to be very unfortunate: the challenger seized the opportunity and with his violent punches opened the first noticeable cuts on the champion’s face. Once again, Minter closed the round on the attack, showing great fighting spirit, but the path of the fight was already marked. A more and more comfortable Hagler leaped to the center of the ring right from the opening of the third round, dodging and hitting at will with unheard-of brutality, and quickly reducing the champion’s face to a mask of blood. The contest was stopped around the middle of the round. Minter’s corner did not protest the well-deserved stoppage (the boxer would receive a whopping 15 stitches to close four different cuts caused by the onslaught of the Marvelous), but the crowd reacted furiously: objects of all kinds rained down on the ring, including cans and beer bottles, and the police had to swiftly escort Hagler and his staff out of the venue to save them from the crowd’s wrath. Later, the British federation conducted an investigation into the events, and the UK Sports Minister called what happened a disgrace. British promoter Mickey Duff apologized to Hagler on behalf of every boxing fan in the country.
The ruinous defeat marked the beginning of Alan Minter’s decline, who would retire after three more fights, two of which were lost. The reign of Marvelous Marvin Hagler, on the other hand, had finally begun.