Irish Examiner view: A Truly Marvellous sportsman

Marvin Hagler, 1954-2021

Mon, 15 Mar, 2021 - 08:20

The universal perception of professional boxing has darkened in recent decades. Whether this is because its brutalities, inside and outside the ring, have been relentlessly exposed or whether societies' appetite for such a primal code has faded is an open question. It may well be both. Yet, even in that darkening atmosphere, there can still be some bright inspiring lights.

One of those lights went out yesterday when it was announced that former undisputed world middleweight champion ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler had died unexpectedly at the age of 66. The New Jersey southpaw was only knocked down once during his professional career and defended his middleweight crown 12 times.

It is a coincidence that Hagler died on the eve of Ireland's Edinburgh game with Scotland as he, in 2003, gave what is remembered as one of the great motivational speeches to an Irish rugby panel. A rounded and perceptive figure, he left a legacy far beyond the stage that formed him.

His death poses a question though — would a 16-year-old Hagler take up boxing today?

Marvin Hagler and the Irish rugby connection