‘Marvelous’, Marvin Hagler, the biggest weight of the box in the mid-eighties, died ‘unexpectedly’ at home in New Hampshire, his wife Kay Hagler said on social media on Saturday. He was 66.
“Today, my beloved husband, Marvelous Marvin, sadly passed away at his home here in New Hampshire,” Kay Hagler said on her husband’s Facebook fan page.
The cause of death was not disclosed. His official website was dedicated to his memory on Saturday.
The budding fighter, who was born in 1954 in Newark, New Jersey and raised outside of Boston, got his first shot at the middleweight title in 1979, but was unsuccessful.
In 1980, he knocked out champion Alan Minter for the title he would retain in 1987. He has successfully defended it 12 times, including against Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns. His war in three rounds with Hearns in 1985 was named the fight of the year by The Ring magazine.
In 1987, he faced Sugar Ray Leonard and lost a split decision. When Leonard would not give a second chance, he retired, according to the International Boxing Hall of Fame, inaugurated by Hagler in 1993.
According to Hagler’s official website, he had 62 wins, three defeats and two draws when his career ended. He scored 52 knockouts.
“Marvelous Marvin Hagler was one of the greatest athletes that Top Rank has ever promoted,” said Bob Arum, chairman of boxing promoter Top Rank, in a statement. “He was a man of honor and a man of his word, and he acted with unparalleled determination in the ring. He was a true athlete and a true man. I will miss him very much.”
Shamar Walters contributed.