Marvin Hagler

CTL-E-7090 · Person · other · 1954–2021

VERIFIED evidence grade — build store (JSON graph)

Combined Graph record U-07962 · provenance: build store (JSON graph), record CTL-E-7090.

Marvin Hagler was born May 23, 1954, and fought for years against the toughest middleweights available, often in their hometowns, before receiving a title shot, the International Boxing Hall of Fame records. His first challenge, against champion Vito Antuofermo in 1979, ended in a draw; in 1980 he knocked out champion Alan Minter to win the middleweight title. On April 2, 1982, BoxRec records, he legally changed his name from Marvin Nathaniel Hagler to Marvelous Marvin Hagler. He made twelve successful title defenses, the Hall records, including wins over Antuofermo, Roberto Duran, John Mugabi and Thomas Hearns, whose three-round 1985 fight the Hall calls one of the best of all time. His last fight, on April 6, 1987, is carried as the dispute it remains: Sugar Ray Leonard, returning from retirement, won the WBC middleweight title on a twelve-round split decision — two judges for Leonard, one for Hagler, with one Leonard card of 118–110 widely criticized, per BoxRec's bout record — while Hagler maintained the decision was wrong and, the Hall records, retired after Leonard would not give him a rematch. The official result stands as Leonard's win; the objection stands beside it. The Hall gives Hagler's totals as 62 wins, 3 losses and 2 draws with 52 knockouts in 67 bouts. He died March 13, 2021, and was inducted into the Hall in 1993.

The record

• Also known as: Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Marvin Nathaniel Hagler

Notes

Sports Encyclopedia roster CTL-SPE-0470. Leonard decision disposition (disputed, both sides carried, never settled): the result of record is Leonard's twelve-round split-decision win on April 6, 1987 (cards 118–110 Leonard, 115–113 Leonard, 115–113 Hagler, per BoxRec's bout record; the 118–110 card was heavily criticized). Hagler's side, per the Hall, is that he retired when Leonard would not grant a rematch; the Hall itself calls the decision 'controversial.' This record asserts the official result and preserves the dispute without re-scoring. Name disposition: born Marvin Nathaniel Hagler; the legal change to Marvelous Marvin Hagler on April 2, 1982, is carried as BoxRec states it, and the canonical name field keeps 'Marvin Hagler' per the Sports Encyclopedia roster with the legal name in aliases. The Leonard (live graph) and Hearns (S8-10) connections are bout results in the descriptions, not relationship edges. Curator's Judgment (DRAFT): Hagler is the dues-paid champion record — a twelve-defense reign ended by the most argued scorecards of its decade, and the file's job is to keep the reign and the argument equally legible. Photo: CLEARED, Public domain, c. 1981 image whose Commons file description names Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

Sources

• International Boxing Hall of Fame. "Marvelous Marvin Hagler." IBHOF.com. Accessed 2026-11-03. (primary source · build store)
• BoxRec. "Marvin Hagler." BoxRec Wiki. Accessed 2026-11-03. (build store)

More person records

• Marv Wolfman
• Marva Collins
• Marvel Cooke
• Marvin Ellison
• Marvin Gaye

Browse the full directory: all entity records

Record CTL-E-7090 · Combined Graph record U-07962 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · 2 sources.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

Researched and maintained by the CultureTechLens research program · CultureTechLens Combined Graph, Release 2026-11-04. Corrections are public: the corrections log.

Cite this record

Citation guidance for teachers, journalists, and funders: How to Cite Us.

From the Archive

The archive in pictures

The people, places, and institutions this work documents. Photographs from the CultureTechLens research record — rights-cleared, credited, and cited like everything else here.