https://www.espn.com/boxing/story/_/...-great-dies-66
Loved Hagler. His fight with Hearns was the most frenetic I ever watched.
Very sad. My dad was always a big boxing watcher, and I grew up watching fights with him. He loved Hagler and so, by extension, so did I. My dad thought the split decision with Leonard was a huge rip-off, a sign of what was wrong with boxing as it was aging and atrophying, and it still elicits a kind of visceral reaction when I hear about it.
Not a boxing fan, myself, but that fight was epic. Those were tough guys—impressive efforts.
About the time the death was announced, Thomas Hearns posted on Instagram that his followers should pray for Hagler, who is “in ICU fighting the after effects of the vaccine!” Hearns didn’t offer evidence, and as far as I could tell, Hagler’s actual covid/vaccine status is publicly unknown (Hearns’ wife indicated the death was unexpected and at home). I assume things will get clarified, but I hope such miscommunications are rare and that the misstatement doesn’t get internet traction—we need as many vaccines in arms as we can get. And that starts by not scaring people who might already be wary.
Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.worldboxingnews.net/2021/03/14/marvin-hagler-hearns-vaccine/amp/
I went looking for cause of death because it seems Hagler participated in 123 fights (about half amateur) without ever getting knocked down. Well, he did officially get knocked down once but argued that that was a slip, which may have been true but reminds me of the look Nicklaus gave to an errant shot, as if he couldn’t possibly have screwed up—it must be time to get a new 3 wood).
One difference between great golfers and great boxers is that Jack and Arnie can spend their golden years playing golf while guys like Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson die in their 60’s from what appears to have been chronic traumatic encephalopathy, an affliction widespread in former football pros as well as former boxers. I hope Marvelous Marvin, who died at age 66, escaped the decline of CTE.