IT WAS HAGLER’S FIGHT
Haglerleonard commentator Tim Ryan talks to James Slater about the famous decision
TIM RYAN, who commentated alongside Gil Clancy on the CBS coverage of Sugar Ray Leonard’s split decision victory over Marvin Hagler, looks back on that famous night of 30 years ago. Ryan, despite being a friend of Leonard, believed – like so many observers – that Hagler would retain his world middleweight title. It didn’t happen, of course…
“Myself and everyone who knew Ray Leonard – from our relationship with him as a fellow broadcaster – were worried going into the Hagler fight. We were most concerned about his eye, the detached retina and the surgery he had had, and also his inactivity. It really was a bold move, to come back after just one fight in five years and having had to go up in weight, to challenge as formidable a fighter as Hagler. Gil Clancy and I, we predicted a Hagler win, but as the fight progressed, I could see what great, fantastic shape Leonard was in. The early aggression from Hagler had not bothered him at all, and we were all happily surprised at how well Leonard was doing.
“But at the same time, we felt Hagler would get the win. But Hagler, in losing those early rounds – Gil said on air that by fighting orthodox, Hagler basically gave way the first two, maybe four rounds – he actually put himself in more jeopardy than Leonard was in, in terms of losing the fight. Going into the fight, we saw both fighters spar, maybe five days ahead of the fight, and both were hugely confident. Ray, he always came across as a confident athlete. Hagler, he was quiet as usual, but he too appeared to have no doubt he would win. Maybe he resented Leonard’s enormous popularity, but he was so focused on showing the world that he was the middleweight champion.
“It’s interesting, but up until this week, I had not watched the fight again in 30 years! I have a video copy at home and I watched it again for the first time, and I would say the fight was a thoroughly entertaining fight, a great spectacle and a great performance from Leonard. Now, does that make it a great fight? Put it this way, I’m sure nobody who paid worried about getting their money’s worth. The fight had plenty of ebbs and flows. At the end, I had it 6-5-1 in rounds for Hagler, Gil had it the same for Leonard. And of course, as everyone agrees, the 118-110 card that one judge turned in was just ludicrous. I can’t recall if I said this on air, but it was clear we all felt this score was simply out of hand as this was a very close fight.
“That same night, Leonard and I met at a post-fight party, and he asked me how I had it [the score]. I told him, by one round to Hagler, and he said, ‘What!’ He really felt he’d won it clearly. Later on, I can’t recall where, we sat down and re-scored the fight, and Ray really peppered me with questions after each round, asking me, ‘Okay, how did you score that round!’
“But it’s strange, despite the debate all these years later, at the time, there really was no clamour for a rematch, no demand from either camp. If there had been a return meeting, it might not have been as great a fight.
“But it just shows how big Leonardhagler was, because at the time – and it’s something I had totally forgotten about until this week – CBS ran an hour special preview show; unheard of at the time. Hugh Mcilvanney, from across the pond in your country of course, he was a guest on the show and he picked Hagler big. It really was a tremendous performance from Leonard. Whoever you think won the fight.”