Sugar Ray Leonard's win against Marvin Hagler in their 1987 'Super Fight' didn't sit well with legendary promoter Bob Arum. The boxing icon has called out the controversial victory in a recent interview with ESPN.
Leonard, who started his pro career in 1977 after snagging an Olympic Gold Medal at the 1976 Montreal Games, had already made waves in the boxing world. He reclaimed the WBC welterweight title from Roberto Duran in November 1980, with Duran famously quitting in the 8th round.
But it's Leonard's fight against Hagler that's got Arum fired up. The promoter didn't mince words when he spoke to ESPN about the match.
"First of all, it wasn't a level playing field because [WBC president Jose] Sulaiman brought in this judge from Mexico [JoJo Guerra], who scored the fight 10-2 for Leonard. Now, whatever you said, whether you agreed that Leonard squeaked out a decision – it wasn't that kind of fight."
Arum's beef isn't just with the judging. He thinks Hagler should've won the fight outright.
"Ray's a great boxer, and Hagler didn't have any kind of impetus, he didn't get going until the late rounds. But that being said, I scored the fight seven rounds to five for Hagler the way judge Lou Filippo did."
The official result? A split decision victory for Sugar Ray Leonard. But that 10-2 score from Mexican judge JoJo Guerra has left a bad taste in many mouths, including Arum's.
This fight marked the end of an era. Hagler, described by many as a "late, great American legend," hung up his gloves shortly after this loss. His incredible professional career came to a close, but the controversy of this fight lives on.
You can check out Arum's full interview on ESPN's website, where he dives deeper into this and other memorable fights from his long career in boxing.
