Marvin Hagler Named Roberto Duran The Best Fighter He Ever Faced

The former undisputed middleweight champion chose Duran over Sugar Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns in a Ring Magazine feature

Marvin Hagler faced three fellow members of boxing’s Four Kings era, but when asked to identify the best opponent of his career, he chose Roberto Duran. Hagler pointed to Duran’s experience and achievements across multiple weight classes when making his selection.

The comment came during The Ring’s 2014 “Best I Faced” feature, in which Hagler selected Duran as the best overall opponent of his career.

Hagler, who held the undisputed middleweight championship from 1980 to 1987, faced all three members of the famed Four Kings era and was involved in some of boxing’s most memorable fights of the 1980s.

When asked by The Ring which of his legendary rivals stood above the others, Hagler pointed to Duran’s experience.

“Duran; I would say Roberto Duran was very experienced.”

Hagler and Duran met in November 1983, with Hagler retaining his undisputed middleweight title by unanimous decision after 15 competitive rounds. While Hagler won clearly on the scorecards, Duran earned respect for remaining competitive against a naturally bigger opponent during one of the champion’s prime years.

Duran’s performance was particularly notable because he began his career as a lightweight. Before challenging Hagler at middleweight, he had already captured world titles at lightweight, welterweight, and junior middleweight.

Unlike Hearns, who was stopped by Hagler in their three-round war in 1985, Duran took the middleweight champion the full 15-round distance. His ability to compete at the highest level across multiple weight classes became one of the defining achievements of his Hall of Fame career.

Duran later finished his career with world titles in four weight divisions and remains the only member of the Four Kings group to own a victory over Leonard, defeating him by unanimous decision in their first meeting in Montreal in June 1980.

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