Today, April 15th, marks the anniversary of some truly special things, boxing-related. Fans may instantly recognise today’s date as the day we saw perhaps the single greatest opening round in boxing history – this of course the opening, savage, seemingly never ending first round between Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns.
That fight, dubbed “The War,” took place 39 years ago today. It was red-hot, bloody stuff, with defending middleweight king Hagler going right at Hearns, the reigning light-middleweight boss tearing right back, and also tearing open a nasty cut, smack, bang in the middle of Hagler’s forehead. One fine writer at the time described the injury as looking like one that Hagler would have suffered had an assailant attacked him with a can-opener.
Hearns, a feared puncher, had succeeded in both stunning and slicing Hagler open, but “The Hitman” had broken his vaunted right hand in doing so. Both men fought on, showing their greatness, but Hagler ramped things up a notch when desperate, this in round three, after he had been inspected by the ringside doc. Fearing his belts would be “stolen,” Hagler fought like a man who had one shot at getting out of jail, and his lethal weapons took Tommy down, and almost out, in that torrid third. Hearns somehow clambered back up, but the third man had seen enough. He too was exhausted at the end.
Hagler had fought his greatest fight, his most memorable fight.
Also on this day, but many years prior, and in another country, one of the most consistently, almost superhumanly exciting ring warriors was born. In Cassino, Italy, Arturo Gatti was born. Gatti is celebrated, loved, and marvelled over due to the manner in which he was able to ship unimaginable punishment, along with facial injuries, only to come back and win the fight.
Gatti gave us too many special ones to list, with “The Human Highlight Reel,” sending fight fans into a state of frenzy on numerous occasions.
Gatti Vs. Micky Ward, I, II, III
Gatti Vs. Ivan Robinson, I and II
Gatti Vs. Gabriel Ruelas
Gatti Vs. Wilson Rodriguez
Gatti Vs. Tracy Harris Patterson, I and II
Gatti Vs. Angel Manfredy
Gatti was truly special, and on this day, where he would have/should have/could have celebrated his 52nd birthday, we all miss him so.
Also on this day, but way back in 1959, heavyweight contenders Sonny Liston and Cleveland Williams went to war. It proved to be a short war that raged in Miami Beach, Florida. Liston, 23-1 and one of the most menacing, destructive and skilled heavyweights of the time (some say, with justifiable conviction, of all-time) met Williams, 47-2-1, and the sheer, violent action these two monster punchers were able to cram into a little over eight minutes is, when we look back, quite astonishing.
Liston was hungry for the world title, as was Williams. Together, these two threw bombs, they tested one another’s chin in what can only be described as a wicked way, and they both threw out all manner of punches: jabs, hooks, crosses. The fight – available on YouTube – saw Liston bleed before coming back to twice drop “The Big Cat” in the third. Williams got back up both times, but he was done and he was stopped.
“He treated me rudely in that first round,” a scowling Liston said in victory.
Hagler-Hearns, Arturo Gatti, Liston-Williams: three special things in boxing, each never to be forgotten.