Teddy Atlas has offered his take on a fantasy middleweight matchup between Marvin Hagler and Roy Jones Jr, predicting a decisive finish between rounds seven and eight.
Unlike Hagler, who remained at 160lbs during his illustrious 67-fight campaign, Jones flew up through the divisions and once competed at a career-heaviest of 204lbs.
His most captivating performances, however, arrived between middleweight and light-heavyweight, with many debating where the explosive technician reached his peak.
Most, quite rightly, will argue that 175lbs and 168lbs were ultimately his most fruitful hunting grounds, but a razor-sharp Jones at 160lbs was nonetheless a force to be reckoned with.
That much became clear when he outpointed Bernard Hopkins, controlling most of their contest with just his left hand, to become the IBF champion in 1993.
Hagler, on the other hand, enjoyed a far longer middleweight run, which, lasting between 1980 and 1987, included a staggering 12 successful world title defences.
Known for his ferocious style, Hagler ignited his title reign with a third-round finish over Alan Minter, before securing notable wins over the likes of Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and John Mugabi.
Nevertheless, many believe that Hagler, as a fighter, was near enough the full package, with Atlas even suggesting on his YouTube channel that the middleweight great would have stopped Jones in their hypothetical contest.
“It’s an interesting fight. The speed [and] the unorthodox approach of Jones, looking to get angles, looking to keep Marvin Hagler off [his] stride, is going to be something to deal with, for Hagler.
“But, at the end of the day, Hagler’s combination of everything I’ve just described, and better technique, and the ability to think calm in uncalm waters… He catches Roy pulling back, kind of like [how] Henry Cooper caught Muhammad Ali pulling back.
“I’m going to say that Hagler catches [Jones with] a right hook from the southpaw position … Somewhere around the seventh [or] eighth round, he stops Roy Jones.”
Atlas’ logic, it seems, is largely based on a somewhat loose comparison between the styles of Ali and Jones.
But still, a stoppage victory for Hagler is far from an unreasonable prediction, especially when considering his dominance at 160lbs.
