About the Book
Two of the most prominent and celebrated athletes in the world, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard came together to contest the $100million SuperFight on April 6, 1987 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. From Frank Sinatra to U2, Joan Collins to Whoopi Goldberg, the stars were drawn to ringside by the huge box-office appeal of the blue-collar, dominant world middleweight champion facing his nemesis, the charismatic and flamboyant Sugar Ray, who was coming out of virtually five years of retirement. Drawing on his deep reservoir of nerve, outstanding technique and a strategy which Budd Schulberg - who provided Marlon Brando with the immortal line, 'I coulda been a contender' - called a compound optical illusion, Leonard won on points. It was boxing's greatest comeback, but to this day the judges' decision remains bitterly contested and not merely by the protagonists. But the story of The SuperFight is much more than the story of the fight, for it details two remarkable lives, the demons that drove both men and the formidable challenges they overcame inside and outside the ring. Hagler grew up in the Newark, New Jersey ghetto of Central Ward, where a riot/rebellion rooted in racism claimed the lives of 26 people, injured 1,000 more and, to the young teenager, was "like the end of the world". Fuelled by anger, he climbed to the top of his domain and ruled for seven years as champion, one of the most accomplished in boxing's annals. Leonard was an Olympic gold medallist and all-American hero whose career was cut short by a detached retina after he became the world welterweight king. He was Muhammad Ali's gifted and anointed successor but he succumbed to alcohol and drug abuse and for years was tormented by a secret - the sexual abuse he endured as an amateur boxer by a trusted coach. As provocative and polarising in its own way as Ali's defining rivalry with Joe Frazier, this is the story of The SuperFight, of Marvin Hagler and Ray Leonard and a fierce fire that still burns.
About the Author :
Brian Doogan wrote the Sunday Times bestselling autobiography of Joe Calzaghe, No Ordinary Joe. He is an award-winning former Sunday Times and Daily Express sports journalist and for ten years was head of media and communications at Premier League football clubs Aston Villa and Everton. For twenty years he reported on fights and fighters across Europe and the USA for boxing's bible, The Ring.
Review :
“Leonard moved, he boxed, he frustrated his opponent and that’s all part of fighting, too. The skulduggery, irritating the man in front of you - he wasn’t playing with him, he had a strategy. And don’t ever be fooled by the pretty face. Ray Leonard was a pit bull with a pretty face. Outside the ring, he was cute, articulate, smart, great looking, but deep down inside he was a vicious animal. When it comes to this fighting thing, he’s like a monster. Hagler was a ferocious animal himself, of course, and over the years, if you didn’t try to take him out, you couldn’t keep Hagler off you. You couldn’t just box this man. Look what he did to Hearns, which was brutal, amazing” - Mike Tyson … “The SuperFight is the story of two of the sport’s greatest, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard. It was one of the great fights, one of the epic fights, one of the biggest shocking fights of all-time and people still argue to this day over who won the fight. The author is a guy who respects the sport and cares about the sport and it’s important for people to know about the greatness of the sport and about the great fighters they might not always be aware of or how great they really were” - Teddy Atlas, The Big Fight with Teddy Atlas podcast … “Want to know the story behind the story of Leonard v Hagler? Everyone loves Brian Doogan’s hot new book on one of boxing’s greatest mysteries. It’s a knockout” - Ron Borges, Boston Herald … “The book is as enthralling as The SuperFight itself” - Gordon Marino, Wall Street Journal … “Painstakingly researched, entertainingly explained, Doogan’s interviews with both men and those connected to them reveal the behind-the-scenes machinations that enabled the richest fight in history to be made, grossing nearly $100 million. The book opens with Mike Tyson’s assessment of Leonard’s character: ‘Ray Leonard was a pit-bull with a pretty face. Outside the ring he was cute, articulate, smart, great looking. But deep inside he was a vicious animal. When it comes to this fighting thing he’s like a monster.’ The SuperFight is the perfect gift for fight fans” - Colin Hart, The Sun … “A long-lasting fascination with one of the greatest fights of all time has resulted in a wonderfully detailed and insightful book about Sugar Ray Leonard versus Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Brian Doogan, a vastly experienced sportswriter, weaves that epic of 33 years ago into the background of the golden era of Leonard, Hagler, Duran and Hearns and examines the still-running controversy over the decision in favour of Sugar Ray. This book is a must-read” - Jeff Powell, Mailonline … “The SuperFight, Brian Doogan’s book on the controversial Leonard-Hagler clash, is a must-read for boxing fans. I have never known a big fight which so divided opinion among respected judges” - Ian Darke, ESPN and BT Sport … “What makes Doogan’s book unique is the deep dive he takes with both fighters in and out of the ring. In disparate ways, the two had a past darkness in common. Doogan visited their lives and careers in depth. They were the centerpiece of the 1980s, after both beat Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran. Doogan tells a story that had not yet been told and deserved to be told in the rich, multi-layered context in which only Doogan can bring it. The SuperFight is a gem” - Joe Santoliquito, The Ring … “Brian Doogan joined me on the Fight Night podcast to talk about his new book, The SuperFight. I’ve read it and it’s a belter” - Adam Catterall, talkSPORT … “A great book on one of the epic fights” - Matt Macklin, Sky Sports, former world middleweight title challenger
