Teddy Atlas Makes KO Prediction for Marvin Hagler vs. Roy Jones Jr Fantasy Fight

Teddy Atlas has offered his take on a fantastic middleweight clash between Marvin Hagler and Roy Jones Jr, predicting a decisive finish between the seventh and eighth rounds.

Unlike Hagler, who stayed at 160 pounds during his illustrious 67-fight campaign, Jones rose through the division ranks and once competed at a career-high weight of 204 pounds.

Before that, the American had, quite remarkably, won the WBA “regular” heavyweight title by dethroning John Ruiz with a big points victory in 2003.

His most captivating performances, however, were between middleweight and light heavyweight, with much debate over where the explosive technician reached his peak.

Most, rightly, would say that 175 pounds and 168 pounds were ultimately his most fruitful hunting grounds, but a razor-sharp Jones weighing 160 pounds was nonetheless a force to be reckoned with.

This became clear when he outpointed Bernard Hopkins, controlling most of their competition with just his left hand, to become the IBF champion in 1993.

Hagler, on the other hand, enjoyed a much longer career at middleweight, which between 1980 and 1987 included a staggering 12 successful world title defenses.

Known for his fierce style, Hagler sparked his title reign with a third-round finish against Alan Minter, before scoring notable victories over Thomas Hearns, Roberto Duran and John Mugabi.

It was then in his final outing, in 1987, that “Marvelous” lost a highly controversial split decision to Sugar Ray Leonard.

Nonetheless, many believe that Hagler, as a fighter, was pretty close to the complete package, with Atlas even suggesting on his YouTube channel that the big middleweight would have stopped Jones in their hypothetical contest.

“It’s an interesting fight. The speed [and] Jones’ unorthodox approach, looking to get angles, looking to put Marvin Hagler away [his] stride, is going to be something to manage, for Hagler.

“But, ultimately, Hagler’s combination of everything I just described, better technique, and the ability to think calmly in troubled waters… He catches Roy backing away, almost as if [how] Henry Cooper caught Muhammad Ali backing away.

“I’m going to say Hagler catches [Jones with] a right hook from the southpaw position… Somewhere around the seventh [or] in the eighth round, he stopped Roy Jones.

Atlas’s logic, it seems, relies largely on a somewhat vague comparison between the styles of Ali and Jones.

But nonetheless, a Hagler stoppage victory is far from an unreasonable prediction, especially considering his dominance at 160 pounds.