Larry Fondation asked me: “Pound-for-pound, who would you say is the best boxer in history? Loaded and unanswerable question I know, but anyway…”

I replied: “Hagler, definitely. Ali in second place, and, behind him, Jack Johnson, Duran, Robinson, Benny Leonard, Henry Armstrong.”

I think Marvin Hagler clearly stands alone as the greatest boxer so far. He was the perfect fighting machine, and what made him great was a unique versatility - he had no specialty, and was...