Sorcery at Caesars: Sugar Ray's Marvelous Fight
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
These two guys rank up there with two of the biggest names in sporting history. Their earnings support this claim. It seems ridiculous to me that no such book as this has existed for the last twenty years. It is even more ridiculous that the author struggled to find a publisher. The book is well written and highly informative given that there has been very little data on the two protaganists (particularly Hagler) in written form like this. It seems that everybody who kicks a ball these days has a book out. These guys were the best in the world at what they did. By contrast the average footballer has 2000 peers in the UK alone. This book is long overdue and the author deserves everyy credit for bringing it to us. As a fan of both boxers I found it a fascinating read. If you are a fan of boxing buy it.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
If you enjoyed George Kimballs "Four Kings"; were into Hagler or Leonard or are even a casual fight fan you can't go wrong with this book. The author presents an unbiased documentary of the fight & how it materialised. If you grew up with them like me you'll absolutely tear through it!
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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13 reviews
9 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Boston Globe review
3 Nov 2008
Format:Paperback
BOOK REVIEW
Leonard-Hagler story packs a wallop
By Doug Most, Globe Staff | August 12, 2008
Don't be deceived by the title of Steve Marantz's terrific new boxing book, "Sorcery at Caesars: Sugar Ray's Marvelous Fight."
Marantz, a longtime Boston journalist who covered boxing for the Globe, pulls no punches of his own in letting the reader know which fighter he was pulling for when Brockton's Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard squared off in their epic title bout on April 6, 1987, in Las Vegas. Marantz wanted to see the angry, shaven-headed Hagler wipe the perpetual smile off of Leonard's famous pretty-boy mug.
Of course, as anyone who followed boxing when boxing actually mattered knows, things didn't quite work out for the Marvelous one.
Surprisingly, the weakest part of the book may be its climax, the 12-round fight between a legitimate middleweight brawler known for being able to take a punch even better than he could deliver one and the aging, puffed-up welterweight from Washington, D.C., named after singing legend Ray Charles. The underdog Leonard saw Hagler as the perfect foil against whom to conclude his golden career, but the fight details almost go by too quickly, with not enough analysis of the blow-by-blow to fully convey how Leonard accomplished what he did.
Fortunately, by the time readers get to the fight, they will be so engrossed in the back story of what led up to it that the punching almost feels anticlimactic. Marantz does a terrific job of bringing to life the vastly different stories of these two proud but troubled men who came together for one night of brawling and bloodshed.
The details of Leonard's drug and spousal abuse reveal him to be as two-faced as Marantz argues, a man who was married more to his sport and the shady characters that come with it than he ever was to his family. And while Hagler certainly comes off as the more sympathetic character, it's hard to actually root for him because when the fight finally comes he's become almost a shell of his former self, someone who merely craves Leonard's fame.
The book's strength is in the way Marantz takes readers inside Leonard's head as he first teases Hagler for years about a possible big-payday fight, finally agrees to it, and then does everything he can, no matter how sneaky, to weaken his opponent before they set foot in the ring. By the time the bell for Round 1 clangs, it feels as if Hagler is already burnt toast.
The subject of possible drug use by Hagler is glossed over too lightly, because it remains not entirely clear how much he used, when he used, or for that matter, if he really used at all. The handling of the subject almost feels forced, as if Marantz wanted Hagler to have used drugs as Leonard had, so that their lives mirrored each other's as much as possible.
That's nitpicking, though. In the end, it's hard to not feel sorry for both men, who finally got the fight they wanted, and to see how much it tormented them.
Sorcery at Caesars: Sugar Rayâ(tm)s Marvelous Fight, By Steve Marantz, Inkwater, 233 pp., illustrated, paperback, $19.95
Doug Most is the editor of the Boston Globe Magazine.
Leonard-Hagler story packs a wallop
By Doug Most, Globe Staff | August 12, 2008
Don't be deceived by the title of Steve Marantz's terrific new boxing book, "Sorcery at Caesars: Sugar Ray's Marvelous Fight."
Marantz, a longtime Boston journalist who covered boxing for the Globe, pulls no punches of his own in letting the reader know which fighter he was pulling for when Brockton's Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Leonard squared off in their epic title bout on April 6, 1987, in Las Vegas. Marantz wanted to see the angry, shaven-headed Hagler wipe the perpetual smile off of Leonard's famous pretty-boy mug.
Of course, as anyone who followed boxing when boxing actually mattered knows, things didn't quite work out for the Marvelous one.
Surprisingly, the weakest part of the book may be its climax, the 12-round fight between a legitimate middleweight brawler known for being able to take a punch even better than he could deliver one and the aging, puffed-up welterweight from Washington, D.C., named after singing legend Ray Charles. The underdog Leonard saw Hagler as the perfect foil against whom to conclude his golden career, but the fight details almost go by too quickly, with not enough analysis of the blow-by-blow to fully convey how Leonard accomplished what he did.
Fortunately, by the time readers get to the fight, they will be so engrossed in the back story of what led up to it that the punching almost feels anticlimactic. Marantz does a terrific job of bringing to life the vastly different stories of these two proud but troubled men who came together for one night of brawling and bloodshed.
The details of Leonard's drug and spousal abuse reveal him to be as two-faced as Marantz argues, a man who was married more to his sport and the shady characters that come with it than he ever was to his family. And while Hagler certainly comes off as the more sympathetic character, it's hard to actually root for him because when the fight finally comes he's become almost a shell of his former self, someone who merely craves Leonard's fame.
The book's strength is in the way Marantz takes readers inside Leonard's head as he first teases Hagler for years about a possible big-payday fight, finally agrees to it, and then does everything he can, no matter how sneaky, to weaken his opponent before they set foot in the ring. By the time the bell for Round 1 clangs, it feels as if Hagler is already burnt toast.
The subject of possible drug use by Hagler is glossed over too lightly, because it remains not entirely clear how much he used, when he used, or for that matter, if he really used at all. The handling of the subject almost feels forced, as if Marantz wanted Hagler to have used drugs as Leonard had, so that their lives mirrored each other's as much as possible.
That's nitpicking, though. In the end, it's hard to not feel sorry for both men, who finally got the fight they wanted, and to see how much it tormented them.
Sorcery at Caesars: Sugar Rayâ(tm)s Marvelous Fight, By Steve Marantz, Inkwater, 233 pp., illustrated, paperback, $19.95
Doug Most is the editor of the Boston Globe Magazine.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Great Fight Book and More
3 Aug 2008
Format:Paperback
Steve Marantz has done a masterful job of explaining in detail the alchemy of the fight game as well as the epic 1987 champtionship battle between Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. He does so by diligently taking the reader back to the roots of each fighter, and then stepping us forward through their pugilistic and personal histories. He finishes with a brilliantly clear, round-by-round picture of the historic fight between these two giants of the ring. In the process, he brings close other boxers who figure into this tale -- most clearly that of Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns. By the book's end I was rushing to my computer to check out youtube footage of the many fights that Marantz expertly chronicals.
The author may be overreaching when he attempts to highlight the hidden demons of cocaine abuse and womanizing -- that lurked behind the boxing scene -- in both Leonard's and Hagler's corner. Similarly, one might criticize Marantz for presumption when he explains some of the psychological injuries suffered by Hagler in his battles with Leonard and the boxing world. How, afterall, could this author truly know what motivated, displeased, or haunted either of these boxers. And yet, to keep the narrative flowing, Marantz frequently states as fact what can only be conjecture. Even so, Marantz appears to have done assiduous homework -- with quotes and references from many sources. Rarely does he make a statement about either boxer's emotion or mood without an immediate attribution or direct quote. The book is nothing if not extremely well sourced.
The product of all this research is a great boxing book that dances and weaves as smoothly as Sugar Ray, with the power of the Marvelous one himself. A great story well told.
The author may be overreaching when he attempts to highlight the hidden demons of cocaine abuse and womanizing -- that lurked behind the boxing scene -- in both Leonard's and Hagler's corner. Similarly, one might criticize Marantz for presumption when he explains some of the psychological injuries suffered by Hagler in his battles with Leonard and the boxing world. How, afterall, could this author truly know what motivated, displeased, or haunted either of these boxers. And yet, to keep the narrative flowing, Marantz frequently states as fact what can only be conjecture. Even so, Marantz appears to have done assiduous homework -- with quotes and references from many sources. Rarely does he make a statement about either boxer's emotion or mood without an immediate attribution or direct quote. The book is nothing if not extremely well sourced.
The product of all this research is a great boxing book that dances and weaves as smoothly as Sugar Ray, with the power of the Marvelous one himself. A great story well told.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Comprehensive Coverage of Leonard-Hagler
8 Nov 2009
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is one of the better boxing books I've read. It is well researched, well-written and pulls no punches when covering the skills, flaws and foibles of Sugar Ray Leonard and Marvelous Marvin Hagler. We see that there is Ray Leonard the nice guy and "Sugar Ray Leonard," the crafty, media manipulating Hollywood darling who is a master of ring psychology and public relations.
Both guys conquer their toughest opponents in the ring, but succumb to their toughest enemies outside the ring (adultery, cocaine abuse, volatile domestic episodes, divorce, etc).
As for the fight itself, both men put on a stirring performance, but according to author Steve Marantz, Sugar Ray "put the fight game" on Marvelous Marvin by psyching him out (complimenting him outside the ring, mocking him in the ring, throwing dazzling, crowd pleasing flurries several times a round, bolo punching, ducking, dodging, dancing, sticking and moving, frustrating Hagler at every turn.
Sugar Ray was a winner in the eyes of the public for putting on such a strong performance for this being his 2nd official fight in 5 plus years. Hagler came on in rounds 5-12, winning a majority of those rounds to make the fight close. Actually, I felt that a draw would not have been unreasonable. But two judges scored it 115-113 (one for Hagler, for Leonard), the other judge had Leonard way ahead, 118-110.
For me, the most disturbing part of the book was the court documented description of Leonard's brutal abuse of his first wife Juanita. I came away from this book admiring the boxing skills of both fighters, but appalled by their behavior at times outside the ring.
To this day, the world is split on who truly won the Leonard-Hagler fight. 6-6 or 7-5 either way is not out of line, but 10-2 for Leonard seems extreme to me. But the book itself is a knockout! All boxing fans should get this book.
Both guys conquer their toughest opponents in the ring, but succumb to their toughest enemies outside the ring (adultery, cocaine abuse, volatile domestic episodes, divorce, etc).
As for the fight itself, both men put on a stirring performance, but according to author Steve Marantz, Sugar Ray "put the fight game" on Marvelous Marvin by psyching him out (complimenting him outside the ring, mocking him in the ring, throwing dazzling, crowd pleasing flurries several times a round, bolo punching, ducking, dodging, dancing, sticking and moving, frustrating Hagler at every turn.
Sugar Ray was a winner in the eyes of the public for putting on such a strong performance for this being his 2nd official fight in 5 plus years. Hagler came on in rounds 5-12, winning a majority of those rounds to make the fight close. Actually, I felt that a draw would not have been unreasonable. But two judges scored it 115-113 (one for Hagler, for Leonard), the other judge had Leonard way ahead, 118-110.
For me, the most disturbing part of the book was the court documented description of Leonard's brutal abuse of his first wife Juanita. I came away from this book admiring the boxing skills of both fighters, but appalled by their behavior at times outside the ring.
To this day, the world is split on who truly won the Leonard-Hagler fight. 6-6 or 7-5 either way is not out of line, but 10-2 for Leonard seems extreme to me. But the book itself is a knockout! All boxing fans should get this book.
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