Marvin Hagler has mocked Tyson Fury's claim that he is ready to turn his world heavyweight title clash with Deontay Wilder on Saturday night into a repeat of one of boxing's greatest fights.
- Scroll down to watch Hagler v Hearns
Hagler's famous three-round war with Tommy Hearns in Las Vegas 35 years ago remains the benchmark against which all subsequent world title showdowns have been judged.
The 65-year-old American laughed off Fury's invitation to Wilder to "make it a Marvin Hagler versus Tommy Hearns type of fight - I'll meet you in the middle of the ring".
Speaking at the Laureus Sports Awards in Berlin, Hagler said: "He can try it, but there is not a chance of that happening.
"Ever since I retired and even today, everybody still talks about that bout like it was yesterday, but it is more than 30 years ago.
"The boxing world has changed a lot - there are a lot of young fighters around today and it is very nice that they recognise that I am still around."
Fury's bout with Wilder is the latest high-profile rematch of the type Hagler claims he was denied when he retired after his loss to Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987.
Both fighters continue to provide conflicting accounts of who was to blame for the second fight never happening, and ultimately Hagler walked away from the sport for good.
"I wish that rematch would have happened," recalled Hagler. "I wish he would have given me the same opportunity that I gave him.
"That was the difference with Anthony Joshua and Andy Ruiz, and I think that's the way champions should be, but it didn't happen that way for me, so I continued to go on with my life."
Hagler insisted predicting the outcome of Fury's rematch with Wilder is futile given the unpredictable nature of the Briton's character.
"It's going to be a strange type of fight because Wilder has got a good right hand and is a little awkward, but with Tyson Fury you can't figure out where he's coming from," he said.
"He wants to be a showman and he wants to be a champion, and you never know who is going to get into the ring."
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