Which boxer was the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 to 1987?

Marvin Hagler was the undisputed middleweight champion from 1980 to 1987.

Hagler won the WBA, WBC and The Ring middleweight titles by stopping Alan Minter at Wembley Arena on September 27, 1980. He became the division’s dominant champion, combining a powerful southpaw style with the ability to switch stance and pressure opponents relentlessly.

During his reign, Hagler made 12 successful title defenses, winning 11 by knockout. His notable victims included Thomas Hearns, Roberto Durán and John Mugabi. These bouts helped establish Hagler, Hearns, Durán and Sugar Ray Leonard as boxing’s celebrated “Four Kings.”

A common mix-up is confusing Hagler’s middleweight reign with Bernard Hopkins’s later undisputed reign. Hagler lost his championship in April 1987, when Leonard defeated him by a controversial split decision. Hagler never fought professionally again.