Brockton to unveil statue of boxing legend Marvelous Marvin Hagler

Local News

“Brockton is known worldwide as the ‘City of Champions,’ largely because of the incredible and historic athletic achievements of Marvelous Marvin Hagler.”

The City of Champions will officially pay tribute to one of its celebrated hometown heroes this week.�

Brockton will unveil a statue of boxing legend Marvelous Marvin Hagler in a new park, on a street bearing his name, on Thursday, the city said in a press release.

“Brockton is known worldwide as the ‘City of Champions,’ largely because of the incredible and historic athletic achievements of Marvelous Marvin Hagler,” Brockton Mayor Robert F. Sullivan said in a statement. “Marvelous Marvin was a global boxing icon who embodied all the best attributes of our great city: toughness, perseverance, community and dedication. This statute will stand as a symbol of his spirit for generations, and inspire people to always strive to be the best that they can be.”

Hagler moved to Brockton in 1969, training with the brothers Goody and Pat Petronelli, racking up a record of 62 wins, with 52 by knockout, and just 3 losses. He held the middleweight champion title from 1980 to 1987, according to the city.�

When Hagler retired in 1987, he moved to Italy where he became an action movie star. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1993.�

Hagler, who legally added Marvelous to the front of his name, died unexpectedly in March 2022 at the age of 66 in his New Hampshire home, according to the city.

The statue of Hagler will be on display in the new Marvelous Marvin Hagler Park on the newly-named Marvelous Marvin Hagler Way, which is next to the former Petronelli Brothers’ gym, according to the city. A committee, which included family members and friends of Hagler, helped guide design of the $150,000 state grant-funded statue and its location.

Hagler was “an unbelievable person,” Sullivan told The Boston Globe.

“People are going to be amazed when they see the image,” Sullivan told the newspaper of the statue. “It looks just like Hagler throwing a punch.”

The statue will be unveiled in a ceremony at 11 a.m. on Thursday, next to 28 Petronelli Way.