Scypion’s trainer, Kenny Weldon, had spent the buildup describing Hagler as a “simple fighter.” Weldon claimed the champion could not fight inside, could not operate while backing up, and depended on circling to his left.
That was a bad scouting report and an even worse motivational tactic. Hagler took every word personally.
Scypion entered with the USBA middleweight title and rankings of No. 1 with the WBC and No. 2 with the WBA. He had earned his opportunity by defeating Frank “The Animal” Fletcher three months earlier. The 24-year-old challenger had also never been stopped. None of that helped him against Hagler.
Late in the opening round, Hagler landed a counter left that sent Scypion staggering backward across the ring. Scypion survived, but the punch established who owned the night. Hagler continued landing combinations to the head in the second and third while Scypion struggled to trap him.
Judges Joe Cortez, Larry Hazzard and Stuart Kirshenbaum each had Hagler winning 30-27 after three rounds.
Scypion finally landed a couple of right hands during his best spell in the fourth. Hagler’s response was vicious. Fighting southpaw, he cracked Scypion with a right hook to the chin and followed with a left. Scypion fell backward into the ropes near his corner, where Hagler unloaded hooks and short combinations until the challenger pitched forward to the canvas.
Referee Frank Cappuccino completed the count. Scypion offered no serious attempt to rise before it ended.
“He froze when we started trading punches,” Hagler said afterward. “He’s got a big mouth. I wanted him down at my feet.”
Scypion kept his explanation shorter: “He’s the champion.”
The bout was wrapped in sanctioning body foolishness. Hagler wanted a traditional 15-round fight, while the WBC was pushing 12-round championship contests following the death of Duk Koo Kim. The WBA and WBC declined to fully sanction the defense but continued recognizing Hagler unless he lost. The newly formed IBF sanctioned the contest and installed Hagler as its first middleweight champion.
Hagler earned $1.25 million, while Scypion collected $325,000. More importantly, Hagler became the first fighter to hold the WBA, WBC, and IBF middleweight titles simultaneously.
He improved to 57-2-2 (48 KOs), then defeated Roberto Duran over 15 rounds that November. Scypion fell to 26-4 and never received another world title opportunity. The night belonged to Hagler, who answered a week of cheap talk with four rounds of controlled destruction.
