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Leon Edwards posted an image of Marvin Hagler to his Instagram story an hour before it was revealed that the legendary boxer had passed away.
'Rocky' said he has been watching Hagler since he arrived in the United States for his fight against Belal Muhammad at UFC Vegas 21, and the news of his death came as a shock for him.
Just hours before news of Hagler's death emerged, Leon Edwards took to Instagram to pay homage to the boxing great. The UFC welterweight said it was his coach who told him about Hagler's passing.
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Hagler died earlier today at age 66 due to a heart attack. 'Marvelous' is considered one of the greatest boxers of his generation, who enjoyed a professional boxing record of 62-3-2. His last fight was against Sugar Ray Leonard in 1987, where he suffered his first loss in well over a decade.
Leon Edwards draws inspiration from Marvin Hagler
At the post-fight press conference, Leon Edwards said that he has always looked up to Marvin Hagler.
"It's mad 'cause all week, since I've been to Vegas, all I am posting on Instagram is Marvin Hagler," said Edwards. I've been watching him every single day since last Tuesday. I wish him and his family... he's a legend. I've looked up to him".
Edwards' main event bout against Belal Muhammad had an anticlimactic end, as the fight was ruled a no-contest after Rocky poked his opponent deep in his right eye. The referee was forced to stop the contest when he found Muhammad unfit to continue.
Muhammad had accepted the fight on a short notice as a replacement for Khamzat Chimaev, who was originally scheduled to fight Leon Edwards. The Swedish-Russian fighter was forced to withdraw from the fight due to the lingering effects of COVID-19.
