To drive home his point about finishing games strong and not letting officials decide it, Falcons coach Dan Quinn showed his players video of Marvin Hagler’s first shot at the middleweight title.
Hagler fought WBA and WBC title holder Vito Antuofermo on Nov. 30, 1979. Hagler bloodied Antuofermo's face during the 15-round fight and afterwards, according to an account by Sports Illustrated, referee Mills Lane told Hagler to face the television cameras for the imminent announcement of his victory.
But one judge called the fight for Hagler, another for Antuofermo and the third called it a tie. That made the fight a draw and Antuofermo kept the titles.
“He didn’t get the job done that night and so the championship went right back to Antuofermo,” Quinn said. “What he said after that fight we are never going to put it in anybody else’s hands. We’ve got to get to that spot. When we have the lead and it’s time to close, we are not going to put it in anybody else’s hands. There is not going to be anybody else that is going to have to make a call. We are going to own it.”
Hagler would capture the WBA and WBC titles with a victory over Alan Minter in 1980. He beat Antuofermo in a 1981 rematch.
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