The boxing world was stunned to learn of the news that “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler died on Saturday at the age of 66. His wife made the announcement on the legendary boxer’s Facebook fan page and said her husband “passed away unexpectedly” in their New Hampshire home.
Absent from all the news coverage and ensuing obituaries has been Hagler’s cause of death.
That lack of disclosure drew attention to a social media post from fellow boxing legend Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, with whom Hagler had arguably his greatest triumph in the ring back in the 1980s. Hearns said Hagler was suffering health problems due to the COVID-19 vaccine.
Hearns posted to his verified Instagram account on Saturday and asked his followers to pray for Hagler, who he called “the king,” and his family.
“He’s in ICU fighting the after effects of the vaccine!” Hearns claimed in the post without offering any proof.
Hearns assured his followers that Hagler will “be just fine but we could use the positive energy and Prayer for his Full Recovery !”
It was unclear whether the Facebook status update from Hagler’s wife came before or after Hearns’ Instagram post.
TMZ reported that one of Hagler’s sons said his father was hospitalized Saturday “after experiencing trouble breathing and chest pains at home.”
It was also unclear when, or if, Hagler had actually been vaccinated.
Hagler was forever linked to Hearns after beating him by TKO in the third round of their legendary fight in 1985.
There have not been any official reports of deaths attributed to the COVID-19 vaccines that have been widely distributed. The U.S. on Saturday reached a milestone by surpassing 100 million doses administered.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has listed several side-effects that are common from COVID-19 vaccinations that don’t include death. They include experiencing pain, redness, swelling, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, fever and nausea.
There have been multiple deaths reported following COVID-19 vaccinations, but none have been tied to the vaccines themselves.
The effort to vaccinate America has been a massive undertaking, prioritizing people in Hagler’s age group and older. The vaccines are expected to be made available to all adults by May 1, with hundreds of millions of doses recently ordered by President Joe Biden.
There has been some vaccine hesitancy across all demographics, with media reports emphasizing distrust among Black people in America. However, a number of notable Black people have publicly received their vaccines without any complications, including former first lady Michelle Obama and Vice President Kamala Harris.
