Marlon "Magic Man" Starling      The most prolific and successful fighter from Hartford, Connecticut since Willie Pep, Marlon Starling put Hartford back onto the boxing world's map in the 1980's. Starling won his first 25 fights in impressive fashion, knocking out 16 boxers and handing Floyd Mayweather Sr. a decision loss in front of Starling's hometown crowd. Known for his tremendous boxing skills, Starling boasted a record that included 27 knockouts in 45 wins. This respectable knockout ratio shows that Starling had an offensive arsenal to complement his remarkable defensive abilities.     After compiling a string of victories which included a win over Kevin Morgan for the USBA Welterweight title, Starling finally gained national attention in a televised fight against undefeated NABF welterweight belt holder, Donald Curry. Perhaps his nerves got the best of him in his first big chance. In the Curry fight, "Magic Man" Starling became his own worst enemy as his tendency to clown took precedence over his need to score points against the formidable NABF champ. As a result, Starling lost a clear-cut decision. While Starling's skills made him a consummate professional, Starling had developed a propensity for clowning around in the ring, and finally, it worked against him. Starling would chalk this behavior up to a need to put on a good show for the fans. He would later admit to his lack focus, noting that he recognized several of his hometown fans in the audience during the fight. Another series of impressive victories would earn Starling a rematch with Curry. Still unable to impose his will on Curry, he lost another decision to "The Lone Star Cobra" from Texas.      Starling's shining moment came in the summer of 1987 when he took on rising star, 1984 gold medal Olympian and welterweight champion Mark Breland. The fight moved at a torrid pace from the opening bell. However, Breland's conditioning became an issue after 5 rounds when Breland began slipping to the canvas in what many viewed as a way to get some much-needed rest. Breland's raw talent eventually gave way to Starling's dogged endurance, power and professionalism. In round eleven, Starling unloaded a fury of power punches, knocking out the depleted Breland and earning Starling the WBA welterweight title. After the fight, the pro-Breland South Carolina crowd applauded Starling's dramatic effort.     Though Starling did not have a wild personality or reckless boxing style, his career was marked by flukish incidents inside the ring. Only six fights into his budding boxing career, Starling knocked out another Connecticut fighter named Charles Newell. Sadly, Newell would pass away nine days later from injuries suffered in the fight. Controversy struck again in a bizarre 6th round premature stoppage that resulted in a technical decision favoring Lou Duva's fighter, Johnny Bumphus. Yet, most fans remember Starling's bout against unheralded Tomas Molinares. Ahead on scorecards, Starling got caught by a Molinares bomb after the bell ending the sixth round sounded. Not only was Starling knocked unconscious for a while, he injured his leg falling to the canvas. In an interview shortly after the decision was announced, Starling insisted that Molinares did not knock him down. The decision would later be changed (appropriately) to a no-contest, but most remember Starling's strange post-fight comments.     After staging his late-career surge, which included a knockout of the highly touted Lloyd Honeyghan along with his victory over Breland, Starling's career seemed to fizzle toward the end of the 1980's. He won a lackluster fight against in against Yung-Kil Chung in a routine defense of the WBA title. But after that, he was outpointed by a seemingly much larger Michael Nunn. After the Nunn fight, Starling maintained that Nunn did not beat him and directed blame toward his own misguided strategy. Starling then ended his career with a split decision loss to Maurice Blocker, who beat Starling to the punch in many of the fights best exchanges.     Though Donald Curry seemed to have the Magic Man's number in the same way that Ken Norton had Ali’s; Marlon Starling was never thoroughly dominated by an opponent in the ring. His rare combination of extraordinary defensive skills and solid offensive ones made him always competitive no matter how talented the opposition.     Recently, Starling initiated rumors of a return to the ring that would most likely take place in one of Connecticut's casino venues. A senior division fight against fellow New Englander Vinnie Pazienza would generate plenty of local interest. But after having kept a reasonable distance from the fight scene since his 1990 retirement, the Magic Man would likely need to pull a rabbit out of a hat to defeat Pazienza, who fought regularly throughout the 90's. Still, Starling remains fresh in the minds of Connecticut fans and would certainly create a splash in a comeback fight.