Top 50 middleweights ever - No 4, Carlos Monzon

Carlos Monzon was an Argentine legend, a hard man, lived a violent life, died a violent death, which, as we go through this list, sadly, makes him fit in well with some of the middleweight greats around him.

In the ring he was uncompromising, he wasn't smooth, he broke opponents down, walking forward, hammering punches in without technique. He didn't outbox opponents, he battered them.

Remarkably,  he was virtually unknown outside Argentina when he challenged Nino Benvenuti for the middleweight title in Rome in 1970, despite having already had 79 bouts (3 defeats and 9 draws). He never lost again, as he made a then-record 14 defences of the title, before retiring as champion in 1977, switching his defences between Europe and Argentina.

Beating Benvenuti to win the title in 12 rounds was an awesome display and he beat him in the rematch in much simpler style. Like some before and after him though, Monzon liked to pick on guys smaller than him. Watch the flickering black and white pictures of him crushing Emile Griffith, or the his win over Jose Napoles, he has an incredible size advantage. Those two opponents look old too. He only boxed once in the United States, stopping Tony Licata at Madison Square Garden in 1975.

But there were good names on his record. Tom Bogs and Bennie Briscoe were good tests, as was Gratien Tonna, who lost to Monzon having just beaten Kevin Finnegan. He also beat Anthony Mundine's dad, Tony.

The quick hands of Rodrigo Valdes, who followed Monzon as champion, gave him nightmares. But Monzon pulled out decisions against the Colombian in his last two fights, picking himself off the floor to win his last bout.

Outside the ring, Monzon, who enjoyed a champagne lifestyle, was a thug who beat his two wives and numerous lovers. Once he was even shot in the leg by his first wife who was protecting herself from another attack. In 1988, he threw his second wife to her death off a balcony. In 1995, on a weekend release from prison to visit his children, Monzon died when he crashed his car on the way back to jail. Many believe it was suicide.

Comments

[Mike scott]

I grew up watching Monzon's fights on World Of Sport in the 1970s. At that time he dominated the middleweight division like Duran did the lightweights. In my view Monzon would have beaten Hagler. Monzon was amazingly tough. I live in the U.S. where you see a lot of old fights from the 1950s and 1960s on the cable channels. The general standard of fighters declined in the 1980s, basically as society got wealthier fewer people considered boxing a sensible career option. I don't believe Hagler would have beaten Robinson, Gene Fulmer, Carmen Basilio or Emile Griffith. Most of Hagler's most famaous fights were against people who were not really middleweights. He struggled against an overweight Duran and a Leonard who came out of retirement.

[Del gar]

Could it just be a pro-American bias that keeps Monzon off top place. Too often we just are fed boxing history by American "experts" who deride everything that happens outside the USA. If Monzon was an American they would be putting his up there with Ali.

[Adam C]

I would put Marvin Hagler well above Monzon. He was the boxer I grew up watching on TV and who formed my love of the sport. His fights with Hearns and Mugabi may have been against smaller guys, but they were among the most exciting ever, so he should get some credit for that.

[Crashing Dashing Kid]

I agree with Mr Fairweather. Monzon (and for that matter Hopkins) and Hagler both had to fight at a time when the middleweight division was weak - so their biggest fights were against smaller fighters. Monzon, however, won the title against a better fighter than Hagler and dealt with his opposition a little better. Monzon also fought away from home every other fight during his reign.

[Thir13]

A remarkable life by an interesting individual. He seems to have been a glorified thug too, and a terrible role model. He also seems a bit mysterious, with many aspects of his life unknown. An interesting profile though.

[James Fairweather]

I've always found it difficult to separate Monzon and Hagler, reasoning that in a putative three-match series between the two, it would surely end 2-1, all by wafer-thin decision.

However, if one looks at Monzon's incredible unbeaten streak (longevity, remember, is the reason given for Hopkins' position at 5), his slightly superior opposition as champ to Hagler's, his slightly longer reign and his slightly greater number of defences, I'm not sure that I can justify placing Hagler, a fighter I prefer, above Monzon.

Monzon certainly had his difficulties against Valdes, but he did at least beat him twice. Similarly in the twilight of his career, Hagler failed, in the eyes of the judges at least, to solve the puzzle of Ray Leonard. Monzon also unseated a far superior champion to Hagler and did it at the first time of asking, without allowing a much inferior champion to draw with him. There are plenty of similarities between the careers of Hagler and Monzon. It would be my contention that Monzon narrowly shades Hagler in most of them.