By Ken Hissner: Former world middleweight champ matured a really mad young adult. This was brought onto his later life that resulted in his death while serving jail time permitted out on leave.
Monzon put together a record of 87-3-9 with 59 knockouts from 1963 to 1977. He won his very first 7 battles by blockage, consisting of having a no-contest prior to losing to Antonio Aguilar, 16-0, in August of 1963. In their rematch in December of 1965, Aguilar was 34-0-2 when Monzon beat him.
In Monzon’s other 2 losses, he lost to Spain’s Felipe Cambeiro, 38-8-4, combating out of Brazil in June of 1964 when he was 11-1 in Monzon’s very first fight out of Argentina in Brazil. In August of 1965, he beat Cambeiro.
Monzon’s 3rd loss was against Alberto Massi, 3-0, in October of 1964 when he was 16-2, which would be his last loss. In December of 1966, he stopped Massi.
Argentina has more draw choices than any other nation. Monzon had 9 of them. In his 2nd fight, he had a no-contest and won over Albino Veron in his next fight. Veron never ever battled once again.
In Monzon’s 9 draws, the very first was against Celedonio Lima, 15-0-2, which was a technical attract November of 1964. A year later on, Monzon stopped him in 5 rounds.
After the draw with Lima, Monzon drew with Andres Selpa, 118-42-25, then in their next fight, he beat Selpa. In his next fight, he drew with Emilio Ale Ali, 50-9-9, in April of 1965, and not till December of 1968 did they have a rematch Monzon won.
In August of 1965, Monzon drew with Manoel Severino 11-4-2 in back-to-back battles in Brazil. They never ever had a 3rd fight. In June of 1966, he drew with Ubaldo Marcos Bustos, 1-4, who lost his next 4 battles retiring at 1-8-1. Monzon was 28-3-5 at the time. That was an odd draw against a fighter with a bad and restricted record.
In May of 1967, Monzon drew with Philadelphia’s “Bad” Bennie Briscoe, 19-4. In his next fight, he beat Jorge Fernandez, 111-7-2, which was a significant win against his fellow compatriot. In April of 1969, Monzon drew with Carlos Alberto Salinas, 24-11-8, stopping him in their next fight.
In November of 1975, Monzon, 67-3-9, in his 80th fight, got his world title fight by stopping Nino Benvenutti, 82-6-1, in Monaco. In his next fight, he stopped previous world welterweight champ Emile Griffith, 70-11, in Argentina. In June of 1973, he once again beat Griffith, this time in Monaco.
Monzon made fourteen title defenses. It took 5 years to offer Briscoe, 43-10-1, a rematch from their draw once again in Argentina. It’s been stated Monzon would be seen smiling with a huge handshake with Briscoe and just Briscoe as his anger towards his challengers never ever ended.
“No garbage talking or bullying the week of the title fight in Bueno Aires in November of 1972. Also, on an elevator the following June 1973, at the NY Boxing Writers supper,” stated J Russell Peltz (Briscoe’s promoter)
In France, Monzon beat France’s Jean Claude Bouttier, 62-4-1, for the 2nd time. He declined to take a drug test after that. Then he stopped welterweight champ Cuba’s Jose “Mantequilla” Naploes, 77-5. The WBC removed Monzon of his WBC title due to his declining to fight Rodrigo Valdez.
Back to Argentina, Monzon stopped Australia’s Tony Mundine, 47-3-1. In his next fight, he made his U.S.A. launching, stopping Tony Licata, 49-1-3, in Madison Square Garden, New York. Back in France, Monzon stopped France’s Gratien Tonna, 36-4, in France.
Monzon just held the WBA title, and next, he would fulfill the WBC world champ Rodrigo Valdez, 57-4-2, in Monaco by ratings of 146-144, 147-145, and 148-144 in Monaco in June of 1976, re-claiming his WBC title. It would be thirteen months in July of 1977 till their rematch once again in Monaco when he beat Valdez by ratings of 144-141, 147-144, and 145-143. This would be Monzon’s last fight, being tore down in the 2nd round. He revealed his retirement the next month in August.
The odd life of Monzon outside the ring took its toll. His life altered with his success in boxing, however he kept aspects of his challenging youth, consisting of an inner rape and a propensity towards violence. He was understood to be challenging and violent against females. He had some prison time early in his profession after a brawl and was shot two times in the arm and shoulder blade by his ill-tempered other half in 1973 however recuperated to continue boxing.
In February of 1988, Monzon was charged with eliminating his common-law other half, Alicia Munez, throughout a fight in which she was up to her death from a second-floor veranda. He fell from the veranda and suffered 2 damaged ribs and a damaged clavicle. He declared she tossed herself from the veranda, and he was attempting to stop her. An autopsy revealed Monzon had actually beaten and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness.
The trial produced a media craze. A three-person tribunal discovered Monzon guilty in July of 1989, sentencing him to eleven years in jail. Monzon passed away in January 1995 when his cars and truck ran a back road and reversed. He was 52 and on furlough from jail for excellent habits.
Though inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, Monzon’s name seldom turns up compared to such champs as “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler and others.
