| Carlos Monzón | |
|---|---|
Monzón in 1977, when he retired from boxing. |
|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Carlos Roque Monzón |
| Nickname(s) | Escopeta (Shotgun) |
| Rated at | Middleweight |
| Nationality | Argentine |
| Born | August 7, 1942 Santa Fe, Argentina |
| Died | January 8, 1995 (aged 52) |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 100 |
| Wins | 87 |
| Wins by KO | 59 |
| Losses | 3 |
| Draws | 9 |
| No contests | 1 |
Carlos Monzón (August 7, 1942 – January 8, 1995) was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight title for 7 years, during which he successfully defended the title 14 times.[1][2][3]
His glamorous and violent life was avidly followed by the media, culminating with his trial for the murder of his concubine and his death in a car crash soon thereafter. Argentinians adored Monzon throughout his career. He was, however, accused many times of domestic violence by his two wives and many mistresses, and of beating paparazzi. He toured all of Latin America and Europe with Argentine and Italian models and actresses. Accused of killing his wife Alicia Muniz, in Mar del Plata in 1988, the former champion was sentenced to 11 years in jail.[4][5] He died in a car crash during a weekend furlough. He would have been let free in 2001.[6]
Contents |
Monzón was born in the city of San Javier, Argentina, and moved to the capital of Santa Fe Province. As a youngster, he showed interest in boxing.
World Middleweight champion Nino Benvenuti had long had a distinguished career that included championships in 2 divisions and 2 wins in 3 bouts vs all-time great Emile Griffith. He had lost the year before to American Tom Bethea in Australia, but in a title rematch in Yugoslavia, he avenged that loss.
Nobody expected Monzón to beat Benvenuti in their title match (very few knew of him). Yet Monzón applied pressure from the start, and in the 12th, a right hand landed perfectly on Benvenuti's chin, and the title changed hands. Monzón also beat Benevenuti in a rematch, this time in only three rounds in Monte Carlo when his seconds threw in the towel.
In 1971 Monzón became only the second man to stop former three-time world champion Emile Griffith in 14 rounds, and later out-pointed him over 15 in a close fight (before the fight Monzón had to spar three rounds and run three miles in order to make the weight). Monzón then scored a win over tough Philadelphian Bennie Briscoe, over-coming a shakey 9th round, in which Briscoe almost scored a knockout; a knockout in five rounds over European champion Tom Bogs, a knockout in seven rounds over Mexican José Mantequilla Nápoles in Paris, France and a 10 round knockout of tough Tony Licata of New Orleans at the Madison Square Garden, in what would turn out to be Monzón's only fight in the United States.
However, a darker side of Monzón would soon begin to emerge. In 1973, Monzón was shot in the leg by his wife, requiring 7 hours of surgery to remove the bullet. In 1975, he began a very publicized romance with the famous actress and vedette Susana Giménez; they had previously met in the 1974 thriller La Mary, directed by Daniel Tinayre, where the two played husband and wife. Monzón hated paparazzi who detailed his affairs. He went to Italy with Giménez to participate in a movie, and started increasingly traveling with her to locations in Brazil and the rest of Latin America, letting himself be seen with her, though still married.
Soon the beatings he gave his concubine became public knowledge. Monzón was detained by the police repeatedly. Giménez also began wearing sunglasses more often, presumably to hide her bruises, and many times, paparazzi had to be hospitalized from the beatings suffered at the hands of Monzón, who had unpredictable violent outbreaks. During this period, Monzón divorced his wife, and later re-married another Argentine woman.
Monzón's Middleweight championship title was lifted in 1975 by the WBC for not defending it against mandatory challenger Rodrigo Valdez. Valdez, a Colombian, then won the WBC's title, while Monzón kept the WBA's championship. So in 1976, they finally met, this time, world champion vs. world champion.
Valdez's brother had been shot to death one week prior to the fight and he did not feel like fighting. Still, they were under contract and so the fight took place in Monte Carlo and Monzón handed an uninterested Valdez a beating, winning a 15 round unanimous decision and unifying the world title once again. Because of the special circumstances under which Valdez performed, an immediate rematch was ordered, once again in Monte Carlo.
This time, Valdez came out roaring. In the second round, right cross to the chin put Monzón down for the only time in his career. Valdez built a lead through the first half of the fight. Monzón, however, mounted a brilliant comeback and outboxed Valdez for the last 8 rounds, winning a unanimous decision to retain the title and score his 14th title defense.
Monzón retired after this defense and kept a low public profile through most of the late 1970s and the 1980s. Susana Giménez left him in 1980. After the breakup, Monzón's private life was finally closed to the public, but the beatings continued, this time with his second concubine, Alicia Muñiz. In 1988, while vacationing in the resort city of Mar del Plata, he allegedly beat Muñiz so many times that she was scarred and bloody; ran to the balcony of their second floor apartment and presumably jumped. According to the investigation performed later, he followed her there, grabbed her by the neck, and then picked her up and pushed her off the balcony, to her death, after which he followed her in the fall injuring a shoulder. In 1989, he was found guilty of homicide and got 11 years in prison.[7]
In 1995, Monzón was given a weekend furlough while serving his prison in Santa Fe province to visit his family and children. Upon returning to jail after the weekend, he died instantly when his vehicle rolled over.
His record stands at 87 wins, only three losses, nine draws, and one no contest. Of his wins, 59 came by knockout. His only losses were by points and early in his career. In 2003, he was named by the Ring Magazine as one of the 100 greatest punchers of all time. On the independent computer-based ranking of boxrec.com he is listed as the third best middleweight boxer of all time, after Marvin Hagler and Sugar Ray Robinson.
A monument to him stands in Santa Fe, Argentina.[8]
| 87 Wins (59 Knockouts), 3 Defeats, 9 Draws, 1 No Contest[9] | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
| Win | 87-3-9 | Rodrigo Valdéz | UD | 15 | 1977-07-30 | Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 86-3-9 | Rodrigo Valdéz | UD | 15 | 1976-06-26 | Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo | Retained The Ring, WBA & won WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 85-3-9 | Gratien Tonna | KO | 5 (15) | 1975-12-13 | Nouvelle Hippodrome, Paris, Île-de-France | Retained The Ring & WBA World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 84-3-9 | Tony Licata | TKO | 10 (15), 2:43 | 1975-06-30 | Madison Square Garden, New York, New York | Retained The Ring & WBA World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 83-3-9 | Tony Mundine | KO | 7 (15) | 1974-10-05 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | Retained The Ring & WBA World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 82-3-9 | José Nápoles | RTD | 7 (15), 3:00 | 1974-02-09 | Puteaux, Hauts-de-Seine | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 81-3-9 | Jean-Claude Bouttier | UD | 15 | 1973-09-29 | Stade Roland Garros, Paris, Île-de-France | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 80-3-9 | Emile Griffith | UD | 15 | 1973-06-02 | Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 79-3-9 | Roy Dale | KO | 5 (10) | 1973-05-05 | Palazzo Dello Sport, Rome, Lazio | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. |
| Win | 78-3-9 | Bennie Briscoe | UD | 15 | 1972-11-11 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 77-3-9 | Tom Bogs | TKO | 5 (15) | 1972-08-19 | Idraetsparken, Copenhagen | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 76-3-9 | Jean-Claude Bouttier | TKO | 13 (15) | 1972-06-17 | Colombes Stadium, Paris, Île-de-France | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 75-3-9 | Denny Moyer | TKO | 5 (15), 1:50 | 1972-03-04 | Palazzo Dello Sport, Rome, Lazio | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 74-3-9 | Fraser Scott | TKO | 3 (10), 0:01 | 1971-12-04 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. |
| Win | 73-3-9 | Emile Griffith | TKO | 14 (15), 2:32 | 1971-09-25 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 72-3-9 | Nino Benvenuti | TKO | 3 (15), 1:05 | 1971-05-08 | Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. |
| Win | 71-3-9 | Roy Lee | KO | 2 (10) | 1971-03-06 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. |
| Win | 70-3-9 | Domingo Guerrero | KO | 2 (10) | 1971-02-19 | Salta, Salta | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. |
| Win | 69-3-9 | Charley Austin | KO | 2 (10) | 1970-12-19 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. |
| Win | 68-3-9 | Nino Benvenuti | TKO | 12 (15) | 1970-11-07 | Palazzo Dello Sport, Rome, Lazio | Won The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. The Ring magazine's "Fight of the Year" (1970) |
| Win | 67-3-9 | Santiago Rosa | KO | 4 (10) | 1970-09-19 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 66-3-9 | Eddie Pace | PTS | 10 | 1970-07-18 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 65-3-9 | Adolfo Jorge Cardozo | TKO | 3 (10) | 1970-04-18 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 64-3-9 | Juan Aguilar | RTD | 9 (10) | 1970-03-07 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 63-3-9 | Antonio Aguilar | KO | 5 (12) | 1970-02-11 | Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires | Retained Argentina (FAB) Middleweight title |
| Win | 62-3-9 | Carlos Estrada | KO | 2 (10) | 1969-12-12 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 61-3-9 | Manoel Severino | KO | 6 (12) | 1969-09-27 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | Retained South American Middleweight title |
| Win | 60-3-9 | Emilio Ale Ali | TKO | 7 (10) | 1969-09-05 | San Miguel, Tucumán | |
| Win | 59-3-9 | Tom Bethea | PTS | 10 | 1969-08-09 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 58-3-9 | Harold Richardson | KO | 3 (10) | 1969-07-05 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 57-3-9 | Carlos Alberto Salinas | TKO | 7 (10) | 1969-06-06 | Paraná, Entre Ríos | |
| Draw | 56-3-9 | Carlos Alberto Salinas | PTS | 10 | 1969-04-25 | Recreativo Bochas Club, Paraná, Entre Ríos | |
| Win | 56-3-8 | Mario Taborda | KO | 3 (10) | 1969-03-14 | Club Sportivo, Presidencia Roque Saenz Pena, Chaco | |
| Win | 55-3-8 | Ruben Orrico | KO | 9 (12) | 1969-01-10 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | Retained South American Middleweight title |
| Win | 54-3-8 | Emilio Ale Ali | PTS | 10 | 1968-12-20 | Mendoza, Mendoza | |
| Win | 53-3-8 | Johnny Brooks | PTS | 10 | 1968-12-07 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 52-3-8 | Charley Austin | UD | 10 | 1968-10-23 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 51-3-8 | Doug Huntley | KO | 4 (10) | 1968-08-14 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 50-3-8 | Benito Sanchez | KO | 4 (10) | 1968-07-05 | Chaco, Chaco | |
| Win | 49-3-8 | Juan Aguilar | PTS | 10 | 1968-06-20 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 48-3-8 | Alberto Massi | PTS | 10 | 1968-05-17 | Córdoba, Córdoba | |
| Draw | 47-3-8 | Juan Aguilar | PTS | 10 | 1968-04-05 | Mendoza, Mendoza | |
| Win | 47-3-7 | Tito Marshall | PTS | 10 | 1967-11-18 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 46-3-7 | Ramon D Rocha | KO | 7 (10) | 1967-10-20 | San Juan, La Rioja | |
| Win | 45-3-7 | Carlos Estrada | KO | 7 (10) | 1967-10-06 | Trelew, Chubut | |
| Win | 44-3-7 | Ramon D Rocha | PTS | 10 | 1967-09-08 | Rosario, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 43-3-7 | Tito Marshall | PTS | 10 | 1967-08-16 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 42-3-7 | Antonio Aguilar | KO | 9 (10) | 1967-07-29 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 41-3-7 | Jorge Fernandez | UD | 12 | 1967-06-10 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | Won South American Middleweight title |
| Draw | 40-3-7 | Bennie Briscoe | PTS | 12 | 1967-05-06 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 40-3-6 | Benito Sanchez | TKO | 3 (10) | 1967-04-09 | Santa Elena, Entre Ríos | |
| Win | 39-3-6 | Angel Alberto Coria | KO | 6 (10) | 1967-03-25 | Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires | |
| Win | 38-3-6 | Osvaldo Marino | KO | 7 (10) | 1967-03-09 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 37-3-6 | Alberto Massi | PTS | 10 | 1967-02-15 | San Francisco, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 36-3-6 | Eudoro Robledo | KO | 4 (10) | 1967-01-27 | Charata, Chaco | |
| Win | 35-3-6 | Carlos Alberto Salinas | KO | 8 (10) | 1967-01-13 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 34-3-6 | Marcelo Farias | KO | 3 (10) | 1966-12-23 | San Cristóbal, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 33-3-6 | Alberto Massi | TKO | 8 (10) | 1966-12-02 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 32-3-6 | Luis Antonio Pereyra | TKO | 2 (10) | 1966-11-18 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 31-3-6 | Angel Alberto Coria | PTS | 10 | 1966-10-01 | Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires | |
| Win | 30-3-6 | Jorge Fernandez | UD | 12 | 1966-09-03 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | Won Argentina (FAB) Middleweight title |
| Win | 29-3-6 | Benito Sanchez | KO | 4 (10) | 1966-07-08 | San Pereyra | |
| Draw | 28-3-6 | Ubaldo Marcos Bustos | PTS | 10 | 1966-06-03 | Río Gallegos, Santa Cruz | |
| Win | 28-3-5 | Ismael Hamze | TKO | 9 (10) | 1966-04-29 | San Nicolas, Santiago del Estero | |
| Win | 27-3-5 | Norberto Juncos | KO | 7 (10) | 1966-02-17 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 26-3-5 | Ramon D Rocha | PTS | 10 | 1966-02-04 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 25-3-5 | Carlos Alberto Salinas | PTS | 10 | 1965-12-29 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 24-3-5 | Antonio Aguilar | PTS | 10 | 1965-12-08 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 23-3-5 | Celedonio Lima | KO | 5 (10) | 1965-11-17 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 22-3-5 | Gregorio Gomez | PTS | 10 | 1965-10-06 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Draw | 21-3-5 | Manoel Severino | PTS | 8 | 1965-08-28 | Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro | |
| Draw | 21-3-4 | Manoel Severino | PTS | 8 | 1965-08-14 | Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro | |
| Win | 21-3-3 | Felipe Cambeiro | PTS | 8 | 1965-08-01 | São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro | |
| Win | 20-3-3 | Alberto Retondo | TKO | 8 (10) | 1965-07-14 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 19-3-3 | Anibal Cordoba | PTS | 10 | 1965-05-19 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Draw | 18-3-3 | Emilio Ale Ali | PTS | 10 | 1965-04-09 | San Miguel, Tucumán | |
| Win | 18-3-2 | Andres Antonio Selpa | PTS | 10 | 1965-03-11 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| Draw | 17-3-2 | Andres Antonio Selpa | PTS | 10 | 1965-01-08 | Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires | |
| Draw | 17-3-1 | Celedonio Lima | PTS | 10 | 1964-11-18 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 17-3 | Francisco Gilabert | RTD | 4 (10) | 1964-10-28 | Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Loss | 16-3 | Alberto Massi | UD | 10 | 1964-10-09 | Cordoba Sport Club, Córdoba, Córdoba | |
| Win | 16-2 | Francisco Olea | KO | 9 (10) | 1964-09-25 | Tostado, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 15-2 | Americo Vacca | KO | 3 (10) | 1964-09-04 | Paraná, Entre Ríos | |
| Win | 14-2 | Juan Carlos Diaz | KO | 9 (10) | 1964-08-14 | Villa Ángela, Chaco | |
| Win | 13-2 | Walter Villa | KO | 9 (10) | 1964-07-24 | Ceres, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 12-2 | Roberto Eduardo Carabajal | PTS | 10 | 1964-07-10 | Tostado, Santa Fe | |
| Loss | 11-2 | Felipe Cambeiro | PTS | 8 | 1964-06-28 | Auditorium Río TV, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro | |
| Win | 11-1 | Angel Alberto Coria | PTS | 8 | 1964-06-13 | Mar del Plata, Buenos Aires | |
| Win | 10-1 | Roberto Eduardo Carabajal | KO | 8 (8) | 1964-01-17 | Paraná, Entre Ríos | |
| Win | 9-1 | Rene Sosa | KO | 6 (8) | 1963-12-06 | Paraná, Entre Ríos | |
| Win | 8-1 | Benito Sanchez | KO | 8 (10) | 1963-10-18 | Reconquista, Santa Fe | |
| Loss | 7-1 | Antonio Aguilar | PTS | 10 | 1963-08-28 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 7-0 | Lisandro Guzmán | KO | 3 (8) | 1963-08-09 | Córdoba, Córdoba | |
| Win | 6-0 | Andres Cejas | KO | 4 (6) | 1963-07-17 | Estadio Luna Park, Buenos Aires, Distrito Federal | |
| Win | 5-0 | Jose N Rodriguez | KO | 5 (6) | 1963-05-31 | Paraná, Entre Ríos | |
| Win | 4-0 | Raul Elio Rivas | KO | 5 (10) | 1963-05-03 | Posadas, Misiones | |
| Win | 3-0 | Mario Suarez | TKO | 8 (10) | 1963-04-12 | Posadas, Misiones | |
| Win | 2-0 | Albino Veron | TKO | 2 (6) | 1963-04-09 | Santa Fe, Santa Fe | |
| NC | 1-0 | Albino Veron | N/D | 1 (6) | 1963-03-13 | Vila, Santa Fe | |
| Win | 1-0 | Ramón Montenegro | KO | 2 (6) | 1963-02-06 | Club Sportivo Ben Hur, Rafaela, Santa Fe | Professional Debut |
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alberto Demiddi |
Olimpia de Oro 1972 |
Succeeded by Horacio Iglesias |
| Preceded by Joe Frazier |
Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year Shared award with Muhammad Ali 1972 |
Succeeded by George Foreman |
| Preceded by Nino Benvenuti |
WBC Middleweight Champion November 7, 1970 - May 25, 1974 Stripped |
Vacant
Title next held by
Rodrigo Valdez |
| WBA Middleweight Champion November 7, 1970 - July 30, 1977 Retired |
||
| The Ring Middleweight Champion November 7, 1970 - July 30, 1977 Retired |
||
| Preceded by Rodrigo Valdez |
WBC Middleweight Champion June 26, 1976 - July 30, 1977 Retired |
|
| Preceded by Nino Benvenuti |
World Middleweight Champion November 7, 1970 - February 9, 1974 Titles fractured |
Succeeded by Rodrigo Valdez |