Monzon, long-limbed, incredibly tough and strong, and also the holder of a fine boxing IQ, had ruled as an untouchable champion. Good men such as Nino Benvenuti, Emile Griffith, Bennie Briscoe, Jose Napoles, and Valdez had failed to put a dent in him. Monzon was a born fighter, and he had unimaginable zest, stamina, and an utter refusal to be beaten.
Plenty of historians rank Monzon as the greatest middleweight ever, and no person can shoot down such an argument. Monzon had no obvious weaknesses. In the ring.
Outside of the legalized violence of the squared circle, well, that’s a different story. A wholly different story. Monzon killed his wife, was jailed for life, and then died in a car smash when returning to his imprisoned life, having been out on a furlough.
It’s a tragic story. A fascinating story. It’s an unforgettable tale of a great yet possessed fighting man. Could any middleweight have ever beaten Monzon – Hagler, Sugar Ray, Hopkins, Toney, Greb……? For his part, Monzon said that no man could ever have beaten him when he was at his best. He may well have been right.
Monzon: middleweight champion, 7 November 1970 to 30 July 1977. 12 defenses. Final record: 87-3-9(59). Never stopped. Rumor says Monzon knocked down heavyweight great Joe Frazier; this was when he was training for his fight with Tony Licita. Monzon almost killed Mickey Rourke when the actor/wannabe fighter visited Monzon in jail and foolishly asked him to spar.
Monzon died in 1995, aged just 52.
