Carlos Monzón

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Monzón was born in San Javier, Argentina, to a family of Mocoví descent, raised in poverty with twelve siblings. He quit school in the third grade and worked as a shoeshine, paperboy, and milkman. He augmented his income by winning street fights and was drawn to amateur boxing, trained by ex-wrestler Amilcar Brusa. He had his first amateur fight on 2 October 1959, ending in a draw. After a 73-6-8 amateur record, he turned professional on 6 February 1963, knocking out his opponent in the second round. He won the Argentine middleweight title in 1966 and the South American middleweight title in 1967. Promoter Juan Carlos Lectoure pushed him into the international scene. Monzón later stopped former three-time world champion Emile Griffith in 14 rounds and out-pointed him over 15, scored a win over Bennie Briscoe in their rematch overcoming a shaky 9th round, knocked out European champion Tom Bogs in five rounds, knocked out José Mantequilla Nápoles in seven rounds in Paris, and knocked out Tony Licata in 10 rounds at Madison Square Garden—his only fight in the United States. In 1975, the WBC lifted his title for not defending against mandatory challenger Rodrigo Valdez; Monzón kept the WBA title. In 1976, Monzón unified the title by defeating Valdez via 15-round unanimous decision in Monte Carlo. In their rematch, Monzón was knocked down for the first and only time in his career in the second round but mounted a brilliant comeback, outboxing Valdez for the last 8 rounds to win a unanimous decision, scoring his 14th title defense. He retired after that fight with a record of 87-3-9-1, 59 knockouts; all three losses were early in his career and avenged.

Reader's Guide

Carlos Monzón's significance lies in his seven-year reign as undisputed middleweight champion and his 14 successful title defenses, a record that as of January 2018 stood as the second-longest unified championship reign in middleweight history at nine consecutive defenses. His style made effective use of his six-foot height and 76-inch reach, employing a stiff, punishing left jab and a variety of fast right hands from unorthodox angles, often thrown from a squatting position. Boxing historian Mike Casey described Monzón as possessing a 'deceptive destructiveness' that allowed him to overcome technically superior foes. Monzón was an effective finisher, ending 10 of his 15 title fights by knockout, with an overall KO percentage of 67.82%. In 2002, The Ring magazine chose him as the 11th greatest fighter of the last 80 years and in 2011 voted him as the best middleweight title holder of the last 50 years. In 2003, The Ring named him one of the 100 greatest punchers of all time. His legacy is complicated by a violent personal life: he was accused of domestic violence by his two wives and many mistresses, and of beating paparazzi. In 1988, he was charged with killing his second wife Alicia Muñiz and sentenced to 11 years in jail. He died in a car crash on 8 January 1995 while returning to jail after a weekend furlough. A monument to him stands in Santa Fe, Argentina.

Did You Know?

• Monzón was nicknamed Escopeta, meaning 'Shotgun'.
• He was shot in the leg by his then-wife Mercedes Beatriz García in 1973, requiring seven hours of surgery.
• Monzón was knocked down for the first and only time in his career during the second round of his rematch with Rodrigo Valdez.
• He starred in the 1974 hit movie La Mary, directed by Daniel Tinayre, alongside Susana Giménez.
• Thousands sang 'Dale campeón' ('Go Champ') during his funeral.