By Ken Hissner: Former world middleweight champion grew up a very angry young person. This was carried onto his later life that led to his death while serving prison time allowed out on leave.
Monzon compiled a record of 87-3-9 with 59 knockouts from 1963 to 1977. He won his first seven fights by stoppage, including having a no-contest before losing to Antonio Aguilar, 16-0, in August of 1963. In their rematch in December of 1965, Aguilar was 34-0-2 when Monzon defeated him.
In Monzon’s other two losses, he lost to Spain’s Felipe Cambeiro, 38-8-4, fighting out of Brazil in June of 1964 when he was 11-1 in Monzon’s first fight out of Argentina in Brazil. In August of 1965, he defeated Cambeiro.
Monzon’s third loss was against Alberto Massi, 3-0, in October of 1964 when he was 16-2, which would be his final loss. In December of 1966, he stopped Massi.
Argentina has more draw decisions than any other country. Monzon had nine of them. In his second fight, he had a no-contest and won over Albino Veron in his next fight. Veron never fought again.
In Monzon’s nine draws, the first was against Celedonio Lima, 15-0-2, which was a technical draw in November of 1964. A year later, Monzon stopped him in five rounds.
After the draw with Lima, Monzon drew with Andres Selpa, 118-42-25, then in their next fight, he defeated Selpa. In his next fight, he drew with Emilio Ale Ali, 50-9-9, in April of 1965, and not until 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 fights in Brazil. They never had a third fight. In June of 1966, he drew with Ubaldo Marcos Bustos, 1-4, who lost his next four fights retiring at 1-8-1. Monzon was 28-3-5 at the time. That was a strange draw against a boxer with a bad and limited record.
In May of 1967, Monzon drew with Philadelphia’s “Bad” Bennie Briscoe, 19-4. In his next fight, he defeated Jorge Fernandez, 111-7-2, which was a major win against his fellow countryman. 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 former world welterweight champion Emile Griffith, 70-11, in Argentina. In June of 1973, he again defeated Griffith, this time in Monaco.
Monzon made fourteen title defenses. It took five years to give Briscoe, 43-10-1, a rematch from their draw again in Argentina. It’s been said Monzon would be seen smiling with a big handshake with Briscoe and only Briscoe as his anger toward his opponents never ended.
“No trash 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 dinner,” said J Russell Peltz (Briscoe’s promoter)
In France, Monzon defeated France’s Jean Claude Bouttier, 62-4-1, for the second time. He refused to take a drug test after that. Then he stopped welterweight champion Cuba’s Jose “Mantequilla” Naploes, 77-5. The WBC stripped Monzon of his WBC title due to his refusing to fight Rodrigo Valdez.
Back to Argentina, Monzon stopped Australia’s Tony Mundine, 47-3-1. In his next fight, he made his USA debut, 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 only held the WBA title, and next, he would meet the WBC world champion Rodrigo Valdez, 57-4-2, in Monaco by scores 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 until their rematch again in Monaco when he defeated Valdez by scores of 144-141, 147-144, and 145-143. This would be Monzon’s last fight, being knocked down in the second round. He announced his retirement the next month in August.
The strange life of Monzon outside the ring took its toll. His life changed with his success in boxing, but he retained elements of his difficult youth, including an inner rape and a tendency toward violence. He was known to be difficult and violent against women. He had some jail time early in his career after a brawl and was shot twice in the arm and shoulder blade by his ill-tempered wife in 1973 but recovered to continue boxing.
In February of 1988, Monzon was charged with killing his common-law wife, Alicia Munez, during a fight in which she fell to her death from a second-floor balcony. He fell from the balcony and suffered two broken ribs and a broken clavicle. He claimed she threw herself from the balcony, and he was trying to stop her. An autopsy showed Monzon had beaten and strangled her to the point of unconsciousness.
The trial created a media frenzy. A three-person tribunal found Monzon guilty in July of 1989, sentencing him to eleven years in prison. Monzon died in January 1995 when his car ran off a country road and overturned. He was 52 and on furlough from prison for good behavior.
Though inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, Monzon’s name rarely comes up compared to such champions as “Marvelous” Marvin Hagler and others.
