Nickname "Escopeta"
(Shotgun), Monzon was adored all over Argentina during his unprecedented
middleweight championship run, despite being accused of domestic violence
and beating up the paparazzi who hounded him. His glamorous and violent
life was avidly followed by the media, culminating with his trial
for the killing of his second wife and his later death in a car crash.
Monzon
retired from boxing as a champion at the top of his game. However,
his personal problems continued and he was convicted of killing his
wife in 1989. sentenced to 11 years in jail, he died in a car crash
during a weekend furlough in 1995. He is considered by boxing critics
to have been one of the greatest middleweights in history.
Beginnings
Monzon
was born in poverty in the slums of the city of Santa Fe the capital
of the province of the same name in Argentina. Coming from a poor
background and a difficult childhood, he harbored a deep anger, coupled
with the fighting instincts of a society steeped in the culture of
machismo. Having learned early that he loved to fight, Monzon was
discovered by trainer Amilcar Brusa while hanging around the Luna
Park, a famous 8,000-seat arena in Argentinean capital of Buenos Aires.
At
the start to his professional career, Monzon did not exhibit particularly
great talent. On May 19, 1965, he won his first bout on points, against
Anibal Codoba in Buenos Aires. In his first 20 bouts he won 14, lost
three, and drew three more. However, he kept progressing against local
foes and ultimately built an impressive record, since most of his
opposition in his record was local, however, he was not given much
credit by critics, who saw him as simply one more decent middleweight
who could fight 10-round bouts. Monzon's aloof personality combined
with a somewhat listless ring style, kept him fighting in Argentinean
and Brazilian contests, almost exclusively against second'rate opponents.
finally, after racking up an impressive 50 straight victories, Monzon
earned a number-ten world ranking in 1970 and was given a title shot.
In taking the
world middleweight title by knocking out Benvenuti on November 7,
1970, Monzon shocked the boxing world. Monzon applied pressure from
the start, then, in the twelfth round he landed a right hand perfectly
on Benvenuti's chin, and the title changed hands. Monzon also beat
Benevenuti in a rematch, this time in only three rounds in Monte Carlo,
as Benevenuti's seconds threw in the towel.
In 1971, Monzon became
only the second man to stop former three-time world champion Emile
Griffith, beating him in 14 rounds. Before the rematch with Griffith,
Monzon had difficulty getting down to middleweight limit and was forced
to spar three rounds and run three miles in order to make the weight.
He as nevertheless able to out-point Griffith over 15 rounds in a
close fight. Monzon then scored a win over tough Philadelphian Bennie
Briscoe, overcoming a shaky ninth round, in which Briscoe almost scored
a knockout. He followed this with a knockout if five rounds over European
champion Tom bogs, a knockout in seven over welterweight champion
Jose Matequilla Napoles, and a ten-round knockout of tough Tony Licata
of New Orleans at Madison square Gardens. The latter fight would be
Monzon's only fight in the United States.