Carlos Monzón
| Carlos Monzón | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Carlos Roque Monzón |
| Nickname(s) | Escopeta (Shotgun) |
| Rated at | Middleweight |
| Nationality | Argentinan |
| 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 |
[edit] Beginning
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 an actual title fight 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.
[edit] Champion
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[7], 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 first and 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.
[edit] Retirement
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 received 11 years in prison.[8][9]
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.[10]
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 second best middleweight boxer of all time after Sugar Ray Robinson.
A monument to him stands in Santa Fe, Argentina.[11]
[edit] Professional boxing record
| 87 Wins (59 Knockouts), 3 Defeats, 9 Draws, 1 No Contest[12] | |||||||
| Res. | Record | Opponent | Type | Rd., Time | Date | Location | Notes |
| Win | 87-3-9 | UD | 15 | 1977-07-30 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 86-3-9 | UD | 15 | 1976-06-26 | Retained The Ring, WBA & won WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 85-3-9 | KO | 5 (15) | 1975-12-13 | Retained The Ring & WBA World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 84-3-9 | TKO | 10 (15), 2:43 | 1975-06-30 | Retained The Ring & WBA World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 83-3-9 | KO | 7 (15) | 1974-10-05 | Retained The Ring & WBA World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 82-3-9 | RTD | 7 (15), 3:00 | 1974-02-09 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 81-3-9 | UD | 15 | 1973-09-29 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 80-3-9 | UD | 15 | 1973-06-02 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 79-3-9 | KO | 5 (10) | 1973-05-05 | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. | ||
| Win | 78-3-9 | UD | 15 | 1972-11-11 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 77-3-9 | TKO | 5 (15) | 1972-08-19 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 76-3-9 | TKO | 13 (15) | 1972-06-17 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 75-3-9 | TKO | 5 (15), 1:50 | 1972-03-04 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 74-3-9 | TKO | 3 (10), 0:01 | 1971-12-04 | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. | ||
| Win | 73-3-9 | TKO | 14 (15), 2:32 | 1971-09-25 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 72-3-9 | TKO | 3 (15), 1:05 | 1971-05-08 | Retained The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. | ||
| Win | 71-3-9 | KO | 2 (10) | 1971-03-06 | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. | ||
| Win | 70-3-9 | KO | 2 (10) | 1971-02-19 | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. | ||
| Win | 69-3-9 | KO | 2 (10) | 1970-12-19 | A non-title fight. Fight at Super Middleweight. | ||
| Win | 68-3-9 | TKO | 12 (15) | 1970-11-07 | Won The Ring, WBA & WBC World Middleweight titles. The Ring magazine's "Fight of the Year" (1970) |
||
| Win | 67-3-9 | KO | 4 (10) | 1970-09-19 | |||
| Win | 66-3-9 | PTS | 10 | 1970-07-18 | |||
| Win | 65-3-9 | TKO | 3 (10) | 1970-04-18 | |||
| Win | 64-3-9 | RTD | 9 (10) | 1970-03-07 | |||
| Win | 63-3-9 | KO | 5 (12) | 1970-02-11 | Retained Argentina (FAB) Middleweight title | ||
| Win | 62-3-9 | KO | 2 (10) | 1969-12-12 | |||
| Win | 61-3-9 | KO | 6 (12) | 1969-09-27 | Retained South American Middleweight title | ||
| Win | 60-3-9 | TKO | 7 (10) | 1969-09-05 | |||
| Win | 59-3-9 | PTS | 10 | 1969-08-09 | |||
| Win | 58-3-9 | KO | 3 (10) | 1969-07-05 | |||
| Win | 57-3-9 | TKO | 7 (10) | 1969-06-06 | |||
| Draw | 56-3-9 | PTS | 10 | 1969-04-25 | |||
| Win | 56-3-8 | KO | 3 (10) | 1969-03-14 | |||
| Win | 55-3-8 | KO | 9 (12) | 1969-01-10 | Retained South American Middleweight title | ||
| Win | 54-3-8 | PTS | 10 | 1968-12-20 | |||
| Win | 53-3-8 | PTS | 10 | 1968-12-07 | |||
| Win | 52-3-8 | UD | 10 | 1968-10-23 | |||
| Win | 51-3-8 | KO | 4 (10) | 1968-08-14 | |||
| Win | 50-3-8 | KO | 4 (10) | 1968-07-05 | |||
| Win | 49-3-8 | PTS | 10 | 1968-06-20 | |||
| Win | 48-3-8 | PTS | 10 | 1968-05-17 | |||
| Draw | 47-3-8 | PTS | 10 | 1968-04-05 | |||
| Win | 47-3-7 | PTS | 10 | 1967-11-18 | |||
| Win | 46-3-7 | KO | 7 (10) | 1967-10-20 | |||
| Win | 45-3-7 | KO | 7 (10) | 1967-10-06 | |||
| Win | 44-3-7 | PTS | 10 | 1967-09-08 | |||
| Win | 43-3-7 | PTS | 10 | 1967-08-16 | |||
| Win | 42-3-7 | KO | 9 (10) | 1967-07-29 | |||
| Win | 41-3-7 | UD | 12 | 1967-06-10 | Won South American Middleweight title | ||
| Draw | 40-3-7 | PTS | 12 | 1967-05-06 | |||
| Win | 40-3-6 | TKO | 3 (10) | 1967-04-09 | |||
| Win | 39-3-6 | KO | 6 (10) | 1967-03-25 | |||
| Win | 38-3-6 | KO | 7 (10) | 1967-03-09 | |||
| Win | 37-3-6 | PTS | 10 | 1967-02-15 | |||
| Win | 36-3-6 | KO | 4 (10) | 1967-01-27 | |||
| Win | 35-3-6 | KO | 8 (10) | 1967-01-13 | |||
| Win | 34-3-6 | KO | 3 (10) | 1966-12-23 | |||
| Win | 33-3-6 | TKO | 8 (10) | 1966-12-02 | |||
| Win | 32-3-6 | TKO | 2 (10) | 1966-11-18 | |||
| Win | 31-3-6 | PTS | 10 | 1966-10-01 | |||
| Win | 30-3-6 | UD | 12 | 1966-09-03 | Won Argentina (FAB) Middleweight title | ||
| Win | 29-3-6 | KO | 4 (10) | 1966-07-08 | |||
| Draw | 28-3-6 | PTS | 10 | 1966-06-03 | |||
| Win | 28-3-5 | TKO | 9 (10) | 1966-04-29 | |||
| Win | 27-3-5 | KO | 7 (10) | 1966-02-17 | |||
| Win | 26-3-5 | PTS | 10 | 1966-02-04 | |||
| Win | 25-3-5 | PTS | 10 | 1965-12-29 | |||
| Win | 24-3-5 | PTS | 10 | 1965-12-08 | |||
| Win | 23-3-5 | KO | 5 (10) | 1965-11-17 | |||
| Win | 22-3-5 | PTS | 10 | 1965-10-06 | |||
| Draw | 21-3-5 | PTS | 8 | 1965-08-28 | |||
| Draw | 21-3-4 | PTS | 8 | 1965-08-14 | |||
| Win | 21-3-3 | PTS | 8 | 1965-08-01 | |||
| Win | 20-3-3 | TKO | 8 (10) | 1965-07-14 | |||
| Win | 19-3-3 | PTS | 10 | 1965-05-19 | |||
| Draw | 18-3-3 | PTS | 10 | 1965-04-09 | |||
| Win | 18-3-2 | PTS | 10 | 1965-03-11 | |||
| Draw | 17-3-2 | PTS | 10 | 1965-01-08 | |||
| Draw | 17-3-1 | PTS | 10 | 1964-11-18 | |||
| Win | 17-3 | RTD | 4 (10) | 1964-10-28 | |||
| Loss | 16-3 | UD | 10 | 1964-10-09 | |||
| Win | 16-2 | KO | 9 (10) | 1964-09-25 | |||
| Win | 15-2 | KO | 3 (10) | 1964-09-04 | |||
| Win | 14-2 | KO | 9 (10) | 1964-08-14 | |||
| Win | 13-2 | KO | 9 (10) | 1964-07-24 | |||
| Win | 12-2 | PTS | 10 | 1964-07-10 | |||
| Loss | 11-2 | PTS | 8 | 1964-06-28 | |||
| Win | 11-1 | PTS | 8 | 1964-06-13 | |||
| Win | 10-1 | KO | 8 (8) | 1964-01-17 | |||
| Win | 9-1 | KO | 6 (8) | 1963-12-06 | |||
| Win | 8-1 | KO | 8 (10) | 1963-10-18 | |||
| Loss | 7-1 | PTS | 10 | 1963-08-28 | |||
| Win | 7-0 | KO | 3 (8) | 1963-08-09 | |||
| Win | 6-0 | KO | 4 (6) | 1963-07-17 | |||
| Win | 5-0 | KO | 5 (6) | 1963-05-31 | |||
| Win | 4-0 | KO | 5 (10) | 1963-05-03 | |||
| Win | 3-0 | TKO | 8 (10) | 1963-04-12 | |||
| Win | 2-0 | TKO | 2 (6) | 1963-04-09 | |||
| NC | 1-0 | N/D | 1 (6) | 1963-03-13 | |||
| Win | 1-0 | KO | 2 (6) | 1963-02-06 | Professional Debut | ||
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ "Carlos Monzon". Cyber Boxing Zone. 1942-08-07. http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/monzon.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ "Biografia de Carlos Monzón Figura Boxeo Argentino Idolos Argentinos". Portalplanetasedna.com.ar. http://www.portalplanetasedna.com.ar/monzon.htm. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ BOB MEE (10 January 1995). "Obituary: Carlos Monzon". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-carlos-monzon-1567342.html.
- ^ http://momento24.com/en/2009/11/07/carlos-monzon-got-his-first-world-title-39-years-ago/
- ^ "Carlos Monzon, Boxer, Dies at 52". the New York Times. January 09, 1995. http://www.nytimes.com/1995/01/09/obituaries/carlos-monzon-boxer-dies-at-52.html.
- ^ "Boxing: 15 year Anniversary of Carlos Monzon's Death". Theboxinghistorian.com. http://www.theboxinghistorian.com/news/010/6342-monzon.php. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ Monzon is shot by wife in argument
- ^ Ex-champ Monzon found guilty of murder
- ^ Monzón, condenado a 11 años por el homicidio de su segunda esposa (Spanish)
- ^ Ex-champ Monzon dies in wreck
- ^ "Visit to the Carlos Monzón Monument". Welcomeargentina.com. http://www.welcomeargentina.com/personas-y-personajes/monumento-carlos-monzon/index_i.html. Retrieved 2010-10-19.
- ^ Carlos Monzon's Professional Boxing Record. BoxRec.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-12.
[edit] External links
| Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Carlos Monzón |
- Professional boxing record for Carlos Monzón from BoxRec
- Carlos "Escopeta" Monzón - IBHOF Biography
- Sports Illustrated, August 8, 1977, Volume 47, Issue 6
- Carlos Monzón at Find a Grave
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by |
Olimpia de Oro 1972 |
Succeeded by |
| Preceded by Joe Frazier |
Ring Magazine Fighter of the Year Shared award with Muhammad Ali 1972 |
Succeeded by George Foreman |
| Preceded by Joe Frazier |
BWAA Fighter of the Year 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 |
- 1942 births
- 1995 deaths
- Argentine boxers
- Argentine prisoners and detainees
- International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees
- Middleweight boxers
- People from Santa Fe, Argentina
- Prisoners and detainees of Argentina
- Road accident deaths in Argentina
- World boxing champions
- Argentine people convicted of murder
- People convicted of murder by Argentina