Carlos Monzón

Template:Short description Template:Infobox boxer Carlos Roque Monzón (7 August 1942 – 8 January 1995), nicknamed Escopeta (Shotgun), was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight championship for seven years.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He successfully defended his title 14 times<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> against 11 different fighters.<ref name=monzon-record>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=ibhof-book3>Template:Cite web</ref> As of December 2024, he is ranked by BoxRec as the third greatest boxer of all time, pound for pound.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Known for his speed, punching power and relentless work rate, Monzon ended his career with a record of 87-3-9-1 with 59 knockouts; all of his losses were early in his career and were avenged. Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, he was chosen by The Ring magazine in 2002 as the 11th greatest fighter of the last 80 years<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and voted him as the best middleweight title holder of the last 50 years in 2011.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> As of January 2018, Monzón holds the 2nd longest unified championship reign in middleweight history at 9 consecutive defenses. Monzón spent five and a half years in prison for killing his wife Alicia by throwing her off a balcony and admitted that he had hit every single woman that he had dated.

Argentinians adored Monzón throughout his career. His glamorous and violent life was avidly followed both by the media and Argentine people. He was, however, accused many times of domestic violence by his two wives and many mistresses and of beating paparazzi. Charged with killing his second wife Alicia Muñiz in 1988, the former champion was sentenced to 11 years in jail.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name=nyt>Template:Cite news</ref> He died in a January 1995 car crash while on his way back to jail after receiving a weekend furlough.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Early life

Template:Unsourced section Monzón was born in the city of San Javier, Argentina, to a family of Mocoví descent. His parents were Roque Monzón and Amalia Ledesma. Monzón was raised in poverty with his twelve siblings. When Monzón was six years old, his family moved to Barranquitas Oeste, a poor neighborhood of Santa Fe, the capital of Santa Fe Province. To help out his family, he quit school in the third grade, working different jobs, such as shoeshiner, paperboy and milkman. As a youngster, he showed an interest in boxing.

When he was sixteen, he met Zulema Encarnación Torres, with whom he had his first son. Later, on 11 May 1962, he married Mercedes Beatriz García, nicknamed 'Pelusa'. They were so poor that they did not have enough money to buy the marriage license. They had three kids, one of whom was adopted.

Boxing beginnings

File:Nino Benvenuti vs Carlos Monzón 1970.jpg

Monzón (right) fighting Nino Benvenuti in 1970

Monzón had his first amateur fight on 2 October 1959. This first fight ended in a draw. Three years later, after a 73-6-8 amateur record, he became a professional. His first professional bout was held on 6 February 1963. He knocked out his opponent in the second round. In 1966, he won the Argentine middleweight title. In 1967, he won the South American middleweight title. After this success, Argentine boxing promoter Juan Carlos Lectoure pushed him into the international boxing scene by organizing fights with foreign boxers such as Douglas Huntley, Charles Austin, Johnny Brooks, Harold Richardson, Tommy Bethea, Bennie Briscoe (a ten-round tie) Manoel Severino and Eddy Pace.

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 Benvenuti in a rematch, this time in only three rounds in Monte Carlo when Benvenuti's seconds threw in the towel.

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 in their rematch, 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 Cuban-Mexican José Mantequilla Nápoles in Paris, 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.

Monzón's middleweight championship title was lifted in 1975 by the WBC for not defending it against mandatory challenger Rodrigo Valdez. Valdez, a Colombian, won the WBC's title, while Monzón kept the WBA's championship. 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, the fight went on, as they were both under contract. It took place in Monte Carlo. Monzón handed Valdez a beating, winning a 15-round unanimous decision and unifying the world title once again. Facing a lack of good challengers, Monzón was offered a high purse to again fight the Colombian.

The second fight was different. Monzón-Valdez II is a classic.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Valdez came out roaring this time. 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 part 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.

Retirement

Monzón retired after the second Valdez fight defense. His record stood at 87 wins, only three losses, nine draws and one no contest. Of his wins, 59 came by knockout. All three of his losses were on points, early in his career, and were all avenged. In 2003, he was named by the Ring Magazine as one of the 100 greatest punchers of all time. As of May 2023, BoxRec ranks Monzon as the fifth greatest fighter of all time, pound for pound.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Always known for his overhand right, following Monzón's victory over Mantequilla Nápoles, Angelo Dundee said: "Monzón is the complete fighter. He can box, he can hit, he can think, and he is game all the way."<ref>Latino Athletes, by Ian C. Friedman. Facts on File; 1 edition (May 2007).</ref>

Before retirement, in 1974, he starred in La Mary, a hit movie directed by Daniel Tinayre. After retirement, he participated as an actor in a couple of Argentine movies, which were not very successful, and TV shows.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

A monument to him stands in Santa Fe, Argentina.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Personal life

Template:Multiple image While still a champion, a darker side of Monzón began to emerge. In 1973, Monzón was shot in the leg by his then wife of 11 years, Mercedes Beatriz García,<ref>Monzon is shot by wife in argument</ref> with whom he had a daughter and two sons (one of whom was adopted). The shooting required seven hours of surgery to remove the bullet from Monzón's leg. In 1975, he began a very publicized romance with 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, allowing himself be seen with her, although still legally married. He was accused of domestic violence and of beating paparazzi.

Monzón was repeatedly detained by the police. Giménez 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 outbursts. During this period, Monzón and Mercedes Beatriz Garcia finally divorced.

Susana Giménez left him in 1978. After the breakup, Monzón dated Swiss actress Ursula Andress.<ref>Hackley, Randall (21 February 1988). "Rise and fall of Carlos Monzon stuns Argentina". Times-Advocate. p. D5.</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In 1979, he met Uruguayan model Alicia Muñiz, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship for many years. They eventually married and had a son together, Maximiliano Roque. But his violent behavior continued. On 14 February 1988, while vacationing in the resort city of Mar del Plata, after a heated argument, he beat Muñiz. According to the investigation after this incident, he strangled her into unconsciousness, picked her up, and pushed her off the second floor balcony, killing her, during which he followed her in the fall, injuring his shoulder. On July 3, 1989, Monzón was found guilty of homicide. He received an 11-year prison sentence.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In January 1995, Monzón was given a weekend furlough while serving his term in Cárcel de Las Flores, Santa Fe Province, to visit his family and children. On 8 January 1995, when on his way to returning to jail after the weekend, he and a passenger, Gerónimo Domingo Mottura, were killed instantly when their vehicle rolled over near Santa Rosa de Calchines. The other passenger, Monzón's sister-in-law Alicia Guadalupe Fessia, was injured.<ref name=nyt/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Even in death, Monzón drew a crowd. Thousands sang "Dale campeón" ("Go Champ") during his funeral.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Professional boxing record

Template:Abbr	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
100	Template:Yes2Win	Template:Nowrap	Rodrigo Valdez	UD	15	30 Jul 1977	Template:Small	Template:Small
99	Template:Yes2Win	86–3–9 Template:Small	Rodrigo Valdez	UD	15	26 Jun 1976	Template:Small	Template:Small
98	Template:Yes2Win	85–3–9 Template:Small	Gratien Tonna	KO	5 (15)	13 Dec 1975	Template:Small	Template:Small
97	Template:Yes2Win	84–3–9 Template:Small	Tony Licata	TKO	10 (15), Template:Small	30 Jun 1975	Template:Small	Template:Small
96	Template:Yes2Win	83–3–9 Template:Small	Tony Mundine	KO	7 (15), Template:Small	5 Oct 1974	Template:Small	Template:Small
95	Template:Yes2Win	82–3–9 Template:Small	José Nápoles	RTD	7 (15), Template:Small	9 Feb 1974	Template:Small	Template:Small
94	Template:Yes2Win	81–3–9 Template:Small	Jean-Claude Bouttier	UD	15	29 Sep 1973	Template:Small	Template:Small
93	Template:Yes2Win	80–3–9 Template:Small	Emile Griffith	UD	15	2 Jun 1973	Template:Small	Template:Small
92	Template:Yes2Win	79–3–9 Template:Small	Roy Dale	KO	5 (10), Template:Small	5 May 1973	Template:Small
91	Template:Yes2Win	78–3–9 Template:Small	Bennie Briscoe	UD	15	11 Nov 1972	Template:Small	Template:Small
90	Template:Yes2Win	77–3–9 Template:Small	Tom Bogs	TKO	5 (15), Template:Small	19 Aug 1972	Template:Small	Template:Small
89	Template:Yes2Win	76–3–9 Template:Small	Jean-Claude Bouttier	TKO	13 (15), Template:Small	17 Jun 1972	Template:Small	Template:Small
88	Template:Yes2Win	75–3–9 Template:Small	Denny Moyer	TKO	5 (15), Template:Small	4 Mar 1972	Template:Small	Template:Small
87	Template:Yes2Win	74–3–9 Template:Small	Fraser Scott	TKO	3 (10), Template:Small	4 Dec 1971	Template:Small
86	Template:Yes2Win	73–3–9 Template:Small	Emile Griffith	TKO	14 (15), Template:Small	25 Sep 1971	Template:Small	Template:Small
85	Template:Yes2Win	72–3–9 Template:Small	Nino Benvenuti	TKO	3 (15), Template:Small	8 May 1971	Template:Small	Template:Small
84	Template:Yes2Win	71–3–9 Template:Small	Roy Lee	KO	2 (10)	6 Mar 1971	Template:Small
83	Template:Yes2Win	70–3–9 Template:Small	Domingo Guerrero	KO	2 (10)	19 Feb 1971	Template:Small
82	Template:Yes2Win	69–3–9 Template:Small	Charley Austin	KO	2 (10), Template:Small	19 Dec 1970	Template:Small
81	Template:Yes2Win	68–3–9 Template:Small	Nino Benvenuti	TKO	12 (15), Template:Small	7 Nov 1970	Template:Small	Template:Small
80	Template:Yes2Win	67–3–9 Template:Small	Santiago Rosa	KO	4 (10)	19 Sep 1970	Template:Small
79	Template:Yes2Win	66–3–9 Template:Small	Eddie Pace	PTS	10	18 Jul 1970	Template:Small
78	Template:Yes2Win	65–3–9 Template:Small	Adolfo Jorge Cardozo	TKO	3 (10)	18 Apr 1970	Template:Small
77	Template:Yes2Win	64–3–9 Template:Small	Juan Aguilar	RTD	9 (10)	7 Mar 1970	Template:Small
76	Template:Yes2Win	63–3–9 Template:Small	Antonio Aguilar	KO	5 (12)	11 Feb 1970	Template:Small	Template:Small
75	Template:Yes2Win	62–3–9 Template:Small	Carlos Estrada	KO	2 (10)	12 Dec 1969	Template:Small
74	Template:Yes2Win	61–3–9 Template:Small	Manoel Severino	KO	6 (12)	27 Sep 1969	Template:Small	Template:Small
73	Template:Yes2Win	60–3–9 Template:Small	Emilio Ale Ali	TKO	7 (10)	5 Sep 1969	Template:Small
72	Template:Yes2Win	59–3–9 Template:Small	Tom Bethea	PTS	10	9 Aug 1969	Template:Small
71	Template:Yes2Win	58–3–9 Template:Small	Harold Richardson	KO	3 (10)	5 Jul 1969	Template:Small
70	Template:Yes2Win	57–3–9 Template:Small	Carlos Alberto Salinas	TKO	7 (10)	6 Jun 1969	Template:Small
69	Template:DrawDraw	56–3–9 Template:Small	Carlos Alberto Salinas	PTS	10	25 Apr 1969	Template:Small
68	Template:Yes2Win	56–3–8 Template:Small	Mario Taborda	KO	3 (10)	14 Mar 1969	Template:Small
67	Template:Yes2Win	55–3–8 Template:Small	Ruben Orrico	KO	9 (12)	10 Jan 1969	Template:Small	Template:Small
66	Template:Yes2Win	54–3–8 Template:Small	Emilio Ale Ali	PTS	10	20 Dec 1968	Template:Small
65	Template:Yes2Win	53–3–8 Template:Small	Johnny Brooks	PTS	10	7 Dec 1968	Template:Small
64	Template:Yes2Win	52–3–8 Template:Small	Charley Austin	UD	10	23 Oct 1968	Template:Small
63	Template:Yes2Win	51–3–8 Template:Small	Doug Huntley	KO	4 (10)	14 Aug 1968	Template:Small
62	Template:Yes2Win	50–3–8 Template:Small	Benito Sanchez	KO	4 (10)	5 Jul 1968	Template:Small
61	Template:Yes2Win	49–3–8 Template:Small	Juan Aguilar	PTS	10	20 Jun 1968	Template:Small
60	Template:Yes2Win	48–3–8 Template:Small	Alberto Massi	PTS	10	17 May 1968	Template:Small
59	Template:DrawDraw	47–3–8 Template:Small	Juan Aguilar	PTS	10	5 Apr 1968	Template:Small
58	Template:Yes2Win	47–3–7 Template:Small	Tito Marshall	PTS	10	18 Nov 1967	Template:Small
57	Template:Yes2Win	46–3–7 Template:Small	Ramon D Rocha	KO	7 (10)	20 Oct 1967	Template:Small
56	Template:Yes2Win	45–3–7 Template:Small	Carlos Estrada	KO	7 (10)	6 Oct 1967	Template:Small
55	Template:Yes2Win	44–3–7 Template:Small	Ramon D Rocha	PTS	10	8 Sep 1967	Template:Small
54	Template:Yes2Win	43–3–7 Template:Small	Tito Marshall	PTS	10	16 Aug 1967	Template:Small
53	Template:Yes2Win	42–3–7 Template:Small	Antonio Aguilar	KO	9 (10)	29 Jul 1967	Template:Small
52	Template:Yes2Win	41–3–7 Template:Small	Jorge Fernandez	UD	12	10 Jun 1967	Template:Small	Template:Small
51	Template:DrawDraw	40–3–7 Template:Small	Bennie Briscoe	PTS	12	6 May 1967	Template:Small
50	Template:Yes2Win	40–3–6 Template:Small	Benito Sanchez	TKO	3 (10)	9 Apr 1967	Template:Small
49	Template:Yes2Win	39–3–6 Template:Small	Angel Alberto Coria	KO	6 (10)	25 Mar 1967	Template:Small
48	Template:Yes2Win	38–3–6 Template:Small	Osvaldo Marino	KO	7 (10)	9 Mar 1967	Template:Small
47	Template:Yes2Win	37–3–6 Template:Small	Alberto Massi	PTS	10	15 Feb 1967	Template:Small
46	Template:Yes2Win	36–3–6 Template:Small	Eudoro Robledo	KO	4 (10)	27 Jan 1967	Template:Small
45	Template:Yes2Win	35–3–6 Template:Small	Carlos Alberto Salinas	KO	8 (10)	13 Jan 1967	Template:Small
44	Template:Yes2Win	34–3–6 Template:Small	Marcelo Farias	KO	3 (10)	23 Dec 1966	Template:Small
43	Template:Yes2Win	33–3–6 Template:Small	Alberto Massi	TKO	8 (10)	2 Dec 1966	Template:Small
42	Template:Yes2Win	32–3–6 Template:Small	Luis Antonio Pereyra	TKO	2 (10)	18 Nov 1966	Template:Small
41	Template:Yes2Win	31–3–6 Template:Small	Angel Alberto Coria	PTS	10	1 Nov 1966	Template:Small
40	Template:Yes2Win	30–3–6 Template:Small	Jorge Fernandez	UD	12	3 Sep 1966	Template:Small	Template:Small
39	Template:Yes2Win	29–3–6 Template:Small	Benito Sanchez	KO	4 (10)	8 Jul 1966	Template:Small
38	Template:DrawDraw	28–3–6 Template:Small	Ubaldo Marcos Bustos	PTS	10	3 Jun 1966	Template:Small
37	Template:Yes2Win	28–3–5 Template:Small	Ismael Hamze	TKO	9 (10)	29 Apr 1966	Template:Small
36	Template:Yes2Win	27–3–5 Template:Small	Norberto Juncos	KO	7 (10)	17 Feb 1966	Template:Small
35	Template:Yes2Win	26–3–5 Template:Small	Ramon D Rocha	PTS	10	4 Feb 1966	Template:Small
34	Template:Yes2Win	25–3–5 Template:Small	Carlos Alberto Salinas	PTS	10	29 Dec 1965	Template:Small
33	Template:Yes2Win	24–3–5 Template:Small	Antonio Aguilar	PTS	10	8 Dec 1965	Template:Small
32	Template:Yes2Win	23–3–5 Template:Small	Celedonio Lima	KO	5 (10)	17 Nov 1965	Template:Small
31	Template:Yes2Win	22–3–5 Template:Small	Gregorio Gomez	PTS	10	6 Oct 1965	Template:Small
30	Template:DrawDraw	21–3–5 Template:Small	Manoel Severino	PTS	8	28 Aug 1965	Template:Small
29	Template:DrawDraw	21–3–4 Template:Small	Manoel Severino	PTS	8	14 Aug 1965	Template:Small
28	Template:Yes2Win	21–3–3 Template:Small	Felipe Cambeiro	PTS	8	1 Aug 1965	Template:Small
27	Template:Yes2Win	20–3–3 Template:Small	Alberto Retondo	TKO	8 (10)	14 Jul 1965	Template:Small
26	Template:Yes2Win	19–3–3 Template:Small	Anibal Cordoba	PTS	10	19 May 1965	Template:Small
25	Template:DrawDraw	18–3–3 Template:Small	Emilio Ale Ali	PTS	10	9 Apr 1965	Template:Small
24	Template:Yes2Win	18–3–2 Template:Small	Andres Antonio Selpa	PTS	10	11 Mar 1965	Template:Small
23	Template:DrawDraw	17–3–2 Template:Small	Andres Antonio Selpa	PTS	10	8 Jan 1965	Template:Small
22	Template:DrawDraw	17–3–1 Template:Small	Celedonio Lima	PTS	10	18 Nov 1964	Template:Small
21	Template:Yes2Win	17–3 Template:Small	Francisco Gilabert	RTD	4 (10)	28 Oct 1964	Template:Small
20	Template:No2Loss	16–3 Template:Small	Alberto Massi	UD	10	9 Oct 1964	Template:Small
19	Template:Yes2Win	16–2 Template:Small	Francisco Olea	KO	9 (10)	25 Sep 1964	Template:Small
18	Template:Yes2Win	15–2 Template:Small	Americo Vacca	KO	3 (10)	4 Sep 1964	Template:Small
17	Template:Yes2Win	14–2 Template:Small	Juan Carlos Diaz	KO	9 (10)	14 Aug 1964	Template:Small
16	Template:Yes2Win	13–2 Template:Small	Walter Villa	KO	9 (10)	24 Jul 1964	Template:Small
15	Template:Yes2Win	12–2 Template:Small	Roberto Eduardo Carabajal	PTS	10	10 Jul 1964	Template:Small
14	Template:No2Loss	11–2 Template:Small	Felipe Cambeiro	PTS	8	28 Jun 1964	Template:Small
13	Template:Yes2Win	11–1 Template:Small	Angel Alberto Coria	PTS	8	13 Jun 1964	Template:Small
12	Template:Yes2Win	10–1 Template:Small	Roberto Eduardo Carabajal	KO	8 (8)	17 Jan 1964	Template:Small
11	Template:Yes2Win	9–1 Template:Small	Rene Sosa	KO	6 (8)	6 Dec 1963	Template:Small
10	Template:Yes2Win	8–1 Template:Small	Benito Sanchez	KO	8 (10)	18 Oct 1963	Template:Small
9	Template:No2Loss	7–1 Template:Small	Antonio Aguilar	PTS	10	28 Aug 1963	Template:Small
8	Template:Yes2Win	7–0 Template:Small	Lisandro Guzmán	KO	3 (8)	9 Aug 1963	Template:Small
7	Template:Yes2Win	6–0 Template:Small	Andres Cejas	KO	4 (6)	17 Jul 1963	Template:Small
6	Template:Yes2Win	5–0 Template:Small	Jose N Rodriguez	KO	5 (6)	31 May 1963	Template:Small
5	Template:Yes2Win	4–0 Template:Small	Raul Elio Rivas	KO	5 (10)	3 May 1963	Template:Small
4	Template:Yes2Win	3–0 Template:Small	Mario Suarez	TKO	8 (10)	12 Apr 1963	Template:Small
3	Template:Yes2Win	2–0 Template:Small	Albino Veron	TKO	2 (6)	9 Apr 1963	Template:Small
2	NC	1–0 Template:Small	Albino Veron	NC	1 (6)	13 Mar 1963	Template:Small
1	Template:Yes2Win	1–0	Ramón Montenegro	KO	2 (6)	6 Feb 1963	Template:Small

Titles in boxing

Major world titles

• WBA middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• WBC middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2×)

The Ring magazine titles

• The Ring middleweight champion (160 lbs)

Regional/International titles

• Argentina (FAB) middleweight champion (160 lbs)
• South American middleweight champion (160 lbs)

Undisputed titles

• Undisputed middleweight champion (160 lbs) (2×)

See also

• List of world middleweight boxing champions

External links

• Template:Boxrec
• Carlos Monzon - CBZ Profile
• Carlos "Escopeta" Monzón - IBHOF Biography
• Sports Illustrated, 8 August 1977, Volume 47, Issue 6
• Template:Find a Grave