BoxRec

What in your view was Monzon's best win? Some prominent choices would be Benvenutt, Griffith, Briscoe, Napoles, Valdes. I suppose because of its overall significance, being that it was his title winning fight, a big upset, Fight of the Year in 1970, a great knock out, and a win over a HOF'er, I would probably go with his first win over Benvenutti.

Does anyone wonder if a younger Benvenutti or a younger Griffith could have beaten or perhaps drawed with him?

Considering that Hopkins didn't unify the titles until 13 defenses in, does anyone feel that Monzon still holds the true defense record of the linear Middleweight title? Or perhaps did Hopkins, by being the clear best at 160 for so long, earn the linear title before the time of tournament? I'm a Hopkins fan, but part of me feels that the record probably still belongs to Monzon.

And I guess I'll throw this in here, since its usually the question fans are most interested in; how does Monzon fair against Greb, Robinson and Hagler? I would favor Greb and Robinson to beat him in a series, but I would say he and Hagler split their series.

An old Griffith practically did beat/draw him.

I agree. Granted, I don't know how seriously Monzon took him in that second fight. But I believe Griffith would have a good shot at beating him or drawing him at least once, even if Monzon won a series.

Monzon was a better champion than Hopkins and beat better opposition.

I think it was Buzz who once posted that Monzon had great admiration for Griffith. Emile also had the benefit of great ring intelligence and adapted well, making it a tougher fight.

IMO Monzon's best win was his final fight against Valdez. He was past his best andhad a talented and much underrated younger fighter to face who had skills and a great punch.

Of course Monzon was a better champion than Hopkins and beat better opposition. I never implied otherwise. That has nothing to do with the question of who has the legitimate defense record.

I Feel Fine wrote:Of course Monzon was a better champion than Hopkins and beat better opposition. I never implied otherwise. That has nothing to do with the question of who has the legitimate defense record.

Agree with you and think he should keep the record number of defences too.

Monzon's best performance (and possibly his biggest win) was his first fight with Benvenuti IMO.

The Monzon in that fight was one of the absolute most complete fighters I've ever seen. He showcased everything in his arsenal that night. His head movement was quicker and better than in any fight I've ever seen of him, before or since. He started fast and was probably the most aggressive I've ever seen him, but at the same time showed great defense and boxing ability. I've always said that no person can fully appreciate or assess Monzon without seeing this performance first. Truly amazing. And contrary to popular belief, Benvenuti was still considered good at that time (and he was the heavy favorite to win), though he never did recover from the brutal KO punch that ended the fight. If anything was the cause of Benvenuti's decline, I'd say it was that final right hand.

To answer some of the original questions, no, I don't think Benvenuti could ever hang with Monzon. Monzon had an answer for everything he brought. He was thoroughly outclassed and overwhelmed in both fights.

Harder to say with Griffith. He gave him a very close, tough fight in the rematch, but I think Monzon may also have been past his peak by then, and his ability to make weight had become very questionable (he also struggled with Bouttier around that same time, after having beaten him much easier a few years earlier). Years earlier, Monzon looked much more impressive against a younger, less faded version of Griffith, and well beat him. Still, if you take the Griffith from the 2nd Benvenuti fight and match him with any version of Monzon, it's possible Monzon could have a fight on his hand.

The Monzon of the Benvenuti fights would've been a match for any middleweight that ever lived. I would favor him over Hagler. They both were fairly evenly matched in terms of talent and skill, but Monzon's advantages in height and reach could be the deciding factor. Also, Hagler usually liked to counterpunch and sometimes struggled in fights were he was forced to take the lead (ie: Duran, Leonard). And I don't see Hagler being able to "blitz" Monzon like he did to Hearns, who was far less sturdy and durable than Monzon was at middleweight.

Good points. And, yes, I remember Cosell saying that Monzon struggled to make weight for the Griffith rematch, perhaps that did play a factor. One thing about Griffith though, also, was that he was pretty good in rematches. And I know many would agree that since Monzon and Hagler were so evenly matched, perhaps Monzon's size would be the difference, which is certainly possible.

But as for Benvenutti, I don't know. I do think he was probably past his best by then, though he was still a good fighter. I agree that he probably never beats Monzon, but I do wonder if a 60s version of Benvenutti wouldn't have been a bit more competitive. And I agree, as I mentioned earlier, that the final right hand that ended the first fight was amazing; Benvenutti was actually able to get up, showing what kind of heart he had, but that was one of the best right hands I've ever seen.

I Feel Fine wrote:Good points. And, yes, I remember Cosell saying that Monzon struggled to make weight for the Griffith rematch, perhaps that did play a factor. One thing about Griffith though, also, was that he was pretty good in rematches. And I know many would agree that since Monzon and Hagler were so evenly matched, perhaps Monzon's size would be the difference; certainly something that could make the difference.

But as for Benvenutti, I don't know. I do think he was probably past his best by then, though he was still a good fighter. I agree that he probably never beats Monzon, but I do wonder if a 60s version of Benvenutti wouldn't have been a bit more competitive. And I agree, as I mentioned earlier, that the final right hand that ended the first fight was amazing; Benvenutti was actually able to get up, showing what kind of heart he had, but that was one of the best right hands I've ever seen.

Monzon vs Benvenutti I was a classic fight. That was King Carlos greatest victory.

I'm not suggesting that he's in the same league but does anybody see something of Monzon in Kelly Pavlik? Both gangly, not exactly polished but heavy handed, relaxed and very effective.

Flump wrote:I'm not suggesting that he's in the same league but does anybody see something of Monzon in Kelly Pavlik? Both gangly, not exactly polished but heavy handed, relaxed and very effective.

Yes, I do see some similarities in their fighting styles.

Time will tell just how good (or not good) Pavlik actually is.