Carlos Monzón (1971-1974) vs GGG (2012-2015)

GGG's jab was one of the greatest weapons in Middleweight history. Unfortunately for him, Monzon's jab was even better. That 6 inch reach would be a factor. Strength and stamina are comparable, and while GGG had a slightly better chin, it's not by much. Monzon's frame could handle the rehydration pounds easily. I like Monzon 9-6.

 

You'd have to favour Monzon on pedigree but to my mind Golovkin has a more multi-faceted game and some beefy size on Monzon. They both have ATG jabs. Honestly this might go either way.

 

You are just misinformed on this one .. Monzon was a huge MW, often having to spare and run up until the 11th hour. .. and back then his weigh ins were often in the morning, For example, his ring weight vs Napoles was 169

 

Nice post.. He grew up street fighting at a very early age. He went through many sparring partners because he hit like a mule. Road work, bag work, jumping rope, and sparring. It was rough and tough days at Luna Park. An engine that was on cruise control all 15 rounds because he fought so relaxed yet focused, cold as ice, and all on a pack or 2 of cigs a day. Monzon was a clear level above

 

Hi Buddy.
Appreciate the nod, glad we agree.
stay safe , chat soon.

 

Love it!

 

If we’re being brutally realistic and not romantic about it, GGG would beat Monzón over 12 rounds, probably pretty clearly.

Monzón was a brilliant fighter for his era, great jab, excellent control of distance, cold-blooded mentality, but he fought in a completely different time. His style worked against guys who moved slower, punched in single shots, and fought at a much more methodical pace. GGG’s prime version between 2012–2015 fought at a different gear, much higher punch output, much sharper footwork, and he applied non-stop intelligent pressure.

On top of that, Golovkin was rehydrating into the 170s after weigh-ins. Monzón was a lean natural middleweight, probably fighting around 160–162 at best on fight night. So physically, GGG would be the naturally stronger, bigger man coming in. Monzón’s reach and jab would slow GGG down for a few rounds, he’s too good to just get walked through, but he wouldn't be able to consistently hold the centre against the heavier, sharper pressure GGG brings.

And Monzón wasn’t exactly unhittable. Briscoe, Valdez, and even Napoles (a blown-up welterweight) were able to find him at times. GGG’s jab alone would bust up the rhythm, and his ability to cut the ring would slowly pin Monzón down round after round.

Could Monzón survive the 12? Probably. He was tough, smart, and wasn’t going to fold mentally. But he’d take real punishment getting there. Over a 12-round modern fight, GGG’s physicality, better combination punching, and faster pace would win most of the rounds. Something like 8-4, maybe even 9-3 if Monzón can’t adapt to the tempo.

No knockout probably, but a clear decision for GGG. Different eras, different standards. Monzón’s greatness is unquestionable for the 70s, but Golovkin is a level above athletically and technically when you adjust for time.

 

According to HBO, GGG was 168lbs on fight night vs Proska and 170lbs vs both Macklin and Monroe Jnr.

According to his manager Amilcar Brusa, Monzon was 169lbs by the time he got to the ring vs Jose Napoles.

 

Fair enough, if Monzón really was around 169 by fight night vs Napoles, that definitely closes the raw weight gap more than a lot of people think.

But even if the rehydrated weights were close on paper, the difference isn’t just the number on the scale, it’s how they carried that weight and the pace they fought at.

Golovkin was filling out a modern 170 with dense, functional muscle, modern strength training, and fighting at a much higher, sharper rhythm, cutting the ring, punching in tighter bursts, using constant educated pressure. Monzón was still fighting in that classic 70s pace: single shots, methodical resets, a lot more patient chess.

Even if they weighed the same, GGG’s ability to throw more, land heavier combinations, and stay compact under fire would still be a huge advantage over 12 rounds. Monzón would definitely have moments, jab, control, smart resets, but the tempo and the sharper offence would catch up over a modern fight distance.

So yeah, weight difference maybe not as big as I first made it sound, but the tempo, shot sharpness, and physical efficiency still favour Golovkin.

 

I wasn't disagreeing with (nor agreeing with, cross era fantasy fights predictions aren't for me) your prediction on the fight, just your estimate of their in ring weight discrepancy.

Whilst I agree in general MWs, for example, today are bigger than MWs of pre day before weigh ins, I find common mistakes posters make include:

1. Reading about a few isolated extreme weight gains from weigh in to fight night during the modern era and assume they're the norm, when documented fight night weights show that they're not;

2. Assume fighters didn't dehydrate to make weight during the same day weigh in eras. They did. It's literally the reason weigh ins were moved to they day before the fight. I weigh 3lbs more in the evening than the morning with no dehydration attempts. Fighters dehydrating to make weight during the same day weigh in era will obviously gain more than 3lbs come fight time.

The average MW today weighs more in the ring than the average MW of the 1970s, but not to the extent that may believe.

 

Fair enough, that's a good clarification.

You’re right that people sometimes overestimate the modern rehydration differences, especially off a few extreme cases. Not every modern MW blows up 15–20 pounds after weigh-ins, and you're also spot-on that fighters even back then dehydrated some to make weight, maybe not as aggressively, but it definitely happened.

I was mainly trying to emphasise the physical functional difference more than just raw numbers, how modern fighters carry weight, train for power over 12 rounds, and maintain higher sustained output. But yeah, if Monzón was coming in at 169 against Napoles, then pure weight isn’t a massive gap, it’s more about pace, sharpness, and physicality differences at that point.

Appreciate the detailed reply, makes the discussion sharper.