Carlos Monzon = slightly overrated.

No No No No !

 

Benvenuti was as athletically inclined as any middleweight ever, and Monzon shined against him twice. He had no problem getting off faster and beating him to the punch.

 

Thought you had some good points until you listed McCallum as one of the few guys who would lose easily against him.

Monzon was super tough, his chin allowed him to take his time, and his shots were hurtful enough that he wasn't easy to outpoint, or indeed outbox.

I'm sure he LOOKS average agaisnt todays guys, but honestly, he was tough as old boots, and desrved his top 3 MW ranking in most people's lists.

 

I think you've really missed a lot of things, as so many people do when watching Monzon.

 

The way Monzon threw punches was deceiving. They seemed to almost float out, seemingly without snap. But with 80 knockouts, he was apparently effective. Beating guys like Benvenuti, Briscoe, and Valdez who were all top notch world class fighters near or in their prime was no small feat. Monzon also had an unbeaten steak that spanned a decade. 7 years as champ, and never down until he was 37 and in his last fight against probobaly the toughest guy he fought, Valdez. He got up to win going away.
Head to head against Hagler I'd give the edge to Monzon. He was rangier, and better defensively. Monzon knew had to use any advantage to the fullest. He would have outpointed Hagler, especially over 15 rounds.

 

:good

But I think Hagler takes it in a super-close fight.

 

Say what you want about Monzon, he was just plain effective all of the time. He may have not possesed the flash that people seemed to be conditioned to expect from the great fighters but the end result for him was always the same in close to a decade presiding over a middleweight era packed with talent.
He is the best middleweight you will probably ever see on film, you just got to look harder, because he was a man whose moves were often subtle.

I do think however...over 12..Roy Jones could beat him, it is a strong possibility with the sheer speed and stylistic issues Roy brings to the table. With the Hopkins and Hagler fights being so close you would have trouble splitting them but I would lean towards Carlos.

 

Hopkins, McCallum, Jones, Toney, Nunn etc - top quality fighters. But they would have had trouble beating Nino Benvenuti, Emile Griffith and Rdorigo Valdez. They would have thier hands full with them, never mnd Monzon.

 

Hopkins himself said that he loses more against Monzon than he wins. And everybody knows how B-Hop is egoistical.

 

See his fights with Benvenuti and Mundine for the answer.

 

I couldn't disagree more. There is absolutely no way Monzon gets stopped by Hagler, and NO ****ING WAY he loses to Michael ****ing Nunn!! Sober up! Griffith and Benvenuti would have been solid mw champions for prolonged periods in other eras, and Monzon wiped them out in an EIGHTY-ONE FIGHT UNDEFEATED STREAK that lasted the whole of his time as a world title contender and champion. I think you are sorely underrating Monzon because he was not flashy or spectacular... but he was damned effective. And he would pulverize Michael Nunn!

 

The thing with Monzon is when you first see him you think 'is this it? is this all he can do?' as nothing really stands out.

But if you watch his fights carefully you notice that the man was a genius in the ring.