Gil Clancy's Views of Carlos Monzon

GP, he did some things right for sure..at the end of his career he sure didn't look like he fought 100 bouts with no stoppage defeats..and he was unmarked as well.

 

I think it was during the Licata fight that Clancey commented that Monzon would have given Robinson difficulty. That's a fair statement I would say. I'm simply repeating what others have commented on, but overall from the fighters you would care to study on film, Monzon does something better than most everyone...He isn't fluid or graceful by any stretch, but he utilizes his height and reach while reacting to an opponent's distance(advance/retreat). Monzon is the ultimate rythym breaker, and this tactic seems to allow Monzon the advantage of leading his opponents into his punches. Call him overrated or whatever, but he is an underrated defensive fighter due to his movement. In most cases, Monzon does not wait on a receipt...He moves and makes the opponent start it up again. Monzon would be hell for any middleweight to overcome...Monzon wouldn't go unbeaten against the greats...but IMO he beats all of them on the most consistant basis.

 

Good post.:good

 

Neophyte observers of the sport like to compartmentalize skillsets into digestible bites such as handspeed (usually measured by meaningless shoeshine flurries on subpar opponents), footwork (meaningless prancing like a fairy) or power (one shot blowouts against shopworn placeholders).

Monzon' skillset thankfully defied this bull**** scope of excellence. He mastered the use of distance like few fighters, switched speed (as does a baseball pitcher) to great effect, punched reflexively, broke and set rythym, used great footwork to position his right hand and elude the powerpunches of his opponents... these assets backed with power, durability, chin and balls made for a hard combination to beat.

 

He had one of the least aesthetically pleasing styles that i have ever seen. To call him robotic would be being kind. He would have trouble with true middleweights that could move.