If Monzon Had Actually Faced Hagler, In 1978?

Hagler coming in from every angle. No stopping him.

 

I think Monzon would have still been too good and too seasoned for Hagler in this one. Takes the decision.

 

Hagler comes up short but the experience makes him even greater

 

Thats funny reading some of these comments about a slow and predictable Monzon is it ?? God Thats getting so old.. and that he was past his best when he faced Valdez? Really? He was 3 and half years older than Valdez, 20 fights deeper in the pit than Valdez was and still beat him twice .. Monzon wasn't past **** .... He was a BIG strong middle who fought well into his 30's and would enter the ring at 169 pounds, which he was against Napoles .. Hagler Monzon is always a 50 - 50 fight for me but given the 1978 hagler ... Monzon should take the close decision here imo

 

This.

I can't get how it could be seriously argued that by 1978 Monzon was a "has been". Sure he was past his prime, but he was still king of the hill. On the other side, 1978 Hagler was still an unfinished product.

In a hypothetical bout sure Marvin is going to have his moments and goes the distance, but Monzon's defensive skills, merciless counterpunching and endurance carries the day.

Monzon by UD.

 

Yeah surfinghb, World Middleweight Champion Carlos Monzon entered the ring against World Welterweight Champion Jose Mantequilla Napoles at 159 lbs on Feb 9 1974 in Paris, France, Napoles weighed in at 153 lbs for that bout, Monzon retained his title by TKO 7. Hagler had trouble beating a smaller Roberto Duran on Nov 10 1983 and was forced to go the distance with him. Monzon was 35 years old when he announced his retirement on August 29 1977, nearly a month after he retained his World Middleweight title for the 14 th time against no.1 challenger Rodrigo Valdes in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Monzon defeated Valdes on June 26 1976 also in Monte Carlo, Monaco by unanimous 15 round decision, decking Valdes in round 14.

 

Neither was at his best in 77.
Monzon was declining and Hagler was still a bit green.
It's hard to say who'd have won.
IMO it will go to the scorecards.

 

It could be like a Canelo edging GGG ( assuming he even did the first two times) ...

 

Morning Richard... It was a morning weigh in as Monzon had several throughout his career.. Monzon often had to spar rounds and run to make weight according to his trainer Almicar Brusa ... Again according to Brusa , he was 169 come fight time . .I'll take his word for it as I have posted many Brusa and Monzon interviews over the years and Monzon was a BIG middle , and this is what he said.

The fight, according to Brusa's words for a documentary made by ESPN, recalls, "was one of the easiest for Carlos. Nápoles was a very good boxer, but he was a 147-pound welterweight, how much could he weigh at night? "In those days, the weigh-in was the same morning as the fight. My pupil, on the scales, gave 160 pounds with a lot of effort, but he went up to the ring, at least, with 169... He was too strong, too vigorous for Napoli, who came up with 154 pounds, to make up a bit..."

 

You're going out on a limb there, lad.

 

Monzon knew that he was slightly past his best in '77 so he wisely retired. He was still capable of beating any middleweight in the world though. But so was the up and coming Marvin Hagler. I see a very close fight going to the cards. The winner would depend largely upon Marvin's approach to the bout. He was able to beat Carlos at this point but on a couple of occasions,as we all know,he blew the big one - Stand up Vito Antuofermo and Sugar Ray Leonard. He was way too cautious against these two. They were durable enough to take Marvin all the way. Hagler got it right in his other big one against Thomas Hearns who was a heavier hitter than Vito and Ray but did n't possess their durability. Carlos had durability up to his neck.

Conclusion - If Marvin brings his A game to the table and lets it all hang out he wins a close decision. Anything less,Carlos takes it. Very good fight either way.

 

White Bomber, A really good post.

 

I do not think there would be any cheating by the officials if Monzon and Hagler had ever fought like when GGG fought Canelo. But to those Hagler fans out there, Hagler did blow it against Vito Antuofermo on Nov 30 1979, it ended in a draw, Antuofermo retained his title, Hagler could have stopped Sugar Ray Leonard at times but didn't, therefore lost a bout against a fighter who had been out of circulation for 3 and a half years. Monzon was too financially set to make a comeback, he had a very shrewd manager in Tito Lectoure, who put some of Monzon's earnings away for a rainy day, also Carlos was a western star in many movies in Argentina. Hagler was a great fighter but sometimes style in a fighter is not enough, winning and knowing how to win fights is what the doctor ordered.

 

Agreed, Napoles was a very slick competitor, a very good counterpuncher. When I ran into Carlos Monzon after Sugar Ray Leonard easily dispatched his countryman Daniel Gonzalez, who by the way had over 60 pro bouts, Monzon did not bare the face of a fighter, we nodded up at each other in a sign of acknowledgment, that was on March 24 1979 in my hometown, Carlos was tall and thin. Monzon really had no reason to make a ring return, some say big purses buy the groceries but if you are intelligent enough to trust in a shrewd manager like he had in Tito Lectoure, who sets aside most of your ring earnings, why tarnish a legendary legacy, sometimes greed can ruin or cloud a fighters reasoning, Monzon was already a big star of the western movies in Argentina.

 

Monzon vs Napoles was the case of a good big man will always beat a good little man, both ATG's in their respected weightclasses. But the Middleweight division was a bit of a step too far for Napoles.

No Welterweight today though would challenge Monzon at Middleweight so i give Napoles his due for taking a big risk.