I favor Conteh - simply because I have no clue how Monzon handles the extra weight. Being the naturally bigger, stronger man, I think Conteh has enough to out box Monzon (Conteh had skills). The question is at which point the fight takes place. Conteh's peak is short, because of his lifestyle. If it happens in 74', he's probably too inexperience to deal with Monzon. In 77', Conteh is beginning to see his ways peck away at his prime. The earlier the fight happens, the better Monzon has a chance. The later the fight happens, it's basically a toss up because Monzon is going to start slowing down himself.
Earlier, Conteh was dabbling with the Heavies... I would not fancy Monzon chances then . It is so hard because I have never known Monzon as anything other than a Middleweight. If they had met in the mid 70s I guess if you had a tenner, Conteh on points would be the favoured bet...:huh
John Conteh was always injury prone, especially where his fragile hands were concerned. He injures a hand against Escopeta and that's his @ss.
Jorge Ahumada & Yaqui Lopez were very tough Lt Hvywts and Conteh defeated them both at the Championship level. I think Conteh was a southpaw, and was at least Monzon's size. Monzon never venture up to Lt. Heavy in the mid-seventies maybe because of all the talent there. I go with Conteh by a unanimous decision.
Yeah, John was a big light heavy, that's the difference. Plus his movement and skills were very sharp. A battle of the left jabs here but we don't know how comfortable The Great Man would be at 175, Conteh by decision seems the logical choice here.
Not sure i'd say he was ALWAYS injury prone. He had a terrible break against Bull taylor, which was suspected to be because of a bad handwrap after parting ways with Francis and Duff and that essentially Howard Winstone'd his right hand.Ruining it completely. He wasn't like a Floyd Mayweather who has consistent trouble in most of his fights to some extent or other with his hands.
conteh also broke his hand in a motor car incident,when he was going off the rails.by the way he wasn't a southpaw.
I like Conteh ,if he comes in at 175,he was proven at the weight ,and even beat some second string heavies ,Conteh during his brief prime was a very good fighter not top 4 at his weight as imo Monzon was but a dangerous fighter who could both box and hit ,I see him winning this.I dont think Monzons connections wanted this fight.
Of course. His famous quote when he lost that big amateur bout in Madrid "Nobody told me he was a southpaw".
he had a spell where he virtually couldn't use his right hand.i remember him outpointing yaqui lopez over 15 rounds i think in copenhagen one handed.that was some accomplishment.
He left jab was magic, seldom better when it was ripping into Saad Muhammad when John was way past his best until the magic 'cement' came out to stop his intense bleeding.
Thanks for the "souhtpaw" info compadres.......it has been a long time from the 70's ......I probably saw him in a fight when he broke his right hand and had to fight the rest of the time with his left making me wrongly remember him as a southpaw.
Just because Monzon didn't venture out of his weight class didn't mean that he wouldn't be successful. Somewhere along the way, over 15 rounds, he would have hurt Conteh with a right hand, and then he would have handed to John his ass. Carlos was smart enough to stay in the weight class he was best suited for, and you have to give him credit for that. Hagler was smart enough to do the same.