Monzon - Who feels that he's...

Imagine if Pernell Whitaker had stayed at 135 his whole career ..who would have beaten him? Imagine if Bob Foster and Michael Spinks had never attempted to go up to heavyweight . They would both probably be undefeated and ranked much higher than they are now

 

No super middle weight then, so if he went up to lightheavy, heightwise he would have been looking eye to eye with Conteh. While looking down on Galindez and maybe Ahumada. It would have been a fresh challenge for him.
Pity he never felt inclined to rise to it.

 

Hopkins eventually went up and fought for some time above middleweight. Granted it was later but he is a far different case.

 

The two Griffith goes showed the weaker parts of Monzon, in the first old man Emile did pretty well but his legs cramped over and the bout was stopped due to it in the 14th but even then Carlos couldn't tag him. In the rematch which I watched live also, Emile, though slow as molasses, landed right hand leads throughout and came as close as anyone to being in a winning position. In his prime I think I would take Emile. This brings to mind Robinson who fired right hands much faster and harder, I'd have to take Robby here also.

 

Yes, I feel he would have...en route to a 15 round decision.

 

Ice over fire IMHO.

 

Griffith wasn't stopped in 9 years before the first Monzon fight and was never stopped again not so bad if you ask me.

 

I don't think they'd be ranked higher than they are now. Spinks and Foster are both ranked highly as light-heavyweights.

I've never really understood why fighters like Monzon and Hagler are criticized for staying at middleweight. It takes incredible mental strength and discipline to make weight and defend against the best available challengers, year after year.

 

Through my experience in many a thread dealing with both fighters, it's a "criteria" used by some haters of Monzon...this same "criteria", when used fairly, is held over the heads of both Monzon and Hagler as a criticism, a deficit...as to why they "stayed put" in the middleweight class and didn't venture up into "unknown waters and tackle the giants of the bigger weight classes. This bogus Sword of Damocles has been dangled above the heads of both men by their detractors when, in their frustration over not being able to nit pick any more real or perceived faults or flaws of either man. Of course, everyone's favorite boxing warrior.."Mahvelous Mahvin" Hagler, inevitably gets a pass due to his relatively small size, and is forgiven, lest he suffer an awful fate by crossing paths with a big mean Michael Spinks, but the hated woman killer who never got defeated for his crown, Monzon gets no such pass...and his haters salivate in contemplating what it would have been his destruction vs the powerful giant Bob Foster.
In fact, both Monzon as well as Hagler, both in my opinion,...were entirely unsuited for the jump in weight to lightheavy, and whatever physical gifts they may have had at 160 would have been negated in no small way. Neither man would have, ultimately distinguished themselves at 175 in my view. Lightheavyweight would have been their "glass ceiling" as it were. Both men, instead, again in my opinion, should be "excused" from not pursuing the folly of a divisional misadventure and instead, praised for their relative wisdom in "staying put" in their ideal weight class...and subsequently, remaining in place there to clean out their division and being strong, long term "sheriffs" there.
Division jumping can be overrated, especially when your ideal division remains your logically correct base of operations to continue your long term reign of terror.

 

Tell em' Mod-Mania".......though it won't do any good ultimately to the many "90's babies" we have here, who persistently downgrade and underestimate the Griffith's, Benvenuti's, the Cuban Enery Cooper (Napoles) and even the Briscoes and the Rodrigo Valdez's(!!) of that murky, mysterious era called the 1970's, all on their way to downgrading, in their ignorance, a great champion like Carlos Monzon..

 

Exhibit "A".

My God....
@The Morlocks

 

Great great post Red. Nailed it!

 

I think I had a couple of more brain cells back in '07.

 

So says the hipster doofus of the forum. Flea you were when you began as a know it all with little ammo years ago and remain to this day it is good to see, the MAX KELLERMAN OF CLASSIC FORUM. And by the way, hipster? Have you seen your ****in avatar dumbass? Give me a break. Mostolder guys on these boards have forgotten more about boxing than your youtube wiki brain will ever know. You're full of **** MAX. Just like Max!

 

Apples and oranges...different fighter...different division...completely different dynamics at work here. I'm sure you include Hagler to be a similar minded reclusive "stay at home" wall flower too then?