Then why were so many people picking Ray to win the fight a week before? It makes it very hard for me to believe Hagler wasn't the 3-1 underdog. I watched those ESPN shows too. Speaking of Vito,, I remember the interview where he said Hagler was in such a deteriorated state that anyone of Hagler's previous challengers at this point could now beat him. Vito re-emphasized ANYONE. Hitman Hearns was saying Ray was going to win and many, many others were saying the same thing. So the problem is that you just don't remember things the way they happened. There's a lot you don't remember. :smoke
US TV did not show the fight, but Argentinian TV did film it. I have a film that shows 8 of the 15 rounds on some network called tyc sports. You can see the fight much more clearly than on that 8mm version, as this was a TV camera that was taping and not a hand held one from someone in the crowd were the 8mm originated from. It shows rounds 1,5 to 10, 15 and lasts just under half and hour, and Monzon did some paintjob on Bennie that night by looking at this film. Besides the first round which he clearly lost, Carlos was in control throughout rounds five to ten, and also clearly won the final round. Monzon was staggered about halfway into the 9th round by a right cross from Bennie as he was throwing his own right, and then a follow up left hook also landed on Monzon. Unfortunately for Bennie, Monzon had regained his senses almost immediately from that right hand which staggered him, a punch that woud have felled a grizzly bear. Monzon did win that round even though he got stunned by Bennie, as that was Briscoe`s only shining moment in what was an otherwise one-sided round in Monzon`s favour. He came back aggressively at Briscoe in the 10th which he won clearly, and even staggered him with a right of his own high on the temple and then a follow up right on the chin with about 5 seconds to go in the round staggered Bennie into a corner but the bell rung to save him. It is interesting to compare how differently Carlos and Marvin handled different versions of Bennie Briscoe. Carlos threw a constant barrage of jabs, left hooks and right crosses at an ever advancing and determined Briscoe, and also landed several jarring left/right uppercuts during the fight and timed them so that Bennie often leaned right into them while he was doing his bob n` weave while coming in. He would also hit Briscoe to the body repeatedly whenever they got into a clinch, and would then push him back and spin out of harm`s way and resume his measured attack. He had such an impeccable sense of timing and distance Monzon did, and I strongly disagree when Monzon is accused of having hands that are slow as molasses. When he felt like it he could easily throw hard, fast and most importantly accurate punches at his opponents, and would do so in combinations no less while being able to keep it up for fifteen rounds against a hungry, hard hitting and ever advancing opponent. He did some paintjob on Briscoe that night, and he skillfully leaned back and away from most of what was thrown his direction by Briscoe. The reason I think some posters are under the impression Carlos was slow was that he would often throw lazy punches... but that was a ploy as he would do so to lower his opponents guard by making them feel more confident about coming in on him, and then suddenly BAM!! Monzon lands a series of two, three or even four punches on his foe who is still getting hit while trying to dodge away from the punches coming his way. That is how good Monzon`s sense of timing was, truly masterful. Now Hagler on the other hand fougt a completely different fight against a Briscoe that was running on fumes by then and who was to lose 7 of the remaining 13 bouts of his career after fighting Hagler. He boxed cautiously for most of the fight, and fought Briscoe from a distance although he did fight him in the trenches sporadically. But it was clear that Briscoe, while old and his best days far behind him, was the stronger man of the two which is why Hagler fought him the way he did. Yet Monzon had easily manhandled a much younger and stronger version of Briscoe years earlier, and had also done so with Valdez in both of their encounters... and Rodrigo was a strong guy himself as he manhandled Briscoe on the inside in their three fights! So with that said I don`t foresee Monzon having much difficulty tying up Halger whenever he got inside on him, and he would also hit him when in close quarters every chance he got. He would also time Hagler with hard and accurate counters as he would be trying to work his way in, and coming in he would have to do on the taller, rangier Monzon as he sure as hell ain`t going to outbox him from long range which is where Carlos was at his best. I mean honestly, how fast was Hagler really? From what I've seen of him, which is a fair bit....I wouldn't rate him as fast. He could throw punches no doubt, but if I was praising Hagler, speed would be a bit down the list. Chin, stamina, killer instinct and heart would be his main assets. He certainly wasn't speedy against Ray or Roberto....do we have to assume that the Hagler that could beat Monzon, is the one that Beat Minter? Hagler looked very impressive against Minter granted, and that version of his would give Carlos a much harder fight than any other, but I can confidently say that the Monzon who fought Briscoe in their return bout would have beaten the Hagler of the Minter fight or any other fight for that matter. King Carlos to me is just that slight step above Hagler on the totem pole of all-time great middleweights, as he made it look sooo simple against some hard, rugged and talented fighters. His jab was textbook, and his right hand was too. His hook was sweeping not sharp, although it was still very accurate and it led you to the right which was his style. He had great ring command and both offensive and his defensive timing was especially impressive, as he would often lean away from punches that would miss him by an inch or so, and he would and could lean away from several punches in a row. He also had an uncanny ability of always stepping in and out of position at just the right distance, so that his opponents where always within his punching range and not out of his reach. Hagler`s aggression would see him win his share of rounds during the fight, but I think that ultimately Monzon`s ring generalship and hard and accurate counters will win him the day in what would be a close, but clear victory for the Argentinian. He would keep the fight at his own range and frustrate Marvin for most of the night, although Marv`s dogged determination will see him win some rounds. Either way, the fight would have been very competitive and would have likely warranted a rematch, which Monzon would have also won IMO. Just too big, too strong and most importantly too smart for Hagler to deal with.
When this was a thread I declined to choose.I always thought of a metting with Jones as a possible replica of the Camcho-Rosario fight. But I see it where Jones's speed and in-and-out would give him a big early lead, around the halfway mark a looping right hand would turn the fight. Jones would go into his 'reluctant' shell and be content to bicycle his way to victory. Monzon's speed is nowhere near as ponderous as people make out, granted it's hardly Jones league but I'd say it was definitely on par with Hagler's. Monzon vs Roy? A split either way. Jones is Monzon's most difficult match-up i'd say. I suppose we don't know of Jones' KO loss to Tarver was a weak chin or just past-prime, probably the former. Prime Hearns is Roy's potential poison at middleweight. Still, I 'again' decline to pick a winner from Carlos vs Roy- as I was a big fan of Jones at 160 (as my many letters to Boxing Monthly and News in the early 90s proved). :good I actually think Carlos would beat Robinson at 160. He'd utilise his superior strengh and work behind the long jab. His 'ranger' would be effective enough to score with big right hands. Of course, many will point to Sugar Ray 'on his best night' but if 'best night' was the case then Riddick Bowe just may be a Top 5 heavy of all time- and Douglas Top 10. Monzon's looked imperious at the weight and we know Ray was beatable. Gun to the head, I think it's logical to choose Monzon, he looked close to unbeatable during his long reign and I take him by close UD. I go for overall consistency when picking in mythical match-ups (another reason I couldn't pick between Monzon & Jones).
