Name any MW who beats Monzon

Was watching some Monzon yesterday and I just couldn't think of anyway to beat him. I've been searching my brain for someone who could beat him but I've got no-one apart from maybe Greb, but even then I struggle seeing him get past that jab and not getting intercepted by big right hand counters. He's just so awkward, gangly, calculated, strong, powerful, accurate, versatile, and crushingly effective. Add in an iron chin, good counterpunching skills and back-foot boxing mixed with an ability to cut the ring, go on the front foot, and effectively put combinations together while on the aggressive. Oh, and he's got a great gas tank and paces himself well. So, who the hell has a chance of beating a prime Monzon?

 

I'm gonna go through these picks one by one if that's alright:
Toney - Toney was an excellent operator and packed a good punch, but he also ran hot and cold and struggled a lot with the weight cut down at 160. What was Toney's best performance at MW? Sosa was a good win; in the Nunn fight he was getting outclassed and was down on the cards before he produced the best punch of his career to KO Nunn. His wins over an older McCallum are of course great viewing and I do believe Toney just edged both MW fights, but neither were dominant performances and he struggled a lot with McCallum's jab and move boxing. Monzon's movement was more awkward and his jab was more accurate and varied than McCallum's imo, as well as being much longer. Toney also didn't have the punch resistance at 160 that he had at higher weights, due to how much weight he cut leaving his brain dehydrated and vulnerable to big shots. He was dropped and quite visibly hurt against Nunn, who wasn't known for being a big one shot puncher. Toney also relied on his opponents coming towards him so he could counter them, he wasn't all that great on the front foot, which Monzon could have do if he chose to box Toney working behind his jab and using his long arms to maintain a distance and a pace more comfortable for him. At MW, Toney also hadn't quite perfected his Philly shell, he would mistime opponents fairly frequently and fail to hold the phone, while his counterpunching became sharper when he came into his prime. Toney was 23 when he left 160 iirc, he hadn't reached his athletic prime yet and needed some refinement still. If Monzon boxes Toney I think he takes a clear decision but Toney's defensive prowess and chin probably lets him hear the final bell and his counters might make it tricky for Monzon if he tries to open on and put his punches together but I think Monzon's chin was strong enough to weather those counters and his boxing IQ was good even to make him realise he can stick to his boxing where he uses his height, jab, and movement to beat Lights Out.
Hagler - This fight is a big pick 'em fight and I could be persuaded towards Hagler but I think Monzon edges out a tight decision here. Marvellous Marvin was a great talent but he was often too cagey and underperformed in his biggest fights. Antuofermo 1, Duran, and Leonard, even Mugabi, all fights in which Hagler underperformed and showed an inability to affectively adapt. His corner was all that great either which didn't help. In the Duran fight in particular, Hagler spent most of his time trying to outbox Duran because he was overly cautious of Duran's right hand counters and roughness on the inside. If he tried to outbox Monzon, he would be on the end of his long jab and eating sharp, accurate straight right hands. The only other physically comparable fighter to Monzon that Hagler faced was Hearns, who negated his height and reach by choosing to go to war with Hagler despite having a shaky chin, and then breaking his right hand in the first round. Hearns did have some success in the 2nd when he tried to box Hagler and keep him on the end of his jab iirc (though it has been a while since I watched it, so could be misremembering). Hagler was always at his best when the expectations were low, when he fought his opponent using his pressure mixed with his boxing skills and switch hitting to open up new angles and manipulate his opponent's openings, he was on fire. But I also don't think he did fight at his best against Monzon he wouldn't meet a lot of right hand counters and I don't think he'd be able to keep up the pressure for a full 15 and Monzon's chin was too sturdy and his defence was subtle enough to make sure he hears the final bell. I think Monzon possibly edges him but I'm not entirely confident.
McCallum - McCallum didn't really spend much time at 160 and his best work was at 154. He was past his prime when he finally got a MW title and didn't carry his power the same. His wins over Graham, Collins, and Watson are all impressive, as is his win over the excellent Kalambay in the rematch. However, he did have his faults, and Kalambay exposed them in the first fight. Kalambay put on an excellent performance and outclassed McCallum. He showed that prime McCallum struggled against great boxers with good movement and sharp counterpunching. I believe Monzon had all of these traits and he would also have big height and reach advantages. Monzon also protected his body well thanks to his low guard. imo, Monzon takes a clear decision here.
Jones - RJJ actually spent very little time at 160, he had only 9 or so fights there, depending how you count a couple catchweight fights. His best win was over a very green B-Hop. Yes, he was very fast, elusive and powerful, but he was also green, struggled to make the weight, and neither him or Monzon had anyone stylistically similar to each other to make a good comparison. Maybe Roy is too elusive, quick, and powerful for Monzon, or maybe Monzon's jab and boxing skill is too much for a young Roy and exposes some of his unorthodox style as technically unsound and the fact he lacked good fundamentals. I don't know though, maybe Monzon doesn't quite have the tools to make Roy join the realm of mortals.
Hopkins - Hopkins I could see with his height and his craftiness. Prime B-Hop in the middle of his IBF middle run was ferocious, his combination of skill, power, and the trademark Philly awkwardness all make me think he has a shot here actually. Great counterpuncher, strong inside fighter, doesn't over extend on his shots. I can see it.
Golovkin - I love the Kazakhstani warrior as much as the next guy but he never faced anyone anywhere close to close to the caliber of Monzon and struggled a lot when he fought Jacobs, Derev, and Canelo. He had a wicked jab, bags of power, and a chin made of granite. His ability to cut the ring and suck the oxygen out of it was remarkable, but Monzon was physically much bigger, stronger and was better on the inside and had a knack for smothering his opponent's work. He would also be more active with his jab than Canelo was, while his counters and low guard would make GGG struggle to get off his body work, which he needed in order to put his combinations together and to win in a clear, dominant way. I love GGG but I dunno if he has enough to pull it out the bag against Monzon, even if his jab causes some problems in the early rounds, I do think he gets outworked and loses a decision.
Nunn - Nunn was a brilliant technician and it's absolutely criminal he hasn't been inducted to the HOF yet. He might have the best chance of beating Monzon outside of Hagler because of how skilled, durable, and quick he was. He was an awkward southpaw with very good skills, fast hands, and a good chin. He poses a lot of problems for Monzon. However, even in his prime he did have his struggles, like going life and death with a faded Barkley or getting sloppy and dropping rounds to Starling. He relied heavily on his athletic gifts and often got sloppy with his fundamentals and defence, both of which would be costly against a stone cold killer like Monzon. His substance abuse and lackadaisical approach to training don't bode too well for me either. If he decides to make a fight of things with his leaky defence against Monzon then I don't know if he gets to the end, but if he tries to outbox Monzon and is on the top of his game, maybe can pull out a tight decision.
Di ck Tiger - Tiger is an undeniable MW ATG and poses problems for any MW but he also struggled with a refined boxer and wasn't hard to outpoint for a savvy outboxer. His pressure, physical strength, and iron chin all make him impossible to slug with and impossible to KO unless you've got Bob Foster's left hook. I think Monzon probably has the skills to outpoint Tiger by keeping him on the end of his jab and countering him on the way in but Tiger would certainly make it an uncomfortable 15 rounds.
All in all, I agree that each of the men you name present issues to Monzon but I struggle to see how any of them apart from prime Hagler, Hopkins and maybe Nunn could scrape a decision over him. I might just be really high on Monzon atm but I do think he was just that good. By the way, the close fight with Griffith in the rematch was because Monzon had a bullet in his shoulder which hadn't recovered well yet and his hands were riddled with arthritis. As for Valdez, his fights with him only add to his greatness imo because he was facing a peak Valdez while himself well past his own prime and at the end of his career and still beat him twice. I also think Briscoe landing such a peach of shot on Monzon only for him to weather it with cool, calm composure by using great survival instincts also enhance his legacy by showing that even a well placed, very good shot isn't enough to put him down.

 

Agree that prime Hagler and SRR have decent chances but, out of curiosity, where do you rank Greb if you don't have him in your top 3?