I started following boxing in 1975, immediately after Valdez was crowned WBC champ. I can tell you a little. Public opinion was that Monzon was far and away the rightful middleweight champion in the 1974-76 period. Nonetheless, Valdez commanded a lot of respect among fans and media. Everyone agreed that Valdez was really the only viable challenger for Monzon. Some even thought he would beat Carlos. Nobody, as I recall, trashed Valdez as a "pretender" or a phony champ. As to why the fight took two years to make, it boils down to business: many different power brokers have to be brought together to finalize a big fight, especially a WBC and WBA unification bout. Valdez's backers put up a lot of money to advance him to where he was in 1974-76, and they weren't about to throw that money away by allowing their fighter to be matched with Monzon on the cheap. Remember, for big fights, TV contracts have to be arranged, and big promoters have to put up big money to get the two fighters in the ring. Keep in mind that the WBC wasn't necessarily keen on allowing their newly crowned champ to get knocked off by Monzon in a unification bout. Nobody was going to sign a fight contract unless enough money was put on the table. Everyone behind each fighter needs to be compensated for what they've invested. It takes time to negotiate deals of this magnitude in boxing.
Do you happen to know the approximate date when Valdez got in a car accident and injured his right hand, SP?
Was there any talk in boxing magazines or by some boxing writers of Monzon avoiding Valdez? Or it was seen more like 80's Tyson-Holyfield situation - the fight is going to happen sooner or later - it's just a matter of time and negotiations?
Gil Clancy used the New York print media, To say that Carlos Monzon was afraid to fight Rodrido Valdez in New York, at Madison Square Garden. Gil got alot of traction, by saying that Carlos as afraid to leave Argentine in late-1974 and early-1975. Most in the United States, were more familiar with Rodrigo. Carlos was regarded as a South American and French territory fighter 'only', and was 'painted' as taking the easy road to protect his Championship Title. Carlos did agree to come to New York on June 30, 1975, to take on Tony Licata {50-1-3}, in a WBA mandatory defense, as Tony was positioned as the #1 WBA Middleweight. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the meantime, after Rodrigo disposed of #1 WBC Middleweight Gratien Tonna in France by {KO 11} in November 1974, in his 'First' Title defense - He had his '2nd Defense' in May 1975, in Columbia - versus the 'cagey' 28 year-old Argentinian Ramon Mendez. Ramon Mendez 21-9-3 (12 KO's), had jumped up to the #5 WBC Middleweight, by upsetting the 'undefeated' #1 Middleweight, Tony Licata {49-0-3} in March 1975. In a rematch one-month later, in April 1975, Licata defeated Ramon by a Close-Decision. Despite the re-match loss to Licata, Ramon Mendez remained as the #5 WBC Middleweight. Hence; * Ramon Mendez got a shot at WBC Champion Rodrigo Valdez in May 1975. * Tony Licata got a shot at WBA Champion Carlos Monzon in June 1975. As a side note, Ramon Mendez was Carlos Monzon's stablemate, and was also from his hometown of Sante Fe, Argentina. Rodrigo Valdez got some minor satisfaction, by defeating the 'Argentinian' Ramon Mendez by {TKO 8}.
Just a couple of words by Monzon's manager on the post-fight urine analysis situation: http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...GpQeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=ocwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=935,3054384
An interesting article by Sports Illustrated on Monzon-Briscoe 2: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1086779/index.htm Some quotes: Monzon wants to keep his championship for at least two or three more fights while he shoves as much money into the bank as he can put his hands on. But his hands have been threatening him. Not only has Monzon developed a form of arthritis in his right hand, but last week he had to defend the title against one of the toughest middleweights ever, Bennie Briscoe of Philadelphia, a man who behaves as though a fist in his face is a draught of oxygen. Monzon's right hand is the instrument that had knocked out six consecutive championship opponents. Before the 30-year-old Monzon's second fight with Nino Benvenuti, a year and a half ago in Monte Carlo, the hand was hurting enough to require an injection of novocain. Benvenuti was finished on his knees in the third round, but Monzon's hand became infected from a dirty needle. With more novocain, he knocked out Emile Griffith in September and then presented the right hand to Dr. Juan Carlos Abraham, a specialist in Santa Fe, who cleaned out a deep abscess. Still, Monzon was in pain and wore heavy bandages on the hand when he trained. "What Bennie's got to do is jump right in Monzon's chest," said his trainer. Quenzell McCall. "You know, we offered Monzon $100,000 plus a TV deal to fight us in Philadelphia, and he wouldn't do it. That's because Monzon is taken care of so well down here. Bennie's got to knock him out or beat him up real bad to win this fight." Briscoe nodded. "It's like if you come in my backyard to wage war, I got my brothers and sisters handy if it starts looking risky," he said. Afterward Monzon got a telephone call from General Lanusse, president of Argentina, and was hugged by the governor of Santa Fe Province, which would not seem to hurt his chances in court. J. Russell Peltz stopped by to offer Monzon $150,000, plus South American television rights, to fight Briscoe in Philadelphia. "But that's crazy," said Amilcar Brusa, Monzon's manager. "Taxes in the United States, they cut your throat." He had also just been offered $100,000, tax-free, by Teddy Brenner to fight Rodrigo Valdes in Madison Square Garden, but Brusa is not eager to bring Monzon to the United States.
This article says it happened in august of 1975: http://news.google.com/newspapers?n...boqAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LmcEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6762,5895513
Lester,,,,,, Good hunting,,,,,,,,, Before Rodrigo injured his hand,,,,,right after the August 1975 bout versus Rudy Robles,,, California promoters had wanted Rodrigo Valdez to come out to the 'West Coast' in late-September or early-October to take on California Middleweight Champion, George Cooper. But, the injury put Rodrigo out-of-action for nearly '7' months.
Interesting info, SP. Especially in the light of what I posted before: It seems like Monzon-Valdez negotiations were pretty rough.