11.04.06 – By Barry Green: In my previous article I wrote of the state of American boxing in the first half of the 1970s. That decade featured many fantastic fighters and long-reigning champions. Twelve in particular stand out for their longevity and their achievements.
So, who was the ‘fighter of the decade’? There as so many contenders as this truly was a decade which saw many a dominant champion. Therefore, I have broken it down to consider 12 great champions, of which nine were outstanding in their relative division, the other three make the grade as they captured crowns at separate weights (rare in the days of fewer titles and even fewer meaningless alphabet diadems).
The criterion I aim to use to evaluate who the top men are is purely based on their fights at world title level. Who were the dominant champions? Was the division at the time a particularly talented one? Did they beat many great fighters during the decade? The ‘pros’ and the ‘cons’ shall come under scrutiny in determining whose achievements and dominance was best overall.
A few fighters that were not considered include: Joe Frazier (beaten too decisively just three years into the decade); Victor Galindez (too many losses against less-than stellar opposition); Eder Jofre (undefeated in the Seventies but not champion for long enough) and Masao Ohba (a career tragically cut short in 1973 car crash). He was the current WBA flyweight champion and had been since the decade began.
Other heavyweight legends like Big George Foreman and Larry Holmes don’t feature because either their title reign was too short (Foreman) or they became champ too late in the decade (Holmes). This was an era where champions sat atop of their perch for a long long time. A decade of when boxing became a truly international sport.
Here, in descending order of weight, is the Dynamite Dozen for the 1970s:
Muhammad Ali
Heavyweight Champion 1964-1967, 1974-1978, 1978-79
Record in Decade 27-3
What more is there to say about Ali that hasn’t already been documented at least one hundred times over? This older, more experienced version was not quite the dancing master of his youth; Ali in the Seventies got by on guile, guts and an unshakable will to win. This was the period of his greatest fame fights like the Thrilla in Manila and The Rumble in the Jungle have taken on almost mythical status.
Pros: Came out on top of the best decade in heavyweight history. Beat Foreman, Frazier, Norton, Quarry, Shavers and Lyle. Some going by any standard, even for the man often regarded as the greatest sportsman of the 20th century.
Cons: Beatable in this era and received the benefit of the doubt in 1976 fights with Ken Norton and Jimmy Young. Shocking loss to novice fighter Leon Spinks amongst biggest upsets in ring history.
Bob Foster
Light-Heavyweight champion 1968-1974
Record in Decade 19-4-1
A man whose knockout victories make up some of the very best in boxing history; a highlights collection that would make Clubber Lang jealous. Foster was one of the hardest hitters in boxing history- a left hook so potent and ‘whip like’ his opponents virtually had to be chiselled off the canvas. The bad news was that his right hand rendered opponents useless too,
just ask Chris Finnegan. Often cited as being one of the Top 3 light-heavyweight champions of all-time.
Pros: Generally regarded as the hardest hitting light heavyweight of all-time. Avoided like leprosy by most top fighters at 175 lb before his eventual coronation in 1968. The only man to KO the great Dick Tiger- once regarded as an impossible feat.
Cons: Opposition during the seventies was not the strongest and always decisively beaten when taking on heavier foes.
Carlos Monzon
Middleweight champion 1970-1977
Record in Decade 25-0
Arguably South America’s best ever fighter. Monzon combined fearless tenacity and super-human cool with an accuracy that would make William Tell use pumpkins instead of apples. His languid, patient style of fighting was one of extreme confidence- a pure thinking fighter.
Monzon was a notoriously slow-starter, in 14 years as a professional he never recorded a single 1st round knockout or stoppage win, despite possessing a fierce right cross (similar to the kind that Larry Holmes had, albeit more powerful). Monzon had a classic straight-up, right-hand cocked with chin tucked in (often under his shoulder) style of fighting that saw
him hardlyn troubled during his championship reign.
Pros: The only 100% record in the 1970s of all the greats featured here. Usually defended his title in the other guy’s backyard- a real road warrior. Undefeated in last 81 fights and never lost in his prime.
Cons: Hard to pinpoint any but was lambasted by the boxing press in 1973 for avoiding talented Tony Mundine. Eventually knocked out the Australian in seven when they met, but was heavily criticised for his reluctance to fight his mandatory challenger.
Jose Napoles
Welterweight champion 1969-1970, 1971-1975
Record in Decade 19-3
The man whose skills were so smooth he was nicknamed ‘Mantiquilla’ (butter) was actually considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in boxing during the early part of the seventies. The writers of Ring and Boxing Illustrated preferring his version of the sweet science ahead of that of the glamour of Ali, the ferocity of Duran or the effectiveness of Monzon. Despite this,
Napoles won-loss record doesn’t look so impressive in this decade.
The reasoning being that, like Marvin Hagler after him, he was avoided like the plague by many a top fighter. Finally securing a title shot in 1968, thus dismantling Curtis Cokes like he was his daddy.
Pros: Was regarded as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the sport during the years 1970-1974, ahead of Ali, Monzon and Duran. One of the Top 5 welterweights of all-time.
Cons: Often seemingly just did enough to win during the seventies when his career was in its twilight. His best wins came in the late 1960s and his Seventies record is weak in comparison to some others listed.
Wilfred Benitez
WBA Light Welterweight champion 1976-1977, WBC Welterweight champion 1979
Record in Decade 38-1-1
Not quite the dominant champion as most others listed, ‘El Radar’ appears here as a two-division champion at the age of just 20! Combined supreme natural boxing ability with a defence as tight as a nun’s jockstrap. Unseated excellent fighters to win both 140 and 147 lb championships (Antonio Cervantes and Carlos Palomino respectively).
Pros: The youngest ever world boxing champion at any weight at the tender age of 17. One of only three fighters listed to hold titles at more than one weight (he would add another in 1981). Arguably the best defensive fighter of the decade.
Cons: Decisively beaten by Sugar Ray Leonard just a month before the Seventies was out, harming chances as top fighter of the decade. Refused Cervantes a rematch and was stripped of the title also.
Antonio Cervantes
WBA Light Welterweight champion 1972-1976, 1977-1980
Record in Decade 39-2
A fighter who seemingly cannot be mentioned by boxing writers without the prefix ‘legendary’ before his name. Written almost as an apology as one of boxing’s least seen greats. Very tall for his weight (5’ 10’) with a reach as long as an albatross.
A total of 16 successful defences over two title reigns. A fantastic record in the seventies whose only losses came to two all-time greats in Nicolino Locche and Wilfred Benitez. The latter moving up in weight rather than rematch the Venezuelan.
Pros: His win column features names on the scale of Locche, Esteban De Jesus and Peppermint Frazer. Very much a road warrior, thought nothing of fighting in his opponents back yard.
Cons: Never unified the crown despite his longevity and apart from the aforementioned fighters he beat, division was not the strongest. Much mooted fight with lightweight king Roberto Duran failed to materialise and loss to the 17-year-old Benitez affects his chances of being top dog.
Roberto Duran
Lightweight champion 1972-1979
Record in Decade 55-1
Hands of Stone was the ultimate fighting machine- a wrecking-ball of energy and nastiness, who hated opponents with the malice that is usually shown to a bloke that robs old grannies. This version of Duran is seldom seen by the more casual boxing fan, whose video collection often consists of the fatter, slower version (although HE wasn’t bad either).
Duran’s early swarming style was replaced by a more methodical and skilled approach towards the end of his title reign. A hugely underrated defensive fighter.
Pros: The best lightweight champion of all-time, fierce competitor and the complete fighting machine. Generally regarded as boxing’s best fighter from 1977-1980 (some would say longer). All but one of his 135lb title defences came via KO.
Cons: Were there any? Not on the face of it, but sometimes struggled with swift movers. Although he beat them all when defending his title, still looked uncomfortable when opponents got on their bicycle, as his two fights with Edwin Viruet showed.
Alexis Arguello
WBA Featherweight champion 1974-1978, WBC Super Featherweight champion
1978-1981
Record in Decade 62-3
The Explosive Thin Man punched his way through three divisions in the 1970s with arrow-like precision and superb lateral movement that gave scope to create the angles and opportunities in which to utilise his great power.
The best 130 lb fighter of all time? It says here that he edges Julio Cesar Chavez for that crown. Also claimed a portion of the world lightweight championship in the 1980s. One of the very few fighters to retain their power when moving up in weight.
Pros: A legitimate contender for the best pound-for-pound fighter of the 1970s. Resume reads like a who’s who of the boxing’s great smaller men. Fought and defeated many a fine champion, such as Ruben Olivares, Bobby Chacon, Rafael Limon and Alfredo Escalera- all by KO.
Cons: Like Duran finding a weakness in Arguello’s arsenal was like looking for a piece of hay in a stack full of needles but defeats early in decade may cost him the top place.
Wilfredo Gomez
WBC Super Bantamweight champion 1977-1983
Record in Decade 27-0-1
Without doubt the best 122 pounder in the division’s short history and probably the best fighter to come out of Puerto Rico. The complete puncher, with explosive power in either hand accounting for early nights in 18 of 22 title defences. Despite what one might call a ‘dentable’ chin he had the heart of a lion and fine defensive skills that would often get him out of
trouble.
Pros: All of his wins during this decade came by way of knockout. A chilling puncher, as he displayed best vs. fellow nominee Carlos Zarate. Boxing Illustrated’s ‘fighter of the year’ for 1978.
Cons: Weak competition within the then newly-created super-bantamweight division saw him receive little recognition in relation to the likes of Ali and Duran. Only champion for last three years of decade.
Ruben Olivares
Bantamweight champion 1969-1970, 1971-1972.
WBA Featherweight champion 1974. WBC Featherweight champion 1975
Record in Decade 32-10-1
On the face of it, an abysmal record that almost makes Reggie Strickland look a top contender. The Mexican who looked a bit like Jimmy Tarbuck or Alfred E. Newman (depending of which side of the Atlantic you reside on) was a two-fisted brawler who could also box your ears off, like he did vs. Alexis Arguello before succumbing late on.
When one examines it however, they’ll see a decade that isn’t a million miles away from Sugar Ray Robinson’s thrilling performances of the 1950s. ‘Rockabye Ruben’ held-lost-regained and lost the world bantamweight championship. Then stepped up to featherweight to win-lose-regain- then lose 126 pound crown.
Pros: One of the greatest bangers of all-time and a multi-titlist in the 1970s. Was voted BI’s Fighter of the Year for 1971- ahead of Ali conqueror Joe Frazier!
Cons: Too many losses (many by KO) affect overall standing in this list.
Carlos Zarate
Bantamweight champion 1976-1979
Record in Decade 54-2
Arguably the hardest punching 118 pounder there ever was (Ruben Olivares providing that argument). Only losses during the decade came when fighting above weight (vs. Wilfredo Gomez) an horrendous decision loss to stablemate Lupe Pintor.
Zarate pounded his way to the summit of the bantamweight class, scoring 44 KOs in his first 45 outings. Another entry in the mystical ‘power punching skinny guy’ category, like Foster and Arguello. Zarate looked like he weighed about three stone when wet, yet pulverised challengers with the kind of textbook punches that A.J. Leibling once waxed lyrical over years before.
Pros: One of the most complete punchers of all-time. Ring magazine’s ‘fighter of the year’ for 1977. The only non-heavyweight other than Carlos Monzon and Sugar Ray Leonard to win that honour in the seventies.
Cons: The decisive loss to Wilfredo Gomez when rising in weight harms his chances of being the decade’s #1.
Miguel Canto
WBC Flyweight champion 1975-1979
Record in Decade: 55-3-4
Mexico’s answer to Willie Pep floated around the ring with a balletic grace that was at odds with the crash-bang style that most of his countrymen were famed. Fourteen successful defences of the WBC Flyweight trinket was the decade’s finest record, alongside Carlos Monzon.
Canto’s punches couldn’t break an egg but he couldn’t be hit with a bag of rice (if you’ll allow me to mix my food metaphors). His meagre tally of 15 career KOs is proof how good a ring artist he had to be to stay on top for so long.
Pros: Rivals Wilfred Benitez as a defensive master and generally regarded one of Mexico’s Top three fighters of all-time, as well as one of the best ever flyweight champions.
Cons: Never unified the title despite era not being the strongest. Lack of power may not have been enough to keep of the truly great little men such as Jimmy Wilde and Pascal Perez.
The Top 3 Nominations: Muhammad Ali, Carlos Monzon & Roberto Duran
The Top three fighters of the 1970s are: Ali, Monzon and Duran, (followed by Alexis Arguello, Wilfredo Gomez & Jose Napoles respectively). The reasons:
• Ali for the way he transcended his sport and became one of the world’s most recognised celebrities in coming through the best decade in heavyweight history.
• Monzon because of his sheer dominance in setting a record for all-time middleweight defences, most of them as the ‘undisputed’ champion.
• Duran as the most exciting fighter of the decade and lightweight champion from 1972-1979. As pure a fighting machine that has ever lived.
I shall now further analyse these three remarkable fighters before giving my verdict of the Fighter of the Decade
Muhammad Ali:
The greatest big man of all-time? Probably. He’s certainly # 1 in mine and many other boxing fans’ heavyweight book. Although he lost the ‘0’ from his perfect record in the 70s, this was the time in his life when he truly became an athlete that was ’loved’, as opposed to the belligerent, often misguided, version that appeared to have his Muslim management team decide
on his every move.
Ali’s first loss (to Joe Frazier in 1971) is often thought of as being one of his best performances in this era. This was the first fight where Ali would show the heart and mighty chin that he would be synonymous in his second reign as world champ.
The few slip ups in the seventies were counter-acted by his besting of immortals such as George Forman and Joe Frazier. But whoever the opponent, when Ali fought the world watched. The winner of the Ring fighter of the year no less than four times in this decade.
Best Performances of the Decade: George Foreman KO 8, Joe Frazier TKO 14, Jerry Quarry TKO 7
Worst Performances: Leon Spinks L PTS 15, Jimmy Young W PTS 15
Carlos Monzon:
The Monzon story is among the most fascinating in boxing. A former soccer hooligan who was jailed after starting a riot at the 1963 Sante Fe derby match, he later that year channelled his frustrations into that of the prize ring.
Even at his peak, Monzon often smoked more than 50 cigarettes a day, cutting down to 20 when in training for a big fight. Monzon also enjoyed hanging around with Europe’s glitterati, including leading Parisian film and fashion figures. During his reign Carlos was shot twice by his first wife, following his retirement he was charged with murdering the mother of his youngest son.
The tragic story of Carlos Monzon came to a finale when the car he was driving crashed, killing him instantly. Many thought this was suicide, other disagreed. With such an imbalanced mind that Monzon had, we’ll never really know what happened.
However, that he was the best middleweight champion of recent times is almost beyond doubt. Monzon rarely sparred before a title defence, conserving all his energy for the night of the fight, which showed how great his stamina was despite the intense smoking habit.
Best performances of the Decade: Nino Benvenuti KO 12, Benny Briscoe W PTS 15, Rodrigo Valdes W PTS 15.
Worst performances: Emile Griffith W PTS 15, Denny Moyer TKO 5
Roberto Duran:
A fighter’s tale almost on par with Monzon’s. However, much of it based on myth and successful PR. Reportedly knocked out a horse with one-punch, although if the horse was as much use as Benny Huertas, it’s probably true. Usurped the brilliant Ken Buchanan to win the lightweight crown in arguably the greatest singular performance of the decade.
Duran destroyed every fighter that dared challenge him. Only loss, to Esteban De Jesus, was brutally avenged- twice. The Panamanian was widely regarded as the best lightweight that ever laced up a pair of mitts and is often cited as one of the Top 5 pound-for-pound champions of all-time.
During his tenure was oft criticised by the boxing press for being too reluctant to fight out of Panama and the majority of defences came against fairly weak opposition. But this is a minor issue as the man with staring eyes of coal became one of the most revered fighters of this or any decade.
Best Performances of the Decade: Ken Buchanan KO 13, Esteban De Jesus TKO 12, Carlos Palomino W PTS 10
Worst Performances: Esteban De Jesus L PTS 10, Edwin Viruet WPTS 10
The Fighter of the Decade:
Carlos Monzon
Monzon pips Roberto Duran as the fighter of the decade, with Ali in third place. Hindsight has elevated Duran higher in most pound-for-pound lists, and deservedly so, but in truth he was rarely mentioned in the ‘fighter of the year’ polls until 1975, largely due to the strength of his challengers.
What also goes in Monzon’s favour is that just three of his 14 defences were in his native Argentina, while Duran fought over half his twelve in Panama. Indeed, if Duran’s brilliant victory over Sugar Ray Leonard in Montreal had taken place six months before then the Hands of Stone would have done enough to have clinched first place. It wasn’t, and Carlos is, I feel, the Fighter of the Decade due to fighting tougher opposition than Duran and remaining undefeated until his retirement in August 1977.
Ali, despite fighting more difficult opponents than the other two, lost one too many times to be the best of the decade. While Monzon does not look as good on film as Duran (then again who does?) or the Ali of vintage years, his effective, nonchalant style of fighting, that saw him barely waste a punch for the whole decade, was more dominant over his chosen division, whereas Duran did not unify until 1978 and Ali was the best of the heavyweight bunch by the narrowest of margins.
When watching Monzon it often strikes me how sporting he is. I don’t mean in a ‘touch gloves and hug’ kinda way. I mean in the sense that he never sought to gain an unfair advantage over his quarry.
Two such examples come in the fights with Valdes and Licata. In both fights the challengers lost their balance and were in no position to defend themselves; one could not blame any fighter for steaming in like Lloyd Honeghan on Johnny Bumphus. Yet, Monzon merely stopped in his tracks and waited for a couple of seconds until his opponents had steadied themselves before resuming his attack-much to the applause of the spectators. A huge contrast to his highly volatile temper when NOT boxing.
Monzon deserves the recognition as he was the ‘undisputed’ champion for most of his reign. My favourite line about him came from the doyen of British sportswriters Hugh McIlvanney in his report on the Argentine’s title defence against Jean-Claude Bouttier. A huge banner from the Frenchman’s supporters read “Bouttier- La Bouchon (The Butcher), Monzon- La Mouton (The Sheep). The wry Scotsman commented that Monzon was “the kind of sheep that made wolves seek other employment.”)
From a personal standpoint, I rate these three fighters in my all-time Top 10. Monzon ranks slightly lower than Ali and Duran but in this decade he ranks higher. Therefore, the title Fighter of the 1970s belongs to the late, great Carlos Monzon.