Carlos Monzón who held the undisputed world in middleweight for 7 years couldn’t stop his violent act, which led to him killing his wife.
Carlos Roque Monzón, nicknamed Escopeta (Shotgun in Spanish), was an Argentine professional boxer who held the undisputed world middleweight championship for 7 years.
He successfully defended his title 14 times against 11 different fighters and is widely regarded as not only one of the best middleweights in history but also one of the greatest boxers of all time pound-for-pound.
Monte Carlo, Monaco 6/26/1976
CREDIT: Neil Leifer (Photo by Neil Leifer /Sports Illustrated via Getty Images)
(Set Number: X20650 )
Monzón is known for his speed, punching power and relentless work rate, he ended his career with a record of 87-3-9-1 with 59 knockouts, each one of his losses were early in his career and were avenged.
Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, he was chosen by The Ring magazine in 2002 as the 11th greatest fighter of the last 80 years. and voted him as the best middleweight title holder of the last 50 years in 2011. As of January 2018, Monzón holds the 2nd longest unified championship reign in middleweight history at 9 consecutive defenses.
Monzón was tremendously popular throughout his career. During Monzón’s fights, Argentina would stand still, cities had no traffic, and all TV sets and radios were tuned to the fight. While filming La Mary, he met famous Argentine actress and model Susana Giménez. They started a tumultuous relationship, which led to Monzón’s divorce. Since then, his glamorous and sometimes violent life was avidly followed by the media. He toured Latin America and Europe with Argentine models and actresses.
While still a champion, a darker side of Monzón began to emerge. In 1973, Monzón was shot in the leg by his then wife of 11 years, Mercedes Beatriz García, with whom he had a daughter and two sons (one of whom was adopted). The shooting required seven hours of surgery to remove the bullet from Monzón’s leg.
Monzón was repeatedly detained by the police. Giménez began wearing sunglasses more often, presumably to hide her bruises.
In 1979, he met Uruguayan model Alicia Muñiz, with whom he had an on-and-off relationship for many years. They eventually married and had a son together, Maximiliano Roque. But his violent behavior continued.
On February 14, 1988, while vacationing in the resort city of Mar del Plata, after a heated argument, he beat Muñiz.
According to the investigation after this incident, he strangled her into unconsciousness, picked her up, and pushed her off the second floor balcony, killing her, during which he followed her in the fall, injuring his shoulder. On July 3, 1989, Monzón was found guilty of homicide. He received an 11-year prison sentence.
In January 1995, Monzón was given a weekend furlough while serving his term in Cárcel de Las Flores, Santa Fe Province, to visit his family and children. On 8 January 1995, when on his way to returning to jail after the weekend, he and a passenger, Gerónimo Domingo Mottura, were killed instantly when their vehicle rolled over near Santa Rosa de Calchines.
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