Carlos Monzon vs Jean Claude Bouttier

On June 17, 1972, at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes, France, Carlos Monzon continued his middleweight championship reign against local challenger Jean-Claude Bouttier in a bout televised on ABC's Wide World of Sports. Monzon, weighing 159½ pounds, faced the marginally lighter Bouttier at 159 pounds in his fourth defence of both WBA and WBC titles.

The champion's systematic breakdown of Bouttier reached a critical point in round six when he scored a knockdown. Despite Bouttier's resilience in continuing through the middle rounds, Monzon's combination of power and precision accumulated damage. After twelve rounds of punishment, Bouttier remained on his stool, unable to answer the bell for the thirteenth round, ABC's ringside analyst, Howard Cosell, questioning if a cut Bouttier suffered was the main reason.

Under referee Rudolf Drust's oversight, with judges Roland Dakin and Piero Brambilla scoring, Monzon's technical retirement victory at 3:00 of round twelve reinforced his growing reputation as one of the division's most dominant champions. The end came deeper into the fight than his recent fifth-round TKO of Denny Moyer, demonstrating both Bouttier's durability and Monzon's ability to maintain pressure over the championship distance.