51 years ago
Carlos Monzon vs Jose Napoles
Date: 9th February 1974
Venue: Puteaux, Hauts-de-Seine, FranceTitle: WBC & WBA World Middleweight Titles
Referee: Raymond Baldeyrou
Carlos Monzon
(
81
-
3
-
9
)
Weight: 159½ lbs
Jose Napoles
(
77
-
5
-
0
)
Weight: 153¼ lbs
On February 9, 1974, at Puteaux, France, Carlos Monzon defended his unified middleweight titles against welterweight champion Jose Napoles in a champion vs. champion clash that highlighted boxing's weight class realities. Monzon's physical advantages - 160 pounds to Napoles' 153, plus a five-inch reach advantage - proved decisive.
Napoles showed early promise, penetrating Monzon's guard with a left jab and landing two looping rights in the opening round. However, this success proved fleeting. Monzon's size and power advantages manifested decisively in rounds five and six, leading Napoles' corner to halt the contest before the seventh round.
The bout's aftermath generated controversy on two fronts. Monzon immediately left the venue in his fight gear, prompting French Boxing Federation President Bernard Restout to file a protest with the WBC over the champion skipping mandatory post-fight urinalysis. Monzon's team cited inadequate facilities in the provided trailer as justification.
Napoles' corner, specifically Phil Silver, also accused Monzon of thumbing their fighter's eye. Napoles claimed this occurred in the sixth round, stating it temporarily blinded him. Referee Raymond Baldayrou dismissed these allegations as excuses, though the incident added tension to a decisive physical mismatch.
The result reinforced the historical challenges faced by welterweights moving up to challenge established middleweight champions, with Napoles - unable to overcome the natural size differential against a prime Monzon despite his technical prowess.