In this feature, The Ring looks closely at 20 countries with strong boxing traditions and selects the best fighter from each.
The process wasn’t easy. First, we had to select the 20 countries, which proved to be painstaking. Some nations that have produced memorable fighters didn’t make the list. And, second, choosing a single boxer from the countries that did make the cut was easy in some cases – Panama, for example – but excruciating in others.
The countries will be rolled out in alphabetical order one day at a time at The Ring. First up: Argentina.
ARGENTINA
CARLOS MONZON
Birthdate / place: August 7, 1942 / San Javier, Santa Fe
Death date: January 8, 1995
Years active: 1963-77
Record: 87-3-9 (59 KOs)
Major titles: Middleweight (1970-77)
Greatest victories: Bennie Briscoe, Emile Griffith (twice), Jose Napoles, Rodrigo Valdez (twice), Nino Benvenuti (twice)
Background: Monzon’s life outside the ring was as turbulent – and ultimately tragic — as it was magnificent between the ropes. The dynamic “Escopeta (Shutgun)” was one of those rare fighters in whom it was difficult to find a flaw. He was long (76-inch reach), quick, powerful (59 knockouts) and unusually clever. The results speak for themselves: Monzon failed to have his hand raised three times in the first 20 months of his career and never lost again, avenging all three setbacks along the way. He “upset” Nino Benvenuti in 1970 in Rome to win the middleweight championship and reigned for seven years, which included a string of 14 successful defenses that ended when he retired in 1977. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, confirming his place as one of the greatest fighters of any weight. His life outside the ring didn’t go as well. He became an idol in his native Argentina because of his good looks and glamorous lifestyle but he ultimately succumbed to his dark side. Always combustible, he was convicted in 1989 of strangled his wife to death and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. In 1995, while returning from a furlough to visit family members, he was killed when his car rolled over.
Quote: “Monzon destroyed you little by little,” Angelo Dundee told The Independent. “I studied him before the fight and was confident my guy (Napoles) was slick enough. I was wrong. Monzon did a job.”
Five more from Argentina (in alphabetical order): Victor Galindez (HOF), Niccolino Locche (HOF), Sergio Martinez, Omar Narvaez, Pascual Perez (HOF)
...............
AUSTRALIA
JEFF FENECH
Birthdate / place: May 28, 1964 / St Peters, New South Wales
Years active: 1984-96; 2008
Record: 29-3-1 (21 KOs)
Major titles: IBF bantamweight (1985-87); WBC junior featherweight (1987-88); WBC featherweight (1988-89)
Greatest victories: Daniel Zaragoza, Carlos Zarate, Marcos Villasana, Mario Martinez
Background: Fenech was a violent storm that swept across the boxing landscape for a decade-plus and left many victims in its wake. The “Marrickville Mauler” was a late starter, taking up boxing at 17, but also a natural whose inhuman conditioning and swarming style resulted in a Hall of Fame career. The 1984 Olympian won his first pro title in only his seventh fight (stopping Satoshi Shingaki as a bantamweight in 1985) and would add titles in two more divisions (knockouts of Samart Payakaroon and Victor Callejas) inside his first 20 fights. And he almost won a fourth belt in a classic for which he might be best remembered. Fenech traveled to Las Vegas to challenge junior lightweight titleholder and future Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson on the Mike Tyson-Donovan Ruddock II card in 1991, Fenech’s first fight outside of Australia. The challenger, attacking fiercely from beginning to end, seemed to do enough to claim a decision and his defining victory but had to settle for a dubious draw. The decision was booed and an angry Fenech stormed out of the ring. That was Fenech’s last great performance, as Nelson stopped him in the rematch in Melbourne and he lost to Philip Holiday in his final title shot. However, Fenech had already made an indelible mark as one of the toughest little men of all time.
Quote: “I never boxed until 17 and a half, I was in the Olympics at 19, and I was world champion when I was 20,” Fenech said. “I never watched a boxing match life in my life. The only boxer I had ever heard of was Muhammad Ali.”
Five more from Australia (in alphabetical order): Les Darcy, Johnny Famechon, Young Griffo, Peter Jackson, Lionel Rose
................
CANADA
SAM LANGFORD
Birthdate / place: March 4, 1883 / Weymouth, Nova Scotia
Death date: January 12, 1956
Years active: 1902-26
Record: 178-29-38 (126 KOs)
Major titles: None
Greatest victories: Tiger Flowers, Joe Gans, Joe Jeannette (12-3-6), Stanley Ketchel, Sam McVea (7-1-7), Jack O’Brien and Harry Wills (2-13-2). (Including newspaper decisions.)
Background: Langford was among a number of great black heavyweights who were denied an opportunity to fight for a world title because of their race, but students of boxing history smile when they hear the name Sam Langford. They know how good he was. Langford, only 5-foot-7, fought from lightweight to heavyweight, often beating much bigger men because of his boxing acumen, resilience and great punching power. In 1906, he gave away 29 pounds to future heavyweight champ Jack Johnson yet gave a good account of himself in defeat. Langford fought fellow black fighters numerous times because he had difficulty getting fights and generally got the better of the action, the one exception being the hulking Harry Wills. One fighter who never wanted to tangle with Langford a second time? Jack Johnson. Langford desperately wanted to fight Johnson when the latter was heavyweight champion but it never happened. Langford fought the last few years of his career with vision problems, reportedly keeping his opponents close at all times and using the ropes to guide him back to his corner between rounds. Ultimately, he would lose his sight completely and end up destitute. However, sports writers started a fund that allowed him to live comfortably until his death. That’s how much they thought of him.
Quote: “Sam Langford was the toughest little son of a ***** that ever lived,” Jack Johnson said.
Five more from Canada (in alphabetical order): Lou Brouillard, George Dixon, Jimmy McLarnin, Tommy Ryan, Billy Smith
...............
CUBA
JOSE NAPOLES
Birthdate / place: April 13, 1940 / Santiago de Cuba
Death date: August 16, 2019
Years active: 1958-75
Record: 81-7 (54 KOs)
Major titles: RING welterweight (1969-70, ’71-75), WBA-WBC welterweight (1969-70), WBA-WBC welterweight (1971-75)
Greatest victories: Billy Backus, Curtis Cokes (twice), Emile Griffith, Hedgemon Lewis, Ernie Lopez (twice), Armando Muniz (twice), Eddie Perkins
Background: Napoles fled Cuba for Mexico shortly after new dictator Fidel Castro banned professional boxing. Thank goodness for the sport. Napoles, as smooth as “Mantequilla (Butter)” and powerful to boot, built one of the greatest welterweight resumes in history out of Mexico City. Napoles was actually an accomplished professional between featherweight and junior welterweight but never received a title shot in those divisions. His break came in 1969, when he dominated fellow Hall of Famer Curtis Cokes en route to a 13th-round knockout that gave the Cuban the world 147-pound title. And he stopped Cokes again two months later in his first defense. He would go to hold portions of the championship from the first Cokes fight to 1975, when he lost his title to John Stracey (again on cuts) and never fought again. The only blip during his reign – which included 13 successful defenses – was a loss to Billy Backus on cuts that he avenged two fights later. Napoles greatest failure was his ill-fated attempt to wrest the middleweight title from all-time great Carlos Monzon in 1974 but he should be applauded for thinking big. When he was finished, he had gone 15-2 in world title fights and was 4-1 against fellow Hall of Famers. Greatness.
Quote: “What a magnificent fighter he was and what a great champion. Look how long he reigned as a champion. This is such a sad day,” Stracey said upon Napoles’ death this past August.
Five more from Cuba (in alphabetical order): Kid Chocolate, Kid Gavilan, Sugar Ramos, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Luis Rodriguez
The process wasn’t easy. First, we had to select the 20 countries, which proved to be painstaking. Some nations that have produced memorable fighters didn’t make the list. And, second, choosing a single boxer from the countries that did make the cut was easy in some cases – Panama, for example – but excruciating in others.
The countries will be rolled out in alphabetical order one day at a time at The Ring. First up: Argentina.
ARGENTINA
CARLOS MONZON
Birthdate / place: August 7, 1942 / San Javier, Santa Fe
Death date: January 8, 1995
Years active: 1963-77
Record: 87-3-9 (59 KOs)
Major titles: Middleweight (1970-77)
Greatest victories: Bennie Briscoe, Emile Griffith (twice), Jose Napoles, Rodrigo Valdez (twice), Nino Benvenuti (twice)
Background: Monzon’s life outside the ring was as turbulent – and ultimately tragic — as it was magnificent between the ropes. The dynamic “Escopeta (Shutgun)” was one of those rare fighters in whom it was difficult to find a flaw. He was long (76-inch reach), quick, powerful (59 knockouts) and unusually clever. The results speak for themselves: Monzon failed to have his hand raised three times in the first 20 months of his career and never lost again, avenging all three setbacks along the way. He “upset” Nino Benvenuti in 1970 in Rome to win the middleweight championship and reigned for seven years, which included a string of 14 successful defenses that ended when he retired in 1977. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990, confirming his place as one of the greatest fighters of any weight. His life outside the ring didn’t go as well. He became an idol in his native Argentina because of his good looks and glamorous lifestyle but he ultimately succumbed to his dark side. Always combustible, he was convicted in 1989 of strangled his wife to death and was sentenced to 11 years in prison. In 1995, while returning from a furlough to visit family members, he was killed when his car rolled over.
Quote: “Monzon destroyed you little by little,” Angelo Dundee told The Independent. “I studied him before the fight and was confident my guy (Napoles) was slick enough. I was wrong. Monzon did a job.”
Five more from Argentina (in alphabetical order): Victor Galindez (HOF), Niccolino Locche (HOF), Sergio Martinez, Omar Narvaez, Pascual Perez (HOF)
...............
AUSTRALIA
JEFF FENECH
Birthdate / place: May 28, 1964 / St Peters, New South Wales
Years active: 1984-96; 2008
Record: 29-3-1 (21 KOs)
Major titles: IBF bantamweight (1985-87); WBC junior featherweight (1987-88); WBC featherweight (1988-89)
Greatest victories: Daniel Zaragoza, Carlos Zarate, Marcos Villasana, Mario Martinez
Background: Fenech was a violent storm that swept across the boxing landscape for a decade-plus and left many victims in its wake. The “Marrickville Mauler” was a late starter, taking up boxing at 17, but also a natural whose inhuman conditioning and swarming style resulted in a Hall of Fame career. The 1984 Olympian won his first pro title in only his seventh fight (stopping Satoshi Shingaki as a bantamweight in 1985) and would add titles in two more divisions (knockouts of Samart Payakaroon and Victor Callejas) inside his first 20 fights. And he almost won a fourth belt in a classic for which he might be best remembered. Fenech traveled to Las Vegas to challenge junior lightweight titleholder and future Hall of Famer Azumah Nelson on the Mike Tyson-Donovan Ruddock II card in 1991, Fenech’s first fight outside of Australia. The challenger, attacking fiercely from beginning to end, seemed to do enough to claim a decision and his defining victory but had to settle for a dubious draw. The decision was booed and an angry Fenech stormed out of the ring. That was Fenech’s last great performance, as Nelson stopped him in the rematch in Melbourne and he lost to Philip Holiday in his final title shot. However, Fenech had already made an indelible mark as one of the toughest little men of all time.
Quote: “I never boxed until 17 and a half, I was in the Olympics at 19, and I was world champion when I was 20,” Fenech said. “I never watched a boxing match life in my life. The only boxer I had ever heard of was Muhammad Ali.”
Five more from Australia (in alphabetical order): Les Darcy, Johnny Famechon, Young Griffo, Peter Jackson, Lionel Rose
................
CANADA
SAM LANGFORD
Birthdate / place: March 4, 1883 / Weymouth, Nova Scotia
Death date: January 12, 1956
Years active: 1902-26
Record: 178-29-38 (126 KOs)
Major titles: None
Greatest victories: Tiger Flowers, Joe Gans, Joe Jeannette (12-3-6), Stanley Ketchel, Sam McVea (7-1-7), Jack O’Brien and Harry Wills (2-13-2). (Including newspaper decisions.)
Background: Langford was among a number of great black heavyweights who were denied an opportunity to fight for a world title because of their race, but students of boxing history smile when they hear the name Sam Langford. They know how good he was. Langford, only 5-foot-7, fought from lightweight to heavyweight, often beating much bigger men because of his boxing acumen, resilience and great punching power. In 1906, he gave away 29 pounds to future heavyweight champ Jack Johnson yet gave a good account of himself in defeat. Langford fought fellow black fighters numerous times because he had difficulty getting fights and generally got the better of the action, the one exception being the hulking Harry Wills. One fighter who never wanted to tangle with Langford a second time? Jack Johnson. Langford desperately wanted to fight Johnson when the latter was heavyweight champion but it never happened. Langford fought the last few years of his career with vision problems, reportedly keeping his opponents close at all times and using the ropes to guide him back to his corner between rounds. Ultimately, he would lose his sight completely and end up destitute. However, sports writers started a fund that allowed him to live comfortably until his death. That’s how much they thought of him.
Quote: “Sam Langford was the toughest little son of a ***** that ever lived,” Jack Johnson said.
Five more from Canada (in alphabetical order): Lou Brouillard, George Dixon, Jimmy McLarnin, Tommy Ryan, Billy Smith
...............
CUBA
JOSE NAPOLES
Birthdate / place: April 13, 1940 / Santiago de Cuba
Death date: August 16, 2019
Years active: 1958-75
Record: 81-7 (54 KOs)
Major titles: RING welterweight (1969-70, ’71-75), WBA-WBC welterweight (1969-70), WBA-WBC welterweight (1971-75)
Greatest victories: Billy Backus, Curtis Cokes (twice), Emile Griffith, Hedgemon Lewis, Ernie Lopez (twice), Armando Muniz (twice), Eddie Perkins
Background: Napoles fled Cuba for Mexico shortly after new dictator Fidel Castro banned professional boxing. Thank goodness for the sport. Napoles, as smooth as “Mantequilla (Butter)” and powerful to boot, built one of the greatest welterweight resumes in history out of Mexico City. Napoles was actually an accomplished professional between featherweight and junior welterweight but never received a title shot in those divisions. His break came in 1969, when he dominated fellow Hall of Famer Curtis Cokes en route to a 13th-round knockout that gave the Cuban the world 147-pound title. And he stopped Cokes again two months later in his first defense. He would go to hold portions of the championship from the first Cokes fight to 1975, when he lost his title to John Stracey (again on cuts) and never fought again. The only blip during his reign – which included 13 successful defenses – was a loss to Billy Backus on cuts that he avenged two fights later. Napoles greatest failure was his ill-fated attempt to wrest the middleweight title from all-time great Carlos Monzon in 1974 but he should be applauded for thinking big. When he was finished, he had gone 15-2 in world title fights and was 4-1 against fellow Hall of Famers. Greatness.
Quote: “What a magnificent fighter he was and what a great champion. Look how long he reigned as a champion. This is such a sad day,” Stracey said upon Napoles’ death this past August.
Five more from Cuba (in alphabetical order): Kid Chocolate, Kid Gavilan, Sugar Ramos, Guillermo Rigondeaux, Luis Rodriguez
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