Today in Boxing History: Carlos Monzon makes pro debut

On this day in 1963, Carlos Monzón made his professional boxing debut, knocking out Ramón Montenegro in the second round in Santa Fe, Argentina.

Monzón did not begin his boxing career with much ballyhoo. Following his stoppage of Montenegro, who entered the ring with a 7-6-1 record, Monzón went on to lose 3 of his next 20 bouts.

However, his third loss would be his last. From November of 1964 to his retirement in 1977, Monzón remained unbeaten. He won the WBC and WBA Middleweight titles in 1970 with a 12th-round TKO of Nino Benvenuti, and then successfully defended his championship 14 times before hanging his gloves. Montenegro continued fighting until 1964, finishing his career with a record of 9-10-3.