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Lets see how they stand head to head. Hagler's 5 best wins were Hearns, Hamsho, Antuofermo, Roldan and Minter. Hearns broke his hand as we know in the first round, so it makes you wonder what if? Hamsho was def a good boxer and one of Hagler's best wins. Antuofermo, he was an undersized middleweight brawler with some technical skills, might've been somewhat overated at the time. Roldan was a good puncher with boxing skills but relatively unproven on world stage and he knocked Hagler down. Alan Minter beat Antuofermo twice and this was another impressive victory for Marvelous.
Now to Escopeta Monzon and his best 5 wins. Griffith, Benvenuti, Valdez, Briscoe and Napoles. Griffith was def past prime and his best weight was 147 beyond question, but he DID beat Benvenuti as a mw and still had some fire left in him. He proved that by going 29 rounds with Monzon altogether. Benvenuti is Monzon's best win however, without a doubt. Tho he had suffered a few defeats before their first fight (one by close dec. to Griffith, one to Dick Tiger at 165 pounds and one by injury to Tom Bethea, whom he koed in the rematch) Nino was still at the top of his game and one of the best p4p fighters in the world.. In the second fight he looked pretty game to me tho many say he was past it-fine. Valdez was a very strong and good mw with plenty of power. Briscoe was one of the hardest hitters in the game, altho he was far from p4p material in terms of skill. Still gave Monzon a hard time and managed to drop him. Last but not least comes Napoles, who was, unlike Griffith, a welter who didn't belong among middleweights. Tho he made a valiant effort, he was chanceless and had to quit after 7 rounds.
So, what does that spell then? We can conclude that Monzon beat more great fighters, while not all of them were at their best, while Hagler beat lesser fighters mostly (except for one) but they were all prime. At least to my knowledge. So I would rate Monzon a bit above Hagler.
Now to Escopeta Monzon and his best 5 wins. Griffith, Benvenuti, Valdez, Briscoe and Napoles. Griffith was def past prime and his best weight was 147 beyond question, but he DID beat Benvenuti as a mw and still had some fire left in him. He proved that by going 29 rounds with Monzon altogether. Benvenuti is Monzon's best win however, without a doubt. Tho he had suffered a few defeats before their first fight (one by close dec. to Griffith, one to Dick Tiger at 165 pounds and one by injury to Tom Bethea, whom he koed in the rematch) Nino was still at the top of his game and one of the best p4p fighters in the world.. In the second fight he looked pretty game to me tho many say he was past it-fine. Valdez was a very strong and good mw with plenty of power. Briscoe was one of the hardest hitters in the game, altho he was far from p4p material in terms of skill. Still gave Monzon a hard time and managed to drop him. Last but not least comes Napoles, who was, unlike Griffith, a welter who didn't belong among middleweights. Tho he made a valiant effort, he was chanceless and had to quit after 7 rounds.
So, what does that spell then? We can conclude that Monzon beat more great fighters, while not all of them were at their best, while Hagler beat lesser fighters mostly (except for one) but they were all prime. At least to my knowledge. So I would rate Monzon a bit above Hagler.
And second, if Ward beats Bute, Froch and Johnson, then he'll come right up with Calz. But I doubt he will. And its not just about who you beat, longevity also matters. I doubt that Ward will stand up so well against the test of time. But that remains to see. Monzon beat prime Valdez and prime Benvenuti (1st fight anyway). Both those guys stand head and shoulders above the aforementioned Bute, Froch and Johnson, especially Benvenuti.
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