Willie Monroe Jr. Will Try To Replicate Feat of His Great-Uncle, Willie “The Worm” Monroe

Published

10 years ago

May 14, 2015

Nobody gives Willie Monroe Jr. (19-1, 6 KOs) much of a chance to dethrone WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (32-0, 29 KOs) when they square off in the HBO-televised main event Saturday night in Inglewood, Calif. Oddsmakers have made Monroe, a slick-boxing southpaw with negligible punching power, anywhere from a 15-1 to 20-1 underdog.

But upsets do happen and, well, there is a member of Monroe’s family who knows what it’s like to beat a supposedly unbeatable foe. If it happened once before, why not again?

“I’m hoping that he wins it, and I believe he’s going to do well,” Monroe’s great-uncle and namesake, former middleweight contender Willie “The Worm” Monroe, said from the Sicklerville, N.J., home he shares with his daughter. “It wouldn’t shock me if he wins the fight.”

“The Worm” knows a thing or two about shocking upsets. He is one of only three fighters to have defeated the great Marvin Hagler, and, in some people’s minds, the only one to do so without any hint of controversy. His 10-round, unanimous decision over Hagler on March 9, 1976, in the Spectrum in Philadelphia, was emphatic enough that even the rising superstar from Brockton, Mass., had to admit he had been bested fair and square.

“I controlled Hagler with the jab,” Monroe said in late March 1987, before Hagler’s final bout, a split-decision loss to Sugar Ray Leonard that Hagler to this day has refused to acknowledge or accept. “Threw the uppercut from time to time. I cut him over the eye. He bled so much that night. I found out later I had busted a blood vessel in his nose. I closed both his eyes. I remember that fight real good.”

So does Monroe’s former promoter, J Russell Peltz, who wishes he had a film of “The Worm’s” finest hour as part of his extensive video library. Then again, no one has any footage of what took place on Monroe’s night of nights. There was a blinding snowstorm that not only limited attendance, but prevented a film crew from even making it to the arena.

“Willie Monroe vs. Marvin Hagler (whose first loss, which was hotly disputed, was to Watts) will go down in history as a much bigger, much more significant fight than Willie Monroe Jr. vs. Triple G ever could,” said Peltz, an unabashedly old-school traditionalist. “You got champions on every street corner now. Guys like Willie Monroe and Boogaloo Watts and Cyclone Hart … I hear people say, `How good could they have been? They never even got a title shot!’ Yeah, but it wasn’t that easy back then to get a title shot. (Carlos) Monzon was the king of the middleweight division then. Maybe for a while (Rodrigo) Valdes had a piece of the title, and he was no walk in the park either. Guys had to wait their turn and try to fight their way up the ladder. Now, you win a tournament on ESPN against a bunch of non-contenders (as Monroe Jr. supposedly did in the Boxcino tourney) and the next thing you know, you’re on HBO.”

Peltz’s assessment might be a bit harsh, but at least the Boxcino tournament was televised. Monroe is all too aware that the absence of a fight film has served to lessen the relevance of his landmark conquest of Hagler. To some, unless they see something on TV or on video, it’s like it never happened.

“All I’ve got is some photos, action photos,” he sighed. “But I tell you what, he had never fought a fighter like me. He didn’t know what to do with me. I must have done him some good, though; he never lost again until Leonard, and I’m not too sure about that one. I like to think I sent him back to school.”

The elder Monroe, who turns 66 on June 5, posted a 39-10-1 record with 26 victories inside the distance in a career that spanned from 1969 to ’81. The Rochester, N.Y., native was one of four Philly-based 160-pounders to be ranked among the world’s top 10 in the 1970s, along with Bennie Briscoe, Watts and Hart. When you consider that heavyweights Joe Frazier and Jimmy Young, light heavyweight Matthew Saad Muhammad and bantamweight Jeff Chandler also were active during that era, it constituted perhaps the most glittering golden age of Philadelphia boxing, one perhaps beyond matching.

It was with the idea of honing and refining his ring skills that Monroe, then 23, came to Philly in the mid-1960s. It was a fortuitous move; he soon was under the tutelage of Yank Durham, who took Frazier to the heavyweight championship, and, after Durham passed away, another master of the corner, Eddie Futch. During that halcyon period, Monroe became a marquee attraction in his adopted hometown, regularly fighting his fellow middleweight headliners before large, enthusiastic crowds in the Spectrum.

And when it was finally over – on a fourth-round knockout loss to Willie Edwards on Oct. 24, 1981 – Monroe remained in the area, which explains in part why he has such a lack of familiarity with that part of his family that remained in Rochester, including grand-nephew Willie Monroe Jr.

“I hardly know my nephew, to be honest with you,” Monroe said. “I never really had the chance to get to know him. It’s just one of those things. I came to Philadelphia before he was even born. The same thing goes with his father (Willie Lee Monroe, a super middleweight who posted a 24-4-2 record), who I never got a chance to know either. They were there and I was here, either fighting or traveling. I fought a lot in Europe, too.”

It would have made for an interesting slant on Golovkin-Monroe Jr. had “The Worm’s” 28-year-old relative requested some tips on how to take down “Triple G,” as his great-uncle had taken down Hagler. But that call never was made, from either direction. Time and distance have served to chill whatever relationship they might have had.

“At the end of the day, it’s about what I do,” stressed Monroe Jr., who listed his pugilistic role models as Roy Jones Jr., Sugar Ray Leonard, Pernell Whitaker and Hector “Macho” Camacho. “It doesn’t matter the pedigree or where you come from or what your name is. I really try not to live off what my dad and my uncle did. I’m creating my own legacy. I’ve made it further than both of them already.”

Maybe, and maybe not. Willie the Worm was much more of a puncher than Willie Jr., whose nickname is “The Mongoose,” which might or might not be a nod toward the legendary Archie Moore, minus the original’s high volume of knockouts. But while the elder Monroe says he’ll be rooting for his namesake – “Of course I will; regardless of whatever the situation is, that’s still my blood. Family counts” – he isn’t prepared to fully commit to the notion that his grand-nephew will do unto Golovkin what he did to Hagler.

“I saw his last fight (a 10-round unanimous decision over Brian Vera in the final of the Boxcino tournament) on television,” Monroe said. “He did what he had to and he won. He really wasn’t that impressive, but he won and winning is the main thing.”

Interestingly, Monroe has a much more cordial and warm relationship with Hagler, with whom he swapped punches three times, than with his Rochester relations. They stand as irrefutable proof that friendships sometimes can be forged in the crucible of competition.

“I spent time with Marvin after all three of our fights,” Monroe said. “I even spent time with him in Italy, where he lives now. I fought over there, back in the day. We talked at his hotel and had a great time. There wasn’t any problem. Him and me, we have a lot of respect for each other.”

So, did Monroe realize, after their first bout, that Hagler would eventually become one of the most feared and revered middleweight champions of all time?

“I knew he was going to be good because he was very determined,” Monroe recalled. “He had a great attitude to be in the game. I noticed that. I realized he had the potential to be great.”

If Monroe Jr. has any chance against Golovkin, who comes in with a streak of 19 consecutive knockout victories, it might be if “Triple G” makes the mistake of being overconfident. He is, after all, in prime position for high-visibility, big-money unification bouts with fellow middleweight champs Miguel Cotto and Andy Lee, and maybe a megafight with former WBC/WBA super welterweight titlist Canelo Alvarez, whenever he decides to move up. Also on Golovkin’s wish list — at the top of it, actually — is Floyd Mayweather Jr. Who could blame “Triple G” for viewing Monroe as just another step in his relentless march toward Hagler-like prominence?

“I think this fight will truly be won by ring intelligence,” said Willie Jr.’s trainer, Tony Morgan. “I think that Golovkin makes a lot of mistakes. I think he’s beatable. I think any guy’s beatable if you bring the right plan to the table.

“And I think what we bring to the table is something Gennady’s never seen and realistically can’t prepare for. There’s really only one Willie Monroe.”

That’s probably true. But until further notice, the still-reigning ruler of fighting Willie Monroes is a “Worm” who wriggled on the hook one snowy night in 1976 and got Marvin Hagler to take the bait.

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Bernard Fernandez

Avila Perspective, Chap. 322: Super Welter Week in SoCal

Published

2 minutes ago

April 18, 2025

David A. Avila

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Two below-the-radar super welterweight stars show off their skills this weekend from different parts of Southern California.

One in particular, Charles Conwell, co-headlines a show in Oceanside against a hard-hitting Mexican while another super welter star Sadriddin Akhmedov faces another Mexican hitter in Commerce.

Take your pick.

The super welterweight division is loaded with talent at the moment. If Terence Crawford remained in the division he would be at the top of the class, but he is moving up several weight divisions.

Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) faces Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs) a tall knockout puncher from Los Mochis at the Frontwave Arena in Oceanside, Calif. on Saturday April 19. DAZN will stream the Golden Boy Promotions card that also features undisputed flyweight champion Gabriela Fundora. We’ll get to her later.

Conwell might be the best super welterweight out there aside from the big dogs like Vergil Ortiz, Serhii Bohachuk and Sebastian Fundora.

If you are not familiar with Conwell he comes from Cleveland, Ohio and is one of those fighters that other fighters know about. He is good.

He has the James “Lights Out” Toney kind of in-your-face-style where he anchors down and slowly deciphers the opponent’s tools and then takes them away piece by piece. Usually it’s systematic destruction. The kind you see when a skyscraper goes down floor by floor until it’s smoking rubble.

During the Covid days Conwell fought two highly touted undefeated super welters in Wendy Toussaint and Madiyar Ashkeyev. He stopped them both and suddenly was the boogie man of the super welterweight division.

Conwell will be facing Mexico’s taller Garcia who likes to trade blows as most Mexican fighters prefer, especially those from Sinaloa. These guys will be firing H bombs early.

Fundora

Co-headlining the Golden Boy card is Gabriela Fundora (15-0, 7 KOs) the undisputed flyweight champion of the world. She has all the belts and Mexico’s Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1, 3 KOs) wants them.

Gabriela Fundora is the sister of Sebastian Fundora who holds the men’s WBC and WBO super welterweight world titles. Both are tall southpaws with power in each hand to protect the belts they accumulated.

Six months ago, Fundora met Argentina’s Gabriela Alaniz in Las Vegas to determine the undisputed flyweight champion. The much shorter Alaniz tried valiantly to scrap with Fundora and ran into a couple of rocket left hands.

Mexico’s Badillo is an undefeated flyweight from Mexico City who has battled against fellow Mexicans for years. She has fought one world champion in Asley Gonzalez the current super flyweight world titlist. They met years ago with Badillo coming out on top.

Does Badillo have the skill to deal with the taller and hard-hitting Fundora?

When a fighter has a six-inch height advantage like Fundora, it is almost impossible to out-maneuver especially in two-minute rounds. Ask Alaniz who was nearly decapitated when she tried.

This will be Badillo’s first pro fight outside of Mexico.

Commerce Casino

Kazakhstan’s Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0, 13 KOs) is another dangerous punching super welterweight headlining a 360 Promotions card against Mexico’s Elias Espadas (23-6, 16 KOs) on Saturday at the Commerce Casino.

UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card of about eight bouts.

Akhmedov is another Kazakh puncher similar to the great Gennady “GGG” Golovkin who terrorized the middleweight division for a decade. He doesn’t have the same polish or dexterity but doesn’t lack pure punching power.

It’s another test for the super welterweight who is looking to move up the ladder in the very crowded 154-pound weight division. 360 Promotions already has a top contender in Ukraine’s Serhii Bohachuk who nearly defeated Vergil Ortiz a year ago.

Could Bohachuk and Akhmedov fight each other if nothing else materializes?

That’s a question for another day.

Fights to Watch

Sat. DAZN 5 p.m. Charles Conwell (21-0, 16 KOs) vs. Jorge Garcia Perez (32-4, 26 KOs); Gabriela Fundora (15-0) vs Marilyn Badillo (19-0-1).

Sat. UFC Fight Pass 6 p.m. Sadriddin Akhmedov (15-0) vs Elias Espadas (23-6).

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TSS Salutes Thomas Hauser and his Bernie Award Cohorts

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2025

TSS Press

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The Boxing Writers Association of America has announced the winners of its annual Bernie Awards competition. The awards, named in honor of former five-time BWAA president and frequent TSS contributor Bernard Fernandez, recognize outstanding writing in six categories as represented by stories published the previous year.

Over the years, this venerable website has produced a host of Bernie Award winners. In 2024, Thomas Hauser kept the tradition alive. A story by Hauser that appeared in these pages finished first in the category “Boxing News Story.” Titled “Ryan Garcia and the New York State Athletic Commission,” the story was published on June 23. You can read it HERE.

Hauser also finished first in the category of “Investigative Reporting” for “The Death of Ardi Ndembo,” a story that ran in the (London) Guardian. (Note: Hauser has owned this category. This is his 11^th first place finish for “Investigative Reporting”.)

Thomas Hauser, who entered the International Boxing Hall of Fame with the class of 2019, was honored at last year’s BWAA awards dinner with the A.J. Leibling Award for Outstanding Boxing Writing. The list of previous winners includes such noted authors as W.C. Heinz, Budd Schulberg, Pete Hamill, and George Plimpton, to name just a few.

The Leibling Award is now issued intermittently. The most recent honorees prior to Hauser were Joyce Carol Oates (2015) and Randy Roberts (2019).

Roberts, a Distinguished Professor of History at Purdue University, was tabbed to write the Hauser/Leibling Award story for the glossy magazine for BWAA members published in conjunction with the organization’s annual banquet. Regarding Hauser’s most well-known book, his Muhammad Ali biography, Roberts wrote, “It is nearly impossible to overestimate the importance of the book to our understanding of Ali and his times.” An earlier book by Hauser, “The Black Lights: Inside the World of Professional Boxing,” garnered this accolade: “Anyone who wants to understand boxing today should begin by reading ‘The Black Lights’.”

A panel of six judges determined the Bernie Award winners for stories published in 2024. The stories they evaluated were stripped of their bylines and other identifying marks including the publication or website for which the story was written.

Other winners:

Boxing Event Coverage: Tris Dixon

Boxing Column: Kieran Mulvaney

Boxing Feature (Over 1,500 Words): Lance Pugmire

Boxing Feature (Under 1,500 Words): Chris Mannix

The Dixon, Mulvaney, and Pugmire stories appeared in Boxing Scene; the Mannix story in Sports Illustrated.

The Bernie Award recipients will be honored at the forthcoming BWAA dinner on April 30 at the Edison Ballroom in the heart of Times Square. (For more information, visit the BWAA website). Two days after the dinner, an historic boxing tripleheader will be held in Times Square, the logistics of which should be quite interesting. Ryan Garcia, Devin Haney, and Teofimo Lopez share top billing.

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Mekhrubon Sanginov, whose Heroism Nearly Proved Fatal, Returns on Saturday

Published

3 days ago

April 15, 2025

Arne K. Lang

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To say that Mekhrubon Sanginov is excited to resume his boxing career would be a great understatement. Sanginov, ranked #9 by the WBA at 154 pounds before his hiatus, last fought on July 8, 2022.

He was in great form before his extended leave, having scored four straight fast knockouts, advancing his record to 13-0-1. Had he remained in Las Vegas, where he had settled after his fifth pro fight, his career may have continued on an upward trajectory, but a trip to his hometown of Dushanbe, Tajikistan, turned everything haywire. A run-in with a knife-wielding bully nearly cost him his life, stalling his career for nearly three full years.

Sanginov was exiting a restaurant in Dushanbe when he saw a man, plainly intoxicated, harassing another man, an innocent bystander. Mekhrubon intervened and was stabbed several times with a long knife. One of the puncture wounds came perilously close to puncturing his heart.

“After he stabbed me, I ran after him and hit him and caught him to hold for the police,” recollects Sanginov. “There was a lot of confusion when the police arrived. At first, the police were not certain what had happened.

“By the time I got to the hospital, I had lost two liters of blood, or so I was told. After I was patched up, one of the surgeons said to me, ‘Give thanks to God because he gave you a second life.’ It is like I was born a second time.”

“I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It could have happened in any city,” he adds. (A story about the incident on another boxing site elicited this comment from a reader: “Good man right there. World would be a better place if more folk were willing to step up when it counts.”)

Sanginov first laced on a pair of gloves at age 10 and was purportedly 105-14 as an amateur. Growing up, the boxer he most admired was Roberto Duran. “Muhammad Ali will always be the greatest and [Marvin] Hagler was great too, but Duran was always my favorite,” he says.

During his absence from the ring, Sanginov married a girl from Tajikistan and became a father. His son Makhmud was born in Las Vegas and has dual citizenship. “Ideally,” he says, “I would like to have three more children. Two more boys and the last one a daughter.”

He also put on a great deal of weight. When he returned to the gym, his trainer Bones Adams was looking at a cruiserweight. But gradually the weight came off – “I had to give up one of my hobbies; I love to eat,” he says – and he will be resuming his career at 154. “Although I am the same weight as before, I feel stronger now. Before I was more of a boy, now I am a full-grown man,” says Sanginov who turned 29 in February.

He has a lot of rust to shed. Because of all those early knockouts, he has answered the bell for only eight rounds in the last four years. Concordantly, his comeback fight on Saturday could be described as a soft re-awakening. Sanginov’s opponent Mahonri Montes, an 18-year pro from Mexico, has a decent record (36-10-2, 25 KOs) but has been relatively inactive and is only 1-3-1 in his last five. Their match at Thunder Studios in Long Beach, California, is slated for eight rounds.

On May 10, Ardreal Holmes (17-0) faces Erickson Lubin (26-2) on a ProBox card in Kissimmee, Florida. It’s an IBF super welterweight title eliminator, meaning that the winner (in theory) will proceed directly to a world title fight.

Sanginov will be watching closely. He and Holmes were scheduled to meet in March of 2022 in the main event of a ShoBox card on Showtime. That match fell out when Sanginov suffered an ankle injury in sparring.

If not for a twist of fate, that may have been Mekhrubon Sanginov in that IBF eliminator, rather than Ardreal Holmes. We will never know, but one thing we do know is that Mekhrubon’s world title aspirations were too strong to be ruined by a knife-wielding bully.

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