ALMOST CHAMPIONS ; Part II by Jim Amato

Bennie Briscoe may have been the " Baddest " middleweight to never win the title. He finally received a long overdue shot at " King " Carlos Monzon and almost pulled the upset when he hurt Monzon in the ninth round. Carlos rallied to win the decision. In a battle for the WBC version of the title Bennie was stopped by the vastly under rated Rodrigo Valdez. After Monzon twice edged Valdez and retired, Bennie met Valdez again for the vacant title and lost a decision. Another worthwhile 160 pound contender during the Monzon era was Jean Claude Bouttier. Carlos beat the Frenchman twice but held him in very high regard.

Armando Muniz was as tough as nails. He was a leading welterweight contender for years. Four times Mando would challenge for the coveted crown and four times he would come up short. He twice met the great Jose Napoles. " Mantaquilla " won the first one in a controversial match. Jose left no doubt in winning a decision in a rematch. Muniz would also lose twice to the formidible Carlos Palomino in title attempts.