9th May 1971 – Stade Louis II, Fontvieille, Monte Carlo, Monaco – Middleweight legend Carlos Monzon needed nine rounds less to dispose of former champion Nino Benvenuti in their rematch.

The Italian’s manager Bruno Amaduzzi throwing in the towel after the challenger had hit the canvas in each of the first two rounds, A right cross acting to be the final nail in the coffin in the third.

The stoppage was considered premature at the time even Arthur Mercante who was the referee of Joe Frazier‐Muhammad All noted afterwards that if he had been the third man in the ring that night, he would have “taken the towel and thrown it back at the manager.”

“Only a referee or a doctor can stop a world title fight,”

“I wanted to die,” Benvenuti later reflected. “I could have continued. I didn’t even have to take a shower.”

Then, in a reference to Amaduzzi’s intent to protect him, he added: “Sometimes love can kill you.”

Their initial encounter held a lot more excitement, lasting twelve of the fifteen round distance where at the time Benvenuti was making the fifth defence of his WBA/WBC titles, The fight would later be named as the 1970’s Ring Magazine Fight of the Year.