“Carlos Monzón’s life was one that could have been defined with an almost unblemished boxing record, but was ultimately overtaken by a completely defaced personality. The only legacy he leaves is that the narrative, told brilliantly in the book, is unfortunately so absorbing.”—Jack Porter, The Sportsman

From the pages of Fistful of Murder...

The death of Alicia Muniz wasn’t a complete surprise to anyone who knew Carlos Monzon. The surprise was that no one else had died in his company.

He had a volcanic temper. He drank heavily and used cocaine. He drove recklessly, had a fascination with guns, and had been arrested many times for physical assaults. In February of 1988, with his personal life in shreds, Monzon had finally reached the nadir of an existence defined by hostility, with nothing to obstruct his most savage instincts.

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Carlos Monzon was one of Argentina's most celebrated figures. A renowned boxing champion and movie actor who enjoyed affairs with beautiful women, he also harbored a secret life of drug use, alcohol, and domestic violence.

When his estranged wife was found dead—strangled and tossed from a balcony—Monzon confessed that they'd fought the night before, but he couldn't remember what had happened. The resulting murder trial cast a long shadow over Monzon's legacy and launched a decades-long battle between his critics and defenders.

In A Fistful of Murder, Don Stradley explores Monzon's turbulent life, from his beginnings in poverty to his dramatic rise to stardom, all the way to the case that shook a country—and still haunts Argentina today.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1: The Void

CHAPTER 2: Rome, 11/7/1970

CHAPTER 3: “They Killed Themselves with Laughter”

CHAPTER 4: Luna Park 1965–69

CHAPTER 5: Champion

CHAPTER 6: Garbage and Miracles

CHAPTER 7: Bad Bennie

CHAPTER 8: Bullets

CHAPTER 9: Taking on the World

CHAPTER 10: A Glass Full of Piss

CHAPTER 11: The Boxer and the Beauty

CHAPTER 12: “He Can Be Evil”

CHAPTER 13: One Fight/One Film

CHAPTER 14: Superstar

CHAPTER 15: El Macho’s Last Ride

CHAPTER 16: Desperate Sundown

CHAPTER 17: Alicia

CHAPTER 18: The Lady on the Bricks

CHAPTER 19: Murder in Mar del Plata

CHAPTER 20: Killer and Still Champion

CHAPTER 21: The Outlaw Saint

A Fistful of Murder: The Fights and Crimes of Carlos Monzon is the fifth in the Hamilcar Noir series. Hamilcar Noir is "Hard-Hitting True Crime" that blends boxing and true crime, featuring riveting stories captured in high-quality prose, with cover art inspired by classic pulp novels.