By Boxing Bob Newman
Sad news out of France. Former European middleweight champion and two-time world title challenger Jean Claude Bouttier passed on Saturday, August 3.
Bouttier compiled a record of 64-7-1, 43 KOs over a nine year career. Bouttier challenged the great middleweight Carlos Monzon in 1972, losing by TKO12. Bouttier faced Monzon again in 1973. Despite going down three times, Bouttier won a moral victory, lasting the 15 round distance and gaining the praise of Monzon as his toughest challenger to date.
Bouttier enjoyed wild popularity in France even after his career was over in the ring. He continued in boxing as a color commentator for Canal+ network, for years France’s leading network featuring boxing. This writer had the pleasure of meeting Bouttier in Sydney at the 2000 Olympic games where he was part of the Canal+ broadcast
team.
Bouttier battled smoking-related health issues for several years. He was 74. Repose en paix champion…
Great fighter; RIP champ. For information he lost the first fight against Monzon only because Monzon hit him in his eye with his thumb and admit after that he did it volontary. In the second fight they were close till the 12th round but Monzon won the last 3 rounds to win the fight..
I remember well both fights, but I didn’t know about the thumb incident. Bouttier had an immense heart, but Monzon was too good, too powerful.
Good boxer .RIP.