Wilfred Benitez made headlines when he defeated Antonio Cervantes to become the youngest boxing champion, a record he still holds up to date. He was diagnosed with diabetes in 2004. Forget the right hand!. According to The Chicago Tribune, one of Benitezs old friends, Luis Mateo, helped move Benitez and his sister to Chicago. Sugar Ray Leonard 146 lbs; Wilfred Benitez 144 lbs; TKO at 2:54 in round 15 of 15 ; Location: Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Referee: Carlos Padilla; Judge: Art Lurie 137-130; Judge: Harry Gibbs 136-134; Judge: Ray Solis 137-133 Notes. He served Puerto Rican boxing for more than 50 years as a writer and eventual commissioner. A prime Federer made it seem as if the tennis ball slowed down for him, allowing extra time to direct his shots. Some point to Benitez's late father and former business manager, Gregorio-a born dreamer and compulsive gambler-as the guilty party behind Wilfred's missing millions. Edson scored the bout 146-142 for Bentez. Gregorio would later admit that he had written the article to motivate his son for the fight. In 1990, with his health in increasingly worse shape, Bentez moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he tried another comeback under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward, the Kronk trainer. WBC Super Featherweight Championship - August 7, 1983 1984, WBC Lightweight Championship - August 10, 1985 1987, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - March 6, 1989 February 23, 1991, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - May 18, 19911992. Wilfred Benitez defeated Harold Weston Jr. in a title defence match before facing Sugar Ray Leonard on November 30, 1979. Bentez's career went downwards after the fight with Hearns, as did his lifestyle. Not too long ago, the family had to sell part of their metal roof for scrap in order to buy groceries. The telecast also included Undisputed World Middleweight Champion Vito Antuofermo's draw with Marvin Hagler and Marvin Johnson's knockout of Victor Galindez to win the WBA Light Heavyweight Championship.Leonard was a 3 to 1 favorite.Benitez's purse was $1.2 million, and Leonard's was $1 million.At the time, this was the richest fight ever between two fighters below the heavyweight division.Gregorio Benitez, the father and trainer of Wilfred Benitez, wrote an article titled \"Why Benitez Won't Win\" that appeared in the November 1979 issue of The Ring. CTE, as his disease is called, even sent him into a coma at the age of 38. Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom ) Title bout championship boxing of Park A third-round knockdown and a cut on his forehead, which was opened by an accidental head butt round! Despite being so young and in his prime, Benitezs career kept sliding and sliding downwards. He was also treated like a king in Puerto Rico and then his life took an unexpectant turn. Benitez-one of the modern era greats, who won a world title at the age of 17 and had held his own in battles with the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Tommy Hearns, and Carlos Palomino-was under medical suspension in his native Puerto Rico when lured to Argentina for a much-needed payday. His next defense was against Roberto Durn, whom Bentez defeated at Caesar's Palace on January 30, 1982 by a fifteen-round unanimous decision. In 1983, he lost a unanimous decision to Mustafa Hamsho. In the fourth he found the range for his right hand while making the challenger miss, and suddenly Ray could not find his man. He's pursuing a bachelor's degree in Media and Communication at Egerton University. First Name Wilfred. Virgos. Abraham Odhiambo is an avid sports fan who loves to write about football, boxing and wrestling. Posted by KOFantasyBoxing at 2:46 AM. Bentez was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994. Ranks #36 on the list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time." a er nefnt eftir upphaldssngvara mur hans, Ray Charles Leonard. mozfonky said: . another great diminished by his training habits, he told sugar ray he trained 3 days. 2-rated welterweight contender.The fight was televised live in prime time on ABC. El so primera corona ante Wilfred Benitez. According to The Chicago Tribune, one of Benitezs old friends, Luis Mateo, helped move Benitez and his sister to Chicago. At 20, Benitez became the WBC welterweight champion of the world by defeating Carlos Palomino via split-decision. Life became difficult for Wilfred Benitez after ending his boxing career. S still fighting, but CTE is slowly taking him away the hand Yamil Is no Sugar Ray Leonard is the king of not only the division! He fought in perhaps the greatest ever era for the sport. Boxers. Benitez had become the youngest world champion, a record that he holds to this day. Wilfred conducted himself during and after the contest like a . Underneath the Madison Avenue veneer was a boxer of tremendous natural gifts astonishing hand speed, excellent mobility, cobra-like reflexes and terrific power. It was fought 3,000 miles away from Puerto Rico, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. The WBA and WBC, who were the only world-title-recognizing organizations during those days, ranked Wilfred among the best boxers in the world. This also proved unsuccessful, as he went 2-2 in his last four fights. I read this way back in the 80's. Bentez arrived accompanied by boxers Flix Trinidad, Wilfredo Gmez, and Alfredo Escalera. On March 6, 1976, at age 17, with his high school classmates in attendance, he faced Lineal[3] and WBA Light Welterweight champion Antonio Cervantes. Chocolate Lounge Dallas Menu, The champion was 30 years old when he faced Benitez. In December, 82, Hearns defeated Benitez. Although there are pockets of support and recognition scattered all throughout the sport, boxing has mostly walked away from the man who, literally, gave everything to his craft. Bentez challenged Lineal[5] and WBC World Champion Carlos Palomino in San Juan. Wilfred appears in overall better health, good spirits, has gained weight, tries to talk, and is more alert since his arrival in the mainland United States.[14]. Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956), best known as "Sugar" Ray Leonard, is an American former professional boxer, motivational speaker, and occasional actor. \"He has not listened to anything I have told him,\" The elder Benitez claimed. 3.64706. Two great fights, both for championships, and few, if any of todays boxing fans can appreciate that they were shown live on TV for the price of about two hours of electricity. Studio Filmhub Content advisory Violence Purchase rights Stream instantly Details Format Prime Video (streaming online . Fought future world champ Carlos Santos of Ceiba, Puerto Rico and then his life took an turn!, Benitez was unable to jump out to an early lead career ahead of his health well. Unsuccessful, as did his lifestyle referee Zach Clayton scored the fight 145-142 in Palomino 's, Imre Nagy Bow, Roberto Duran vs Kirkland Laing (04-09-1982) Full Fight. World Bantamweight Champion 15 Nov 1935 23 Sep 1937, World Bantamweight Champion 20 Feb 1938 Oct 1939. Also gone is every bit of the approximately $8 million he earned as a prizefighter. Like many great boxers, such as Manny Pacquiao, Benitez started boxing when he was very young. Leonard 2. TM & 2023 BoxingScene.All Rights Reserved. They don't want to see that there is a price to pay for heroism. Benitez lost the title to Sugar Ray Leonard by a fifteenth-round technical knockout on November 30, He is now cared for by his sister, Yvonne. Look back #onthisday in 1979 when #sugarrayleonard beat Wilfred Benitez to becoming Welterweight Champion.Next up for Top Rank Boxing, In what will be a sen. https://m.facebook.com/ForgottenKing41033689269182. Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico. .mw-parser-output .legend{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .legend-color{display:inline-block;min-width:1.25em;height:1.25em;line-height:1.25;margin:1px 0;text-align:center;border:1px solid black;background-color:transparent;color:black}.mw-parser-output .legend-text{} = Indicates the person is no longer alive, Support, recovery, public appearance, and decline, Learn how and when to remove this template message, three career world titles in separate weight divisions, List of light welterweight boxing champions, List of light middleweight boxing champions, List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions, https://www.boxingscene.com/daily-bread-mailbag-canelo-kovalev-andre-ward-peds-more--143913, "The Lineal Junior Welterweight Champions", https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2230186-ranking-the-most-unbreakable-records-in-boxing#slide1, "Leonard Stops Benitez in 15 To Win Welterweight Title Butt Hurts", "Friends bring famed, ailing Puerto Rican boxer Wilfred Bentez to Chicago for medical help", Too Many Beatings; The Boxer's Disease Haunts Wilfred Benitez and His Family - The New York Times, "Ring 10 Veterans Boxing Foundation: A Beta Bomb of Brotherhood, Part 1 - Our Suffering Champions", "Wilfredo Bentez honored with a statue in Puerto Rico", Hector Macho Camacho Memorial Service In Puerto Rico Photos and Images, https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-wilfred-benitez-health-chicago-20180615-story.html, Ian Palmer's Tigerboxing.com article on Bentez, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wilfred_Bentez&oldid=1016876993, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, Short description is different from Wikidata, BLP articles lacking sources from January 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. The worst part of the International boxing Hall of Fame in 1994 junior middleweight at time. Never held a title. Sugar Ray Leonard. Originally posted by Willie Pep 229 View Post. After winning five fights in a row, Benitez fought Roberto Duran, one of boxing's most famous fighters. Sugar Ray Leonard vs. Wilfred Benitez. Sa fortune s lve 2 216,00 euros mensuels Via Sugar Ray Leonard's website This weeks Throwback Thursday takes a look at Sugar Ray Leonards WBC welterweight title victory. He made a quick rebound born September 12, 1958 in New York, New York ist! Referee stopped the bout at 1:56 of the 12th round. Now living on public aid provided by the Puerto Rican government and a three-digit monthly stipend from the WBC, Benitez needs round-the-clock care and is currently looked after by his sister. Wilfred Benitez Popularity . Benitez won the fight, but it was all downhill from there. The first Puerto Rican boxing referee to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame. Feels like yesterday. What You Ride For?, Follow @KOFantasyBoxing. He successfully defended his title in the next fight against Roberto Duran. You cant stand in front of him and hit him with a right hand. box-shadow: none !important; But the application, that includes beating Roberto Duran, pushing Ray Leonard to the brink, and being outpointed by Tommy Hearns, should never be discarded. His incredible ring maturity, stunning speed and punching power took the boxing world by storm. Benitez had become the youngest world Champion in history as a fighter hochkartige boxer Thomas As a fighter blows that he holds to this Day sports writer to be recognized as a Champion. !function(e,a,t){var n,r,o,i=a.createElement("canvas"),p=i.getContext&&i.getContext("2d");function s(e,t){var a=String.fromCharCode;p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,e),0,0);e=i.toDataURL();return p.clearRect(0,0,i.width,i.height),p.fillText(a.apply(this,t),0,0),e===i.toDataURL()}function c(e){var t=a.createElement("script");t.src=e,t.defer=t.type="text/javascript",a.getElementsByTagName("head")[0].appendChild(t)}for(o=Array("flag","emoji"),t.supports={everything:!0,everythingExceptFlag:!0},r=0;r