Wilfred Benítez
Wilfred Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is an American-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight divisions at the age of seventeen, he is best remembered as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities, along with his fights with Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard.
| Wilfred Benítez | |
|---|---|
 Benítez in 1980 | |
| Statistics | |
| Nickname(s) | El Radar ("The Radar") Bible of Boxing |
| Weight(s) | Light welterweight Welterweight Light middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (178 cm) |
| Reach | 70 in (178 cm) |
| Nationality | Puerto Rican |
| Born | September 12, 1958 New York City, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 62 |
| Wins | 53 |
| Wins by KO | 31 |
| Losses | 8 |
| Draws | 1 |
| No contests | 0 |
Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996, he is considered among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time, sharing the honor with Félix Trinidad, Wilfredo Gómez, Carlos Ortiz, Héctor Camacho, and Miguel Cotto.[1]
Early history
Benítez turned pro at 15, a young prodigy who was managed by his father Gregorio Benítez, was a member of one of Puerto Rico's boxing families, his brothers Frankie and Gregory Benítez having also been top contenders in the 1970s. The Benítez troop was largely directed by their mother, Clara Benítez. Young Wilfred was nicknamed "The Radar" for his uncanny ability to foresee and dodge his opponent's blows.[2] He grew up going to a neighborhood boxing gym in New York, where he learned from watching his brothers and other local, renowned fighters practice their skills.
During the early stages of his professional career, Benítez often traveled to the Netherlands Antilles and New York City for fights. He divided his fights between those locations and Puerto Rico. The proximity of those two locations to Puerto Rico helped him start to become a household name in the island while building an international following at the same time. His speed, combined with punching power and surprising ring maturity for a 16-year-old, were enough to make him a world-ranked boxer by both the WBA and WBC, then boxing's only world-title recognizing organizations.
Professional boxing career
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. Known as Kid Pambele, the champion was 30 years old, had a record of 74-9-3 with 35 KO's, and had made 10 title defenses. The result was a fifteen-round split decision in Benítez's favor.[4]
Benítez retained the championship three times, and then moved up to the welterweight division. Benítez challenged Lineal[5] and WBC World Champion Carlos Palomino in San Juan. On January 14, 1979, Benítez won a fifteen-round split decision to become a world champion in a second weight division. After outpointing Harold Weston Jr. in his first defense (avenging an earlier draw), Benítez fought Sugar Ray Leonard in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 30, 1979. It was a scientific fight by both fighters, who demonstrated their defensive skills throughout the bout. Benítez suffered a third-round knockdown and a cut on his forehead, which was opened by an accidental head butt in round six. Leonard put Benítez down again in the fifteenth round and the referee stopped the fight with six seconds left in round fifteen.
After that loss, Benítez again moved up in weight, and on May 23, 1981, at age 22, he became the youngest three-time world champion in boxing history by knocking out WBC World Super Welterweight Champion Maurice Hope in twelve rounds in Las Vegas. The knockout was named one of the knockouts of the year.
His next fight became a historic bout. On November 14, 1981, he fought future world champ Carlos Santos of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. It was the first world championship fight between two Puerto Ricans in boxing history. It was fought 3,000 miles away from Puerto Rico, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Benítez won a fifteen-round unanimous decision. His next defense was against Roberto Durán, whom Benítez defeated at Caesar's Palace on January 30, 1982 by a fifteen-round unanimous decision. On December 3, 1982, at the Carnival of Champions in New Orleans, Benítez lost the belt to another boxing legend, Thomas Hearns, by a fifteen-round majority decision.[6]
Career decline
Benítez's career went downwards after the fight with Hearns, as did his lifestyle. In 1983, he lost a unanimous decision to Mustafa Hamsho. In 1984, he tried a comeback under the hand of Yamil Chade, but this proved unsuccessful as he was knocked out in the second round by Davey Moore. On November 28, 1986, with his health declining, Benítez went to Salta, Argentina to fight against middleweight Carlos Herrera. Benítez was stopped in seven rounds. But to make matters worse, his money for the fight was stolen by the promoter, along with his documents and passport, and he was stranded in Argentina for over a year. After eventually being tracked down, and after much government huddling and talks, he was finally able to fly back home to Puerto Rico in 1988.
In 1990, with his health in increasingly worse shape, Benítez moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he tried another comeback under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward, the Kronk trainer. This also proved unsuccessful, as he went 2-2 in his last four fights. His last bout took place in Winnipeg, Canada on September 18, 1990, six days after his 32nd birthday. He lost a ten-round decision against Scott Papasadora.
Professional boxing record
| 62 fights | 53 wins | 8 losses |
| By knockout | 31 | 4 |
| By decision | 22 | 4 |
| Draws | 1 | |
| Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Loss | 53–8–1 |  |
UD | 10 | 18/09/1990 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
|
| Win | 53–7–1 | |
UD | 10 | 24/08/1990 |  |
|
| Loss | 52–7–1 | |
PTS | 10 | 23/05/1990 |  |
|
| Win | 52–6–1 |  |
KO | 7 | 08/03/1990 | |
|
| Loss | 51–6–1 |  |
TKO | 7 | 28/11/1986 | |
|
| Win | 51–5–1 | |
UD | 10 | 17/09/1986 |  |
|
| Win | 50–5–1 | |
UD | 10 | 01/07/1986 |  |
|
| Loss | 50–4–1 | |
KO | 9 | 15/02/1986 | |
|
| Win | 49–4–1 | |
UD | 10 | 21/08/1985 |  |
|
| Win | 48–4–1 | |
RTD | 7 | 06/07/1985 | |
|
| Win | 47–4–1 |  |
TKO | 2 | 30/03/1985 |  |
|
| Loss | 46–4–1 | |
TKO | 2 | 14/07/1984 |  |
|
| Win | 46–3–1 | |
UD | 10 | 11/02/1984 |  |
|
| Loss | 45–3–1 |  |
UD | 12 | 16/07/1983 |  |
|
| Win | 45–2–1 | |
UD | 10 | 18/05/1983 | |
|
| Loss | 44–2–1 | |
MD | 15 | 03/12/1982 | |
Lost WBC world light middleweight title |
| Win | 44–1–1 |  |
UD | 15 | 30/01/1982 | |
Retained WBC light middleweight title |
| Win | 43–1–1 |  |
UD | 15 | 14/11/1981 | |
Retained WBC light middleweight titles |
| Win | 42–1–1 |  |
TKO | 12 | 23/05/1981 | |
Won WBC light middleweight titles |
| Win | 41–1–1 | |
UD | 10 | 12/12/1980 |  |
|
| Win | 40–1–1 | |
TKO | 8 | 01/08/1980 | |
|
| Win | 39–1–1 | |
TKO | 9 | 16/03/1980 |  |
|
| Loss | 38–1–1 | |
TKO | 15 | 30/11/1979 | |
Lost WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles |
| Win | 38–0–1 | |
UD | 15 | 25/03/1979 | |
Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles |
| Win | 37–0–1 | |
SD | 15 | 14/01/1979 | |
Won WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles |
| Win | 36–0–1 |  |
UD | 10 | 08/12/1978 | |
|
| Win | 35–0–1 | |
RTD | 6 | 25/08/1978 | |
|
| Win | 34–0–1 | |
MD | 10 | 04/02/1978 | |
|
| Win | 33–0–1 | |
SD | 10 | 18/11/1977 | |
|
| Win | 32–0–1 | |
TKO | 15 | 03/08/1977 | |
Retained lineal light welterweight title |
| Win | 31–0–1 |  |
TKO | 1 | 01/07/1977 | |
|
| Win | 30–0–1 | |
KO | 1 | 02/06/1977 | |
|
| Win | 29–0–1 | |
UD | 8 | 06/03/1977 |  |
|
| Draw | 28–0–1 | |
PTS | 10 | 02/02/1977 | |
|
| Win | 28–0 | |
TKO | 3 | 16/10/1976 | |
Retained WBA The Ring and lineal light welterweight titles |
| Win | 27–0 |  |
UD | 15 | 31/05/1976 | |
Retained WBA The Ring and lineal light welterweight titles |
| Win | 26–0 | |
SD | 15 | 06/03/1976 | |
Won WBA, The Ring, and lineal light welterweight titles |
| Win | 25–0 |  |
PTS | 10 | 13/12/1975 | |
|
| Win | 24–0 | |
TKO | 6 | 20/10/1975 | |
|
| Win | 23–0 | |
TKO | 2 | 01/09/1975 | |
|
| Win | 22–0 |  |
KO | 4 | 19/08/1975 | .svg.png){kind=small} |
|
| Win | 21–0 | Eyue Jeudy | KO | 4 | 01/08/1975 | |
|
| Win | 20–0 | |
TKO | 8 | 28/06/1975 | |
|
| Win | 19–0 |  |
PTS | 10 | 09/06/1975 | |
|
| Win | 18–0 | |
PTS | 10 | 05/05/1975 | |
|
| Win | 17–0 | |
TKO | 4 | 31/03/1975 | |
|
| Win | 16–0 | |
KO | 4 | 08/02/1975 | |
|
| Win | 15–0 | |
TKO | 7 | 04/01/1975 | |
|
| Win | 14–0 | |
UD | 8 | 02/12/1974 | |
|
| Win | 13–0 | |
TKO | 6 | 25/10/1974 | |
|
| Win | 12–0 | |
TKO | 5 | 16/09/1974 | |
|
| Win | 11–0 | |
TKO | 5 | 31/08/1974 | |
|
| Win | 10–0 | |
TKO | 3 | 26/06/1974 | |
|
| Win | 9–0 | Ives St Jean | KO | 1 | 21/06/1974 | |
|
| Win | 8–0 | |
KO | 5 | 11/05/1974 | |
|
| Win | 7–0 | |
TKO | 3 | 30/04/1974 | |
|
| Win | 6–0 | |
PTS | 8 | 01/04/1974 | |
|
| Win | 5–0 | Roberto Flanders | KO | 4 | 18/02/1974 | |
|
| Win | 4–0 | Joe York | KO | 2 | 26/01/1974 | |
|
| Win | 3–0 | Hector Amadis | KO | 4 | 07/01/1974 | |
|
| Win | 2–0 | Jesse Torres | KO | 2 | 30/11/1973 | |
|
| Win | 1–0 | Hiram Santiago | KO | 1 | 22/11/1973 | |
Retirement and illness
After retiring from boxing in late 1990, Benítez returned to Puerto Rico, where he lived with his mother Clara on a $200 a month pension provided by the World Boxing Council. Since 1989, Benítez has suffered from an incurable, degenerative brain condition caused by the blows that he took in the ring.[7]
In 1997, Benítez was moved to a public nursing home for medical reasons by his mother Clara, a licensed nurse.[8]
In 2002, Sugar Ray Leonard visited Benítez, who by this time had forgotten his identity.[9] During the visit, their fight was shown on television. Consequently, Benítez remembered the event and said to Leonard, "Ray, I did not train for that fight."[9]
In 2004, Benítez was diagnosed with diabetes, adding further complications to his worsening health. When his mother died in the summer of 2008, his sister Yvonne Benítez, took over his care.
In 2018, after Hurricane Maria destroyed his home and made it difficult for Benítez to receive therapy, an old friend and boxing mate, Luis Mateo, helped Benítez and his sister move to Chicago. It was their hope that in Chicago, Benítez would receive better health care.[7]
Support, recovery, and public appearance
Ring 10, a non-profit organization that helps impoverished former fighters, provides a monthly stipend to Benítez and established "The Wilfred Benítez Fund" to raise more money to aid the fallen champion.[10]
During 2012, Benítez was honored with a statue in Puerto Rico.[11]
On November 27, 2012, a smiling and healthy looking Benítez attended the funeral of Hector Camacho in Puerto Rico, arriving in a wheelchair. Benítez arrived accompanied by boxers Felix Trinidad, Wilfredo Gomez, and Alfredo Escalera.[12] Surprising the mourners, Benítez rose to his feet for a boxing pose in front of Camacho's coffin.[13]
Awards and recognitions
Benítez was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994.
Puerto Ricans in the International Boxing Hall of Fame |
| Number | Name | Year inducted | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlos Ortíz | 1991 | World Jr. Welterweight Champion 1959 June 12- 1960, September 1, WBA Lightweight Champion 1962 Apr 21 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1963 Apr 7 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1965 Nov 13 – 1968 Jun 29. |
| 2 | Wilfred Benítez | 1994 | The youngest world champion in boxing history. WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1976 Mar 6 – 1977, WBC Welterweight Champion 1979 Jan 14 – 1979 Nov 30, WBC Light Middleweight Champion. |
| 3 | Wilfredo Gómez | 1995 | WBC Super Bantamweight Champion 1977 May 21 – 1983, WBC Featherweight Champion 1984 Mar 31 – 1984 Dec 8, WBA Super Featherweight Champion 1985 May 19 – 1986 May 24. |
| 4 | José "Chegui" Torres | 1997 | Won a silver medal in the junior middleweight at the 1956 Olympic Games. Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion 1965 Mar 30 – 1966 Dec 16 |
| 5 | Sixto Escobar | 2002 | Puerto Rico's first boxing champion. World Bantamweight Champion 15 Nov 1935– 23 Sep 1937, World Bantamweight Champion 20 Feb 1938– Oct 1939 |
| 6 | Edwin Rosario | 2006 | Ranks #36 on the list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time." according to Ring Magazine. WBC Lightweight Champion 1983 May 1 – 1984 Nov 3, WBA Lightweight Champion 1986 Sep 26 – 1987 Nov 21, WBA Lightweight Champion 199 Jul 9 – 1990 Apr 4, WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1991 Jun 14 – 1992 Apr 10. |
| 7 | Pedro Montañez | 2007 | 92 wins out of 103 fights. Never held a title. |
| 8 | Joe Cortez | 2011 | The first Puerto Rican boxing referee to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame |
| 9 | Herbert "Cocoa Kid" Hardwick | 2012 | Member of boxing's "Black Murderers' Row". World Colored Welterweight Championship - June 11, 1937 to August 22, 1938; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 11, 1940 until the title went extinct in the 1940s; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 15, 1943 until the title went extinct in the 1940s |
| 10 | Félix "Tito" Trinidad | 2014 | Captured the IBF welterweight crown in his 20th pro bout. Won the WBA light middleweight title from David Reid in March 2000 and later that year unified titles with a 12th-round knockout against IBF champ Fernando Vargas. In 2001 became a three-division champion. |
| 11 | Héctor "Macho" Camacho | 2016 | First boxer to be recognized as a septuple champion in history. 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, 1991–1992. |
| 12 | Mario Rivera Martino | 2019 | First Puerto Rican boxing sports writer to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He served Puerto Rican boxing for more than 50 years as a writer and eventual commissioner. |
= Indicates the person is no longer alive
| Achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Antonio Cervantes |
Lineal Light Welterweight Champion March 6, 1976 – 1979 Vacated |
Succeeded by Aaron Pryor |
| WBA Light Welterweight Champion March 6, 1976 – 1977 Stripped |
Succeeded by Antonio Cervantes | |
| Preceded by Carlos Palomino |
Lineal Welterweight Champion January 14, 1979 - November 30, 1979 |
Succeeded by Sugar Ray Leonard |
| WBC Welterweight Champion January 14, 1979 - November 30, 1979 | ||
| Preceded by Maurice Hope |
WBC Light Middleweight Champion May 23, 1981 - December 3, 1982 |
Succeeded by Thomas Hearns |
| Records | ||
| Preceded by Tony Canzoneri |
Youngest World Champion March 6, 1976 – present |
Incumbent |
See also
- List of light welterweight boxing champions
- List of welterweight boxing champions
- List of light middleweight boxing champions
- List of WBA world champions
- List of WBC world champions
- List of boxing triple champions
- List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
- Sports in Puerto Rico
- Afro-Puerto Ricans
References
- Sánchez, José A. (November 25, 2012). "Entre leyendas Macho Camacho". El Nuevo Día.
- https://www.boxingscene.com/daily-bread-mailbag-canelo-kovalev-andre-ward-peds-more--143913
- "The Lineal Junior Welterweight Champions". Cyber Boxing Zone.
- https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2230186-ranking-the-most-unbreakable-records-in-boxing#slide1
- "The Lineal Welterweight Champs". Cyber Boxing Zone.
- "International Boxing Hall of Fame". Ibhof.com (1958-09-12). Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
- Malagon, Elvia (June 18, 2018). "Friends bring famed, ailing Puerto Rican boxer Wilfred Benítez to Chicago for medical help". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
- Too Many Beatings; The Boxer's Disease Haunts Wilfred Benitez and His Family - The New York Times. Nytimes.com (1997-11-12). Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
- José A. Sánchez Fournie (2009-11-29). "Deportes". La batalla de los intocables: 30 años de Leonard-Benítez. El Nuevo Día (in Spanish). Puerto Rico.
- Boxing 101, "Ring 10 Veterans Boxing Foundation: A Beta Bomb of Brotherhood, Part 1 - Our Suffering Champions", June 26, 2012
- Colón, Rey (March 14, 2012). "Wilfredo Benítez honored with a statue in Puerto Rico". BoxingScene.com.
- Hector Macho Camacho Memorial Service In Puerto Rico Photos and Images. Getty Images. Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
- Hector Macho Camacho Memorial Service In Puerto Rico Photos and Images. Getty Images. Retrieved on 2017-07-14.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wilfred Benítez. |