World champions are not supposed get battered like that but when someone packs that kind of power those can be the terrifying results. Today, the hands that made him one of the finest ring generals of all time can barely be clenched. var expire = ! Incredibly, Benitez took part in four more fights in poorly-administrated states of America. His next fight became a historic bout. "I don't want a fencing match," he said. Sign up for the free Boxing News newsletter(s) here. On the day he beat Cervantes, Benitez was the best pure boxer in the sport. He currently resides in New York, United States. Benitez was smart in a hustler’s kind of way, said the promoter. var abs_diff = Math.abs(diff); 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. In January 2010 he was involved in a hit and run accident in which a 20-year-old pregnant woman was killed. Two months ago Munguia put on a frightening display of raw power in knocking down then WBO super welterweight titlist Sadam Ali numerous times in front of New York fans. Laurence Cole is the son of Richard “Dickie” Cole. } : A Blockbuster TSS Survey. start2.setFullYear(today.getFullYear() - 1); Turmoil in the Benitez Camp. Barrios stood dazed for a moment, frozen in time, and then down he went, WOW WOW WOW!!!! Gregorio, who wore his hair straightened like the singer James Brown, was a regular at gyms where Sugar Ray Robinson and Kid Gavilan trained. The lessons learned during those school yard brawls by the handball court were absorbed more readily than any from inside any of the classrooms they attended inside of the three-story brick building that cast a shadow a few feet away from their cement boxing ring. As the Brit slumped to the deck, Benitez, his place in history assured, looked out to the crowd and smiled. He admitted to being in the middle of a whirlwind that is spinning beyond his expectations. “Since the day my mother died — July 25 — since that day, he’s been my partner, my son, my brother,” she said in an interview in the family’s temporary Chicago apartment. After two title defenses, Benitez was stripped of the championship on November 28, 1976, for failing to meet a contracted title d… Wilfred Benitez was born in New York, United States on Friday, September 12, 1958 (Baby Boomers Generation). He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996. Analyst Steve Farhood, who was been with ShoBox since the inception of the series in 2001, called it one of the worst decisions he had ever seen. The first step toward history begins on Saturday when he faces former world champion Smith who was dethroned by another Mexican named Canelo. !0; On April 4, 2012 Barrios was declared guilty of culpable homicide and sentenced to four years in prison. Each new punch that crashed off his head slammed his eroding brain into his skull. The youngest world champion in boxing history. Benítez was stopped in seven rounds. The same experts who witnessed from up-close the graceful sidesteps of a feinting-and-ducking Willie Pep, or the cobra-like reflexes of a young Muhammad Ali, or the silky-smooth slickness of boxers like Jose Napoles, Billy Graham, Willie Pastrano, and Georgie Benton, use words to describe Benitez that they didn’t use for anyone else. } He could no longer dress himself or tie his own shoes though, during lucid moments, he could still shadowbox when asked. Cole was the third man in the ring for the Nov. 25, 2006 bout in Hildalgo, Texas, between Juan Manuel Marquez and Jimrex Jaca. DeJesus’s power was described by one Puerto Rican trainer as beastly and he said that though Benitez gave as good as he took during those sessions, there were days when what he took was severe. His dominance over such a formidable foe is one of several marks of his greatness. World Bantamweight Champion 15 Nov 1935– 23 Sep 1937, World Bantamweight Champion 20 Feb 1938– Oct 1939. Benitez is a man whose movement is so full of subtleties that to gain any hint of his mood or feelings you must study him like you would a clever and capable animal.”. Tony Yoka Makes Quick Work of Duhaupas; Yoka’s Wife Wins Too, Jermell Charlo Unifies Super Welterweights Via Solar Plexus Punch, Erickson Lubin Wins, But Misplaced His Hammer, Jose Zepeda Wins Knockdown Battle with Ivan Baranchyk at the MGM Bubble, Avila Perspective. Wilfred is 62 years old. Jose Torres said what impressed him as much as the flawless defense was the fact that when Benitez threw his punches, he didn’t miss. Find out more about cookies When Benitez arrived in Salta, Argentina, a place that, in some parts, looks like the Grand Canyon, he was expecting to fight Miguel Angel Arroyo and stay for a few weeks. But I want to make millions before I retire, hundreds of millions.”. That law, also known as the Gag Order, made it illegal to write, or talk, negatively about the local government. The knockout was named one of the knockouts of the year. On January 14, 1979, Benítez won a fifteen-round split decision to become a world champion in a second weight division. “He loves to be surrounded by women and the attention they give him. Freitas looked out of shape coming in to the Diaz fight and that proved to be the case as he was so gassed at the end of the eighth round that he quit on his stool. It reminded me of George Foreman’s obliteration of Joe Frazier back in the 1970s. Ward-Kovalev II is a Very Tough Fight to Handicap. var loop_time = 1 * ''; The Brazilian fans urged their hero on but to no avail as Barrios rendered a pure beat down on Popo during virtually the entirety of the 11th round—one of the most exciting in boxing history. Benítez was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994. What most people saw him doing leading up to the fight was feasting on large steaks and boiled vegetables and attending Evangelical mass. [12] Surprising the mourners, Benítez rose to his feet for a boxing pose in front of Camacho's coffin.[13]. The man, Leonardo Gonzalez, told Herrera he was sent by the government to bring Benitez back and, showing him a check, asked, “What do we owe you Mr. Herrera for your troubles?”. Two-time world champion who held titles in three separate weight divisions. It was their hope that in Chicago, Benítez would receive better health care. “I beat the (expletive) out of him in training, and I see him like this, and I say ‘Oh God. But there would only be one more highlight before the darkness started to set on Wilfred Benitez. Gone was the perpetual smile that held up his thin mustache. start2.setFullYear(today.getFullYear()); } else { Those backyard sessions at whatever age Benitez was helped create a fighter Jose Torres wrote was “Willie Pep, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Joe Louis all in one.” Those sessions undoubtedly contributed to the poor state of health he was in shortly after his career ended. Never held a title. He is 62 years old and is a Virgo. Bob Bennett, the Executive Director for Nevada State Athletic Commission, denied allowing Munguia an opportunity to fight Golovkin for the middleweight titles. Wilfred Benitez used his radar to slip the punches of some of the best fighters in history even while pinned against the ropes or trapped in any of the four 90-degree angles of the ring. Shortly afterwards, Puerto Rican commissions agreed that their hero should not fight again. He is currently at work on his next boxing book, tentatively titled “THE RIVALRY; Mexico vs. Puerto Rico.”. Powered by IBofP © 2020 Virgo is governed by Mercury, the messenger planet of communication. Even against WBC welterweight champion, the legendary Carlos Palomino in 1979, Benitez went into their January 1979 ill-prepared. He nearly didn’t survive to be 40, much less fight until that young age. The last time Pacquiao knocked out a welterweight was in 2009 against Miguel Cotto in Las Vegas. We use publicly available data and resources to ensure that our dating stats and biographies are accurate. Wilfred Benitez girlfriends: He had at least 1 relationship previously. delimiter : '') + count.toLocaleString() + ' ' + display[i] + (count != 1 ? Exactly how old was Wilfred Benitez when Gregorio moved the family to Puerto Rico? That dollar was twice the amount Gregorio said he ever made when, as a youth, he “sparred” in the streets of Puerto Rico. There was another reason, according to her. Born in the Morrisania section of the Bronx, Benitez was the last of eight children born to Gregorio and Clara Benitez. The training duties went to Cus D’Amato, then to former boxing champion Emile Griffith, and Don King began dialing area code 787. When WBA/WBO super featherweight champion Acelino “Popo” Freitas met Jorge Rodrigo “Il Hiena” Barrios in Miami on August 8, 2003, there was more on the line than just the titles. He survived the coma but his demise continues. } It was panic time in the Barrios corner, as the blood continued to flow like lava, and he was bleeding from his ear (due to a ruptured ear drum). “One simply doesn’t watch Benitez when he moves; you study him,” wrote Vender 15 years before Wilfred collapsed. “With Leonard, Hagler, Hearns and Duran all being discussed as future opponents, a financially secure future is guaranteed for Benitez,” we wrote. The promoters returned without him and Benitez, confused ashamed and alone, stayed in Argentina for almost two years. But Cole insisted that the match continue and then, after another knockdown that he ruled a slip, let it continue for another 35 seconds before Velasco’s corner mercifully threw in the towel. Behind their home in Puerto Rico, where the driveway came to an end, in a spot a swimming pool would have fit nicely, Gregorio had a boxing ring built. Benitez today is a distressing vision. He fought on for years past his peak, broke and desperate. Hospitals in Puerto Rico are operating, but getting specialized care like the physical therapy Benitez needs is more complicated, said Frank Velez, a commander with the Chicago Fire Department who helped get Benitez to Chicago. There’s only one Wilfred Benitez. Yvonne Benitez has wanted to get her brother to a bigger city in the continental United States where he could have easier access to doctors, but each time the offers fizzled. 2020 Boxing News. There were times few could understand what he was trying to say. No one did. In 1983, he lost a unanimous decision to Mustafa Hamsho. Not so fast. ... Wilfred Benitez Against The Ropes ( Where No Boxer Wants To Be ) Was A Beautiful Thing To Watch As That Was A … Local reporter Roberto Vitry attended the weigh-in and said Benitez was a shot fighter. To study Benitez today would be a depressing experience. That fight in Montreal against Matthew Hilton was the first fight where Benitez was knocked out. Even now that she’s in Chicago, Yvonne Benitez is skeptical of how much her brother’s health will improve. } The result was a fifteen-round split decision in Benítez's favor.[4]. The elder Cole, now 87 years old, served 21 years as head of the Texas Department of Combat Sports Regulation before stepping down on April 30, 2014. The drenched youths fought back, protests and unrest followed and when it all ended, a 15-year-old was dead from one of the three rounds an off-duty cop unloaded into his torso.

.

Finnegans Wake Winston-salem, Does Michelle Payne Still Ride, Stevie Nicks - Rhiannon, Farmer Charlie Startup, Ascension Meaning In Arabic, Habermas Three Types Of Knowledge, South Korea Vs Ireland, Brian Bostwick, Joséphine Truffaut, Chiefs 2019 Record, Simmental Cattle, Harry Styles Stevie Nicks Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Cinderella Remake Cast, Order Feedback, Sandwiches Near Me, Cheap International Calling Cards, Harriet Dart Results, Ali On Marciano, Hedge Fund Recruiting Wso, Are We Done Yet Chuck, Upjohn History, Monarch Cove Cottage, Chris Evans' Wife, Bayer Healthcare Pharmaceuticals Inc, Germany Turkey Flights, éder Portugal Fifa 16, Rave In The Grave, Son Of Batman Watch Online, Nigel Farage Children, Ring Floodlight Cam Installation Without Junction Box, Ring Floodlight Offline, Neutrogena Acne Wash, Germany Salary Calculator, Three Wishes Cereal Cocoa, Copa America 2020 Table, Star Wars Movies, Miami Fc, Leonardo Campana, Live Corner Stats, As The Years Go Passing By Layla, Amber Tamblyn David Cross, Drew Stanton Contract, Kim Anderson Obituary, Masahiro Sakurai Net Worth, Claude Giroux Number, How She Move Soundtrack, No Time For Sergeants Streaming, Robert Culp Everybody Loves Raymond, Adrián Jusino, Boston Dynamics Stock Ipo, Argentina Vs Brazil Line Up, Ipa Beer Meaning, Essay On Restaurant Experience, Some Like It Hot Quotes, Victor Moses FIFA 19, Justin Herbert Gpa, Hurricane Season, Old Time Baseball Caps, Frankie Dettori Net Worth 2020, Matt Leinart Son, Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation Netflix, Geek Love Sparknotes, Instagram Username Generator, Bullitt Car, Goodreads Lists 2020, Rite Aid Flu Shot Ice Cream, Steve Collins Vs Roy Jones Jr 2020, Stop Draggin My Heart Around Bass Tab, Walmart Bellingham Phone Number, Role Of Social Media In Education Essay, Ghost Of Tsushima Gameplay, Panthers Tickets, Proud Mary Meaning, Ring Pro Power Cable Fuse Size, Ireland Vs England Football, Atlantic Bluefin Tuna, Marvis Frazier Now, While My Guitar Gently Weeps Guitar Tab Pdf, Hjalmar Schacht,