Wilfred Benítez

Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez Rosa (born September 12, 1958), better known as Wilfred Benitez, is a 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. He is widely considered one of the greatest defensive boxers of all time. He is also remembered for his fights with Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard.

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, Edwin Rosario and Miguel Cotto.

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 were all top contenders in the 1970s. The Benítez troop was largely directed by their mother, Clara Benítez (nee. Rosa). Young Wilfred was nicknamed "The Radar" for his uncanny ability to foresee and dodge his opponent's blows. 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 Sint Maarten 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 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. Benítez retained the championship three times, and then moved up to the welterweight division.

Moving up Benítez challenged Lineal 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. Referee Zach Clayton scored the fight 145-142 in Palomino's favor, but judges Jay Edson and Harry Gibbs disagreed. Edson scored the bout 146-142 for Benítez. Gibbs also scored for Benítez, 146-142. 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.

Fighting Sugar Ray Leonard

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. Leonard was ahead on all cards at the time of the stoppage. The scores were 137–133, 137–130 and 136–134, all for Leonard.

Moving up again

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 Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Benítez won a fifteen-round unanimous decision. His next defense was against Roberto Durán, whom Benítez defeated at Caesars 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."International Boxing Hall of Fame". Ibhof.com (1958-09-12). Retrieved on 2017-07-14.

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

ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes62LossScott PapasodoraUD10Sep 18, 199061Win53–7–1Sam WilsonUD10Aug 24, 199060Loss52–7–1Pat LawlorSD10May 23, 199059Win52–6–1Ariel CondeKO7 (10), Mar 8, 199058Loss51–6–1Carlos HerreraTKO7 (10)Nov 28, 198657Win51–5–1Harry DanielsUD10Sep 17, 198656Win50–5–1Paul WhittakerUD10Jul 1, 198655Loss49–5–1Matthew HiltonKO9 (10), Feb 15, 198654Win49–4–1Kevin MoleyUD10Aug 21, 198553Win48–4–1Danny ChapmanRTD7 (10), Jul 6, 198552Win47–4–1Mauricio BravoTKO2 (10)Mar 30, 198551Loss46–4–1Davey MooreTKO2 (10), Jul 14, 198450Win46–3–1Stacy McSwainUD10Feb 11, 198449Loss45–3–1Mustafa HamshoUD12Jul 16, 198348Win45–2–1Tony CerdaUD10May 18, 198347Loss44–2–1Thomas HearnsMD15Dec 3, 198246Win44–1–1Roberto DuránUD15Jan 30, 198245Win43–1–1Carlos SantosUD15Nov 14, 198144Win42–1–1Maurice HopeKO12 (15), May 23, 198143Win41–1–1Pete RanzanyUD10Dec 12, 198042Win40–1–1Tony ChiaveriniTKO8 (10)Aug 1, 198041Win39–1–1Johnny TurnerTKO9 (10), Mar 16, 198040Loss38–1–1Sugar Ray LeonardTKO15 (15), Nov 30, 197939Win38–0–1Harold WestonUD15Mar 25, 197938Win37–0–1Carlos PalominoSD15Jan 14, 197937Win36–0–1Vernon LewisUD10Dec 8, 197836Win35–0–1Randy ShieldsRTD6 (10), Aug 25, 197835Win34–0–1Bruce CurryMD10Feb 4, 197834Win33–0–1Bruce CurrySD10Nov 18, 197733Win32–0–1Ray Chavez GuerreroTKO15 (15), Aug 3, 197732Win31–0–1Easy Boy LakeTKO1 (10), Jul 1, 197731Win30–0–1Roberto GonzalezKO1 Jun 2, 197730Win29–0–1Melvin DennisUD8Mar 6, 197729Draw28–0–1 Harold WestonPTS10Feb 2, 197728Win28–0Tony PetronelliTKO3 (15), Oct 16, 197627Win27–0Emiliano VillaUD15May 31, 197626Win26–0Antonio CervantesSD15Mar 6, 197625Win25–0Chris FernandezPTS10Dec 13, 197524Win24–0Omar Ruben RealecioTKO6 (10)Oct 20, 197523Win23–0Marcelino AliciaTKO2 (10)Sep 1, 197522Win22–0Young WoodallKO4 Aug 19, 197521Win21–0Eyue JeudyKO4Aug 1, 197520Win20–0Jim HenryTKO8Jun 28, 197519Win19–0Angel Robinson GarciaPTS10Jun 9, 197518Win18–0Santos SolisSD10May 5, 197517Win17–0Wilbur SealesTKO4Mar 31, 197516Win16–0Santiago RosaKO4Feb 8, 197515Win15–0Francisco RodriguezTKO7Jan 4, 197514Win14–0Lawrence HafeyUD8Dec 2, 197413Win13–0Terry SummerhaysTKO6 (8), Oct 25, 197412Win12–0Al HughesTKO5 (8), Sep 16, 197411Win11–0Easy Boy LakeTKO5Aug 31, 197410Win10–0Carlos CrispinTKO3Jun 26, 19749Win9–0Ives St JeanKO1Jun 21, 19748Win8–0Easy Boy LakeKO5May 11, 19747Win7–0Juan DislaTKO3 (10)Apr 30, 19746Win6–0Victor MangualPTS8Apr 1, 19745Win5–0Roberto FlandersKO4Feb 18, 19744Win4–0Joe YorkKO2Jan 26, 19743Win3–0Hector AmadisKO4Jan 7, 19742Win2–0Jesse TorresKO2Nov 30, 19731Win1–0Hiram SantiagoKO1Nov 22, 1973

Titles in boxing Major world titles

NYSAC light welterweight champion (140 lbs) WBA light welterweight champion (140 lbs) WBC welterweight champion (147 lbs) WBC light middleweight champion (154 lbs)

The Ring magazine titles The Ring light welterweight champion (140 lbs) The Ring welterweight champion (147 lbs)

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.

In 1997, Benítez was moved to a public nursing home for medical reasons by his mother Clara, a licensed nurse.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.

In 2002, Sugar Ray Leonard visited Benítez, who by this time had forgotten his identity. 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."

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.

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.Boxing 101, "Ring 10 Veterans Boxing Foundation: A Beta Bomb of Brotherhood, Part 1 - Our Suffering Champions" , June 26, 2012

During 2012, Benítez was honored with a statue in Puerto Rico.

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 Félix Trinidad, Wilfredo Gómez, and Alfredo Escalera. Surprising the mourners, Benítez rose to his feet for a boxing pose in front of Camacho's coffin.Hector Macho Camacho Memorial Service In Puerto Rico Photos and Images. Getty Images. Retrieved on 2017-07-14.

With the emotional and financial assistance of former Benitez sparring partner Luis Mateo and Chicago's Puerto Rican community, on June 1, 2018, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Wilfred Benitez, age 59, and his sister Yvonne Benitez, arrived in Chicago, Illinois, where he spent the first week in the hospital, then was moved to an apartment on Chicago's West Side. Donations from the Chicago Puerto Rican community helped pay for the plane tickets, and continue ongoing to provide expense money for the apartment, food, and other necessities, according to Mateo and Yvonne Benitez. 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.

Awards and recognitions

Benítez was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996. Key to the City Carolina, Puerto Rico (1984)

Wilfred Benítez

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