Which Wilfredo ranks higher: Gomez or Benitez?

[A.J.]

I'll take Gomez. And he sure as hell was a lot more fun to watch.

[Senor Pepe']

Originally Posted by A.J.

I'll take Gomez. And he sure as hell was a lot more fun to watch.

That alone is the answer.

Wilfredo Gomez, always in an entertaining fight.

Wilfred Benitez horror shows;
vs. Mustapha Hamsho
vs. Pete Ranzany
vs. Ray Guerrero Chavez
vs. Emiliano Villa

Even his WBA Light-Welterweight Championship win over Kid Pambele
was 'dull'.

A great boxer, but clearly 'B' level in the excitement department.

[lora]

I liked the fights with Ranzany and Villa.

Most of those other ones were brutal though.Add in the Carlos Santos fight at 154.

[Senor Pepe']

Post Ray Leonard bouts;

Wilfred did look very good versus;
* Johnny Turner
* Tony Chiaverini
* Maurice Hope
* Carlos Santos

Wilfred vs. Ayub Kalule would have been a very good 'equal-talent' bout.

[A.J.]

Originally Posted by Senor Pepe'

Post Ray Leonard bouts;

Wilfred did look very good versus;
* Johnny Turner
* Tony Chiaverini
* Maurice Hope
* Carlos Santos

Wilfred vs. Ayub Kalule would have been a very good 'equal-talent' bout.

Benitez also looked sharp, if a little boring (his usual modus operandi) against Roberto Duran.

Separately, Senor Pepe', in reading many of your posts elsewhere, they appear to be written by as knowledgeable and accurate a poster as there is here at Eastside Boxing. Glad to read 'em-- they often inform me factually-- and please keep it up!

Thanks.

A.J.

[Stevie G]

Originally Posted by KOTF

Which Puerto Rican Wilfredo ranks higher on your list, Gomez or Benitez?

Gomez. Both had talent in abundance,but Gomez made the most of his while Benitez did n't.

[Senor Pepe']

Originally Posted by A.J.

Benitez also looked sharp, if a little boring (his usual modus operandi) against Roberto Duran.

Separately, Senor Pepe', in reading many of your posts elsewhere, they appear to be written by as knowledgeable and accurate a poster as there is here at Eastside Boxing. Glad to read 'em-- they often inform me factually-- and please keep it up!

Thanks.

A.J.

Thanks, A.J.

I like to add the 'what, where, who and why' as it adds a little flavor.

On Wilfed Bentitez,

Clearly a difficult child to manage. With proper management and guidance,
would have been more succesful, and gotten out of the boxing game earlier, and undamaged.

The father Gregorio, used the kid for his own financial gain, which in the end, destoyed Wilfred.

Clearly should have pushed off the Ray Leonard bout for another '6' months, and waited until
mid-1980, when Wilfred was stronger, both physically and mentally.

[Senor Pepe']

A little more discipline and obvious smart management would have kept Wilfred at
154 lbs. (Light-Middleweight).

Despite the loss to Thomas Hearns,,,,,,,,,Wilfred was clearly the #2
Light-Middleweight in the world.

Smart management would have kept him their, and avoided the unneccesary wars and
higher weight bouts.

[Titan1]

Gomez, by a slight hair.One of the few fighters to be truly dominant without a loss in his prime weight class, though after he left the 122lbs class, he was never the same.Benitez was probably at least equal in talent, but in motivation, and achievement in career, falls slightly short, despite the great comp.

[Stevie G]

Originally Posted by Longhhorn71

Didn't Benitez go by Wilfred, not Wilfredo?

He shortened his name around 1980.

[Xplosive]

Gomez probably for greatness.

In terms of quality, an "on" Benitez was probably the best fighter PR ever produced.

The versions of El Radar that beat Cervantes, and Duran were better than Gomez ever was.

[Goyourownway]

Originally Posted by Senor Pepe'

Clearly should have pushed off the Ray Leonard bout for another '6' months, and waited until
mid-1980, when Wilfred was stronger, both physically and mentally.

It's purely coincidental that these vast improvements that Benitez showed in the following months after the Leonard fight occured just after he had fought the best fighter that he had ever faced at that point.