Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez 'How I Pimped Out My Kids'

Thanks JD,,,,,,Glad you enjoyed the thread so far..

Frankie 'The Terror' Benitez,

Following Frankie's most impressive win, in October 1974 -

He continues to win, and puts together '9' more wins, including '6' by knockout,
to improve his record to 25-1-0 (17 KO's) by October 1975.

Along the way, he defeats 'fringe Lightweight contenders',
* Miguel Mayan
* Brooks Byrd
* Javier Ayala

As of October 1, 1975 - the 18 year-old is now the #5 WBA-ranked Lightweight, and
'Papa' Benitez is pushing for his son to get a Championship Bout with WBA Lightweight Champion
- Roberto Duran, and hopefully for December 1975 in Puerto Rico.

But rumors are abound, that Frankie has been doing 'drugs' during his late night excursions, and that
he has become a 'crazed animal'.

 

Monday Night - October 20, 1975

Felt Forum - New York City

"Chris Fernandez Upsets #5 Ranked - Frankie 'The Terror' Benitez"

32 year-old veteran Light-Welterwight - Chris Fernandez of the Dominican Republic
'upset' #5 WBA Lightweight - Frankie Benitez, putting the 18 year-old Puerto Rican's
Lightweight title aspirations on hold.

Fernandez (140 lbs.) who had entered the ring with a record of 5-9-0 in his last
'14-bouts', and was brought in as a 'safe opponent', suprised Benitez as he used his
southpaw stance to continually score with sharp right-hand jabs and right hooks over
the low-guard of Frankie.

Benitez (138 lbs.) out of the National Gym in Puerto Rico, who came into the bout
with a reputation as a 'tremendous puncher' with shattering power in either fist,
was unable to land his powerful hooks on the elusive veteran.

By Round 6, 'Frankie the Terror' was arm-weary by throwing too many ineffective hooks,
and the slick 'southpaw' Fernandez peppered away over the last 4-Rounds with straight
left hands enroute to winning a one-sided 10-Round Decision.

Scorecards { 6-2-2 / 6-3-1 / 7-2-1 } all for Chris Fernandez.

Chris Fernandez improves to 26-12-4 with the 'upset Decision win.

Frankie 'The Terror' Benitez drops to 25-2-0, and may fall out of the WBA Top 10 rankings.

Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez, 'Frankie just doesn't want to train. He stays out late at night, and
chases too many girls. It finally caught up with him tonight. He thinks he can out there and
knock everybody out with one-punch. He should have beaten this guy, easily.'

 

Saturday Night - December 13, 1975

Roberto Clements Coliseum - San Juan, Puerto Rico

Attendance; 6000

The 18 year-old - Frankie 'The Terror' Benitez, despite his loss in October 1975,
still holds onto a #8 WBA and #10 WBC Lightweight ranking, with his 25-2-0 (17 KO's) record.

Just 8-weeks after his loss to 'unranked' Chris Fernandez, this time Frankie takes
on another 'veteran', and a Puerto Rican 'compatriot' in 28 year-old Josue Marquez.

Josue is another 'crafty' light-punching veteran, but with but good boxing skills.
He won the 1966 National AAU Bantamweight Championship as an
amateur. As a professional, Josue had fought '3' close bouts with Esteban De Jesus,
and also lost a 15-Round Split-Decision to WBA Light-Welterweight Champion -
Antonio Cervantes in February 1973.

Josue at 28-11-6 (6 KO's) is also the #2 Puerto Rican Lightweight.
This bout is scheduled for 10-Rounds, and will be over the 135 lb. Lightweight limit,
as both camps agree to 138 lbs.

What is on the line? - If Frankie 'The Terror' wins, he will get an opportunity to challenge
for the WBC Lightweight Championship versus Japans Ishimatsu 'Guts' Suzuki or the WBA
Lightweight Championship versus Roberto Duran.

 

Saturday Night - December 13, 1975

"'Frankie the Terror' Loses Again, Bout for Lightweight Championship Now Gone"

Frankie Benitez, the #8 WBA and #10 WBC Lightweight lost for the 'second straight'
time, and will most likely fall out of the Top 10 World Lightweight ratings, and with
it a chance for the Lightweight Championship.

Veteran, Josue Marquez out-punched Frankie over 10-Rounds, to win a hard-fought
and closely contested bout. Marquez, who was the better boxer, landed the cleaner
punches thoughout the majority of the rounds, as Benitez could not land his vaunted
power punches.

Frankie did land several good left hooks in Rounds 2, 5 and 6, but they were far and
few between, as Josue was the much busier fighter during tonights 10-Round bout.

The experienced Josue Marquez was the fresher of the two heading into the
last 2-Rounds, and swept both to earn the close 10-Round Decision.

Note;

Roberto Duran who was at Ringside, who is here in Puerto Rico to defend his WBA Lightweight
Championship next Saturday versus Mexican - Leonico Ortiz, commented, 'I wish Frankie had won,
because I wanted a chance to knock him out in Puerto Rico in front of his family in friends.'

 

January 2, 1976

Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez interviewed by Puerto Rican Police, for a domestic violence
issue, involving Mr. Benitez of hitting his sons, 18 year-old Frankie and 17 year-old
Wilfred.

Mr. Benitez, a famous boxing trainer, and owner of the National Gym in Saint Just
has been repeatedly warned for his violent behavior regarding his sons.

Both sons are professional boxers, and currently live with their father and mother
in the Carolina area.

 

'

He wasn't a nice human being. Not only did he abuse his children he took their money, and farmed them out like animals for sparring partners.

He even brought the kids to St. Maarten and St. Croix, and Aruba, and forced them to fight in 'smoke bouts' without head-gear when they were only youngsters.

A) Gregorio Jr. was a walking mess by 1983 {only age 28} as a result from brain damage, sustained in way too many bouts and gym sparring sessions.
B) Alphonso smartly got away from the family, only to come back to try and help Wilfred in 1984.
C) Frankie turned into a 'drug-addict' in 1977 (at age 20), and ended up disappearing in 1980.
D) Wilfred, a whole other story in itself.

 

Frankie 'The Terror' Benitez

April 17, 1976

Roberto Clemente Stadium

Puerto Rican Lightweight Championship

The 18 1/2 year-old Frankie, at 135 lbs., and in the best shape of his career, battles
'tooth-and-nail' with crafty veteran Josue Marquez 29-11-1 (6 KO's) again in a rematch.

Frankie, who had been sparring with brother Wilfred for the past 4-months, is sharp
tonight and carries the fight to Josue Marquez through the first half of the bout.

But Frankie starts to fade down the stretch, and allows Josue to steal a few rounds with
sneaky counter-punches.

Though it appeared that Frankie did enough in the early rounds to earn the Decision,
the bout is ruled a 12-Round Draw.

Frankie's mark goes to 25-3-1.

Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez blames Frankie's weakening down the the stretch to his 'late night partying'.
'The kid doesn't like to train, and he hates the gym. He had this bout won, and he let Josue steal it
from him.'

Frankie 'The Terror' has gone 0-2-1 in his last '3-bouts'.

 

June 1976

With the 18 1/2 old Frankie at 25-3-1, and out of the both the WBA and WBC 'Top 10'
rankings, Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez had run out of avenues to get his 'third oldest son'
a Championship Bout.

WBA Lightweight Champion (Roberto Duran) was going to fight Frankie, but after Frankie
'Lost and 'Drew' with Josue Marquez, there was little demand.

Esteban De Jeusus (Gregorio's fighter) had just won the WBC Lightweight Championship
over Ishimatsu 'Guts' Suzuki, so that road was 'blocked'.

His younger brother (Wilfred Benitez) was the WBA Light-Welterweight Champion.

And WBC Light-Welterweight Champion - Saensak Muansgsurin (Thailand) was 'locked up'
in 1976, with schedeuled bouts with Miguel Velazquez and #1 WBC Challenger -
Monroe Brooks.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

But, Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez had a 'secret plan concocted', that would eventually have
'Wilfred' move up to the Welterweight Division, and then try to position Frankie into
the WBA Light-Welterweight Top 10, and go for the 140 lb. Championship in early-1977.

The 'only' thing Frankie had to do, was stay 'in-shape at 140 lbs.', and 'Papa' Benitez
would get Frankie 'selected bouts' with WBA-ranked Light-Welterweights, to move him
into one of the 'Top' positions.

 

To get Frankie 'The Terror' Benitez back into the Top 10 -

Sunday - August 1, 1976

Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez sent the now 19 year-old to St. Maarten for a
Light-Welterweight bout with -

A guy by the name of Mustapha Ali 'TNT Gordon', who fought out of
St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands). Mustapha Ali who had a record of
17-1-0 (6 KO's), was rated as the #13 WBA and #10 WBC Light-Welterweight,
with the help of a 'connected fight manager'.

In a pretty good bout, Frankie (142 lbs.) floored 'TNT Gordon' in the
opening round, and again in the 3rd Round - then held off a hard-charging
'TNT Gordon' -enroute to winning a 10-Round Split-Decision.

The victory got Frankie back in the winning block, and moved his record to
26-3-1.

Gregorio 'Papa' Benitez then asked the WBA and WBC for a rating, and they obliged by
making Frankie the #12 WBA and #10 WBC Light-Welterweight for their September 1976
Ratings.

 

Bollox,

Right after the August 1976 bout in St. Maarten, Frankie got arrested for drugs
on the Island.

But 'Papa' Benitez pulled some strings, and got him off the Island.

From August 1976 thru May 1978 - Frankie had '4-Bouts' and went 2-2-0,
and his career 'stalled'.

By the end of 1976 he left Puerto Rico, and moved to the South Bronx, New York.
He got involved in 'dope dealing' and started to using himself.

In 1977 and 1978 he got busted on 'possession charges', but got off with a
'slap-on-the-wrist' due to help from some 'big wigs' at Madison Square Garden,
at the request of 'Papa' Benitez.

I believe in late-1978 (age 21), and while on probation he got nailed again, and may
have done a small bit in jail.

After his small bit, he moved back to Puerto Rico at the end of 1979, and helped
work with Wilfred for awhile.

Frankie tried a comeback in March 1980, losing (L Dec 10) to Johnny De La Rosa, then
officially retired after that loss with a record of 27-6-1 (16 KO's) at age 22 1/2.

Soon thereafter, he was back to 'street dealing' in the South Bronx, where he had a
reputation as a 'crazy drug dealer with a major drug problem'.

He drifted 'in-and-out' with the family over the next 4-years, and then in 1984 he
disappeared for 8 years.

He returned to Carolina, Puerto Rico in 1992, and at (age 35) moved back in with his mother
and father, suffering from drug addiction, and brain damage as a result from the numerous
head-blows in the ring.

As for further information, he was still living with his mother Clara Rosa until her recent death.

 

Hedge-Hog

Frankie Benitez did 'surface' again on October 16, 1976 in Puerto Rico.

On the Wilfred Benitez vs. Tony Petronelli 'WBA Light-Welterweight Championship'
undercard.

The still young (19 year-old) 'Frankie the Terror', at 26-3-1 was now ranked as the
#12 WBA/#10 WBC Light-Welterweight.

He was matched with 5' 6" South Korean - Chung-Moon Chin 18-4-0 (8 KO's), who
was the #10 WBA Lightweight.

Fight weight limit (139 lbs.)

In a bout that Frankie was 'heavily favored' to win, he burned himself out, trying to
'knockout' the stubborn Korean. By Round 6, Frankie had 'no legs', and Chung-Moon
started pounding Frankie's body with a relentless assault, that took the fight out of him.

Chung-Moon floored Frankie in Round 8, with a left-right to the body, and had him
wobbling on weak legs for the rest of the round.

In Round 10, Chung-Moon pounded an exhausted Frankie along the ropes, and finished
him off with a body barrage at 1:29 of Round 10.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Reportedly, after the loss to Chung-Moon Chin, 'Papa' Benitez beat his son worse than the
Korean had. He gave him 'two black eyes' and a split lip.

Frankie was to receive a $5000 fight purse for his effort. But 'Papa' took the money and only
gave Frankie $500. He told his son, 'You only deserve this much, because you only gave me
a 10% effort in the ring.'