Why Did Benitez career fall apart so quickly after the Hearns fight?

Who can forget when Wilfred "one-punched out" Maurice Hope to win a Jr. MW title I believe.

 

I remember Watching it when I was a kid hope was spark out on the deck as Benitez and his crew jumped around celebrating hope bounced up and down on his back the British tv people think it was reg gutterige was not impressed.it was hell of a punch to take out hope who was a natural Light middle and a world champion.

 

Don't suppose Maurice remembers it

 

deal

 

There is obviously a lot we don't know. He started very young but was praised as an exceptionally gifted defensive fighter. He took very few punches aside of a few in the first Curry fight but that was an extreme exception. Against Leonard he as hardly hit the whole night. The same against Hearns. His career turned in the Hamsho fight but Mustafa was a mauler, not a big puncher. He was mugged more than punished.

I've read Wilfredo was never right in the head. He was rumored to be mentally slow. He partied. Who knows what else he did. It was a different era and he did not speak English so we really did not get to see or hear much from him. He was mostly in Puerto Rico. It's an unknown story.

 

"I've read Wilfredo was never right in the head. He was rumored to be mentally slow. He partied. Who knows what else he did. It was a different era and he did not speak English so we really did not get to see or hear much from him. He was mostly in Puerto Rico. It's an unknown story. "

Concur.

 

Agreed :good

 

Can you point me to any sources where this is discussed?

 

A sad overview of Wilfred from the NY Times.

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/11/12/s...tez-and-his-family.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm

 

I doubt their fathers had all the knowledge about brain damage that we have now, a sad circumstance of the past I'm afraid.

 

There are several peices to the equation of what happened to Benitez.

Winning a title at age 17. Benitez was taking punches from grown men when he was a kid. Defensive wizard or not, taking punches in training and in fights basically your entire lifetime is going leave your brain scrambled.

His father was a POS scumbag. Add in ignorance and you get a real peice of work at the Jack Quarry level.

Neither Wifred nor his father were really educated. Wilfred had a very low IQ. Today Wifred would possible be classified as mentally challenged as a youth. I don't think he was any type of maniac, the poor guy was just really slow.

Lifestyle. Not being educated, or of even avergage intelligence, surrounded by morons and scumbags, having wads of cash, Benitez and crew let the good times roll.

With all the money and glory gone, Wilred was left to live with the wolves of boxing, absorbing even more beatings.

 

Jack Quarry sounds like a good comparison. Where is the evidence the that Benitez had a low IQ prior to all the brain trauma?

 

What needs to happen is a certain % of their earnings needs to go into an escrow account or some kind of pension plan, so at least they'll have $$ when they're older, this should be done whether or not there's any brain damage. As for brain damage the promoter should have to take out some kind of disability insurance that in effect for a minimum of 5 years after their fight. Promoter's who should be the one's paying for it, might not like it, but one can't simply ignore these consequences and pretend they don't exist, anyone than you can ignore concussions in the NFL or the NHL.