Who wins? I think Norris by UD. Benitez's brilliant defensive skill and boxing would be thrown off big time by Terry's handspeed and offensive skills. Norris was not the type of guy you could outbox, and I dont see El Radar having a big enough punch to dent Terry's chin.
In considering PRIME 154 lb.Benitez only, I give him the edge in a competive fight against Norris, as Benitez, at his best, had the cooler head of the two, and that would have been too much for Norris as it was for Duran. It took someone with the advantages in height and reach, as in Hearns to pull off the trick of beating this 154 lb version of Wilfred Benitez, who was, until he suddenly fell apart at the seams, (in fact, Benitez had ione of the fasted, steepest declines of just about any fighter I can think of) was a defensive genius that was rare, like a Nicolino Locche for example.
The fast decline of Benitez can be attributed to his fast lifestyle. As everyone knows... El Radar did more partying than he did training. He was a phenomal talent though.
Norris. beating guys with cooler heads was common for him. did it all the time Wilfred was capable but he had his limits. People like Bruce Curry and Harold Weston proved that. Speed also proved to be a problem. he could only deal with so much hand and foot speed. Ray Leonard and Thomas Hearns proved that. hate to imagine what a Norris-Benitez would resemble
Benitez was loaded with talent but Norris would've befuddled him at 154. Bigger guy, and too much speed.
I'd like to have seen how long Norris would've lasted with Hearns at 154lbs. This content is protected
Norris lasts no more than 3 rounds with Hearns. But still, that has nothing to do with how Norris-Benitez would go down. Styles make fights.
I agree with Red Cobra in this one, and am surprised at people's faith in the chin-challenged headcase that was Terry Norris. He was a fighter with excellent physical tools but little ring intelligence, very limited durability, and severe focus issues. I don't see that transferring well against such a poised and skilled boxer in Benitez. I think Norris's head starts to go once he starts opening up and hitting nothing but air. Once he starts to become a bit more reckless in his pursuit, the counters would be presenting themselves at every turn for Benitez (who was one of the best in the sport's history in this regard), giving him the edge on the cards throughout the duration of the bout. To be honest, I'd be a bit surprised if Benitez didn't put him down at least once in this fight because of this as well. That and the fact that Norris wasn't exactly a Rico Spadafora kind of fighter.:rasta
Except for the fact Leonard hit Benitez at will and Norris would be bringing the same level of speed that would see him outbox the slower Benitez, who's defense is overrated
Leonard played a patient counter-punching game with Benitez, who was simply not as quick off the draw and ended up losing wide on the cards in a competitive fight. Norris had nowhere near the skill and poise to pull that kind of performancr off against a fighter of Benitez's caliber. Not to mention, Benitez, IMO didn't look half as good in the Leonard fight as he did in his fights at 154 against the likes of Hearns (another fighter with blurs for hands, devastating power, and even more impressive physical capabilities than Norris), Duran, and Hope. Though I'm not sure to what extent, I'll have to asssume there was something to the pre-fight excuses regarding Benitez and his lack of training/focus, as he simply didn't appear as quick and sharp as he did in many of his other bouts I've seen. A lot of that had to do with Leonard, but solely when comparing Benitez in that fight to some of his other performances, he seems lacking in the areas mentioned. Not that any of that really need be said anyway, as Norris didn't have half the technical chops Leonard had in his prime, regardless of what redrooster will tell you. A much more fitting and telling comparison would be the Hearns fight, as you'll see Benitez perform very admirably against a far superior fighter to Norris in every regard.
I favor Norris in this fight, but 1. Leonard did NOT hit Benitez at will, and 2. Norris was extremely fast, but not as fast as a prime Ray.
Leonard is technically superior to Norris, Hearns probably is too, but Norris shares that speed of hand and foot that gives most fighters nightmares. Benitez was also a bit 1 paced as a fighter due to his training so he hasn't got the ability to turn the heat up and pressurize. The Hope KO and Duran UD can be deceiving, he's not doing the things he did against them to Norris. I also say Norris is stronger at 154 and has more power at the weight. I think Norris suffers from not having a natural super fight to have been gunning for and getting complacent against lesser opponents