Benitez-How Much Punching Power Did He Have?

he had very good punching power it was just over looked as his forte was counter punching:think

 

He was a young fighter.
He had just turned 21 when he fought Ray Leonard.
Would have been interseting to see a Leonard-Benetiz re-match,
after Benetiz won the Jr. Middleweight Title, at 154 lbs.

 

a rematch should of been ordered after the first fight the fight was stopped for no reason at all and i had benitez ahead on the scorecards,th efight was stopped with a couple of seconds left in the fight due to a small cut on his forehead that did not even need a band-aid:think

 

Fighting off the ropes, or on the back foot, the power didn't seem to be there. But when he stood his ground in mid ring, or began stalking aggressively forward, his power seemed to take a quantum leap. Tony Petronelli, Randy Shields, Johnny Turner and Maurice Hope bear witness to this. Turner in particular was a noted slugger with an albeit questionable chin, who previously ruined the career of big brother Frankie Benitez in eight rounds. Wilfred never took a backwards step, continually stalking Johnny all over the ring, decked him with a second round hook (not noted on issboxWRECK), and leaving Turner's face a mask of blood when the massacre was halted.

El Radar is the only one to lay out Hope for the full count (which issboxWRECK records as a mere TKO). Let's not forget that the knockout of Hope was the second time Maurice had been floored in that bout. (Yet another fact recorded on footage not mentioned by issboxWRECK.)

Ray Leonard vehemently protested Palomino's dismissal of Benitez as the lightest puncher Carlos ever fought. "I say Wilfredo Benitez can hit!"

I think Benitez was much like Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, a defensively skilled counter puncher whose temperament did not typically lend itself to opening up with power and going for the kill. Still, Eddie was rated as the hardest punching LHW in the world during his WBA reign, and Wilfred's cold cocking of Hope won him "Knockout of the Year" in major publications.

Lack of power wasn't the big rap on Benitez during his prime. It was his chin which was questioned most. Bruce Curry dropped him three times. SRL floored him twice with single shots, first with a jab, then finally a clipping right uppercut. He fell down four times against Hamsho. Davey Moore decked him quickly with an opening round right in Monte Carlo, producing an awkward fall that fractured his ankle, and had his eyes "spinning like roulette wheels," according to ABC ringside broadcaster Chris Schenkel. We've all seen what Matthew Hilton did to him. He had good reason to primarily adopt a safety first style. The way he survived those knockdowns by Curry is explained by the fact he already had very ample experience getting his bell rung. (In sharp contrast, Hearns was foundering, unable to clinch, showing little in the way of survival skill experience when SRL hurt him in their WW unification.)

 

I've only seen Benitez' most prominent fights - Leonard, Hearns, Palomino, Cervantes and Hope - but based on them I would say he has good power when he wants to. If not very good.

If Palomino did say that I think it's a bit strange considering what actually happened in their fight. Palomino was totally outclassed in the middle rounds and Benitez hurt him and made him go backwards few times. You might say it was due to accuracy, accumulation and timing but "light puncher" still isn't a good description.

Cervantes mostly got sung with solid counter jabs but there was a point in one of the later rounds where Benitez decided to be a bit brave and use the right hand. It looked like Cervantes was a bit hurt but immediately came back.

Leonard was wary in some of the middle rounds - mostly because of Benitez was starting to time the increasingly more onrushing Leonard but also because Leonard found out he just couldn't walk through his punches. Benitez resembled, to me, a giant spider trying to suck you into his web that night.

Sometimes he punched lightly, like in the early rounds against Palomino and Cervantes, but he usually got more offensive when he'd read his opponent and found his timing. With that came punches which had snap, the full body behind them and an intention to get the opponents respect.

A superb fighter. Mostly known for his defensive skills but the way he would crouch to step inside the opponent's jab, use the croch to counter with his own power jab speaks of expert offensive skills; skills that perhaps no active fighers today could replicate. Not to mention the way he handled the inside-oriented and very strong Palomino on the inside.

 

I was at both Wilfred Benetiz-Bruce Curry fights at Madison Square Garden.
At the time, Wilfred was the Junior Welterweight Champion.
Both fights, for some reason were non-title 10-Rounders.
Really, over the weight Junior Welterweight fights.
I swear, Benetiz hit Curry with some solid punches, and nothing happened.
There was no 'sound' behind the punches.
Now, Bruce Curry wasn't no slouch, but he didn't have a 'rock jaw' either.
Curry also walked into many of Benetiz' right hand bombs, and nothing.

An interesting fight that I would have liked to see.
Wilfred Benetiz vs, 'undefeated' Ayub Kalule.

 

Great stuff.

I've watched -nah, I've studied Benitez-Duran and have come away convinced that Duran's biggest problem in that fight was not Benitez's radar, it was his power.

Sanchez pointed out early on that Benitez's style did not necessarily include planting his feet and sitting down on his punches. Thus, he seemed not to have power because he was too busy making a fool of the wind machine in front of him. But that's deceptive. Benitez had decent power when he wanted to... at least enough to make Duran think twice.

 

If you closely watch the Hope kayo, you can see a tooth skidding across the canvas! Major kayo artists rarely accomplish that feat.