Leonard-Benitez - I had Benitez winning entering the final round

del

 

Careful, some years ago I revealed here that I had it a draw going into the last round and was way chastised as being boxing illiterate.

 

I agree, i've been saying this for years & anyone with a modicom of boxing now-how would say that this fight was a one pointer either way. It's just the same old Sugarbabylove syndrome that Leonard dominates all his fights hands down with as we know is total crap.

The commentary on all of Leonards fights is absolutly atrocious with it's appalling bias in his favour. Benitez made Leonard look like he was fighting underwater at times & the major problem with most people here on ESB is that they actually know **** all about Leonards style & have just gained what little knowlage they have from old Ring/KO & Boxing Monthly mags & seen a few fights on you tube then spout out there own version of fistic wisdom.

I've spoken to Leonard regarding this fight & he's often said that it was a nightmare & that he'd never been so focused & nervous in his life & being absolutly terrified of being made to look a grade 1 chump by Wilfred as he was a defensive & counterattacking wizard. I had too try & drag him into a fight & use my strength to nullify his movement, i had to keep the distance close & force/press him to engage & hope i could catch him on the counter he said.

I've had it just like you with Benitez 1 up & also Leonard 1 up until the final round & to think this 21 year old genious never even really trained for the Leonard fight. I'll go watch this again this afternoon as it's been a while since i watched it.

 

I had Benitez winning 3-4 rounds. I thought it was a masterclass in pure boxing from Leonard, who ironically enough showed the better defense in my judgement. He just got off first with the jab time and time again. Sure, Benitez slipped a lot, but he got hit more than Leonard, and more conclusively. Excellent chess-match still, but Leonard was a step ahead the entire time for me.

 

I rewatched this one. Good technical chess match type of fight. I had Leonard ahead coming into the last three minutes,by about four rounds. Pity Benitez never had the application to match his talent.

 

I have not scored the fight but had Leonard up by a few rounds by the end. The only way I could see Benitez very close was by giving him all the closish rounds.

 

I thought Benitez fought about as well as he could've, he was just out-matched in this particular case. He certainly didn't show any stamina issues for someone who was supposed to have only trained 2 weeks. The old adage "speed kills" applied strongly for this one.

 

Great fight by two great fighters, great fight to watch as well, although if my non boxing mates are over I might put on a diferent fight, like a Tyson fight etc...

 

It's the old conudrum of do you watch a fight or a boxing match if yer get me drift, the contradiction with me has always been that as you know i'am a duran disciple but i just love watching 24/7 the Benitez/Camacho's & Whitikers of this world.

It's such a blurred line today in what constitutes winning a round today, offence or evasive manouvers, making the other guy hit air in 4/5 punch combo's as Benitez made Leonard do in some rounds or shots that land. The yanks have oviousley had the major say in how fights are scored as is the saying by an American to his wife, "I'am of to watch the fight! & us Brits would say "I'am of too the boxing" This is why & many like me + the judges had Duran ahead against Hagler after 12 all down to how they view what constitutes effective boxing as too effective fighting, this will always be the cunundrum that fighters/boxers & judges are faced with. One size don't fit all.

 

Well, considering Leonard/Benitez was purist's boxing match through and through, I don't think your last post really holds much water here, Duranimal. It's not as if the Leonard advocates are going to claim that Benitez was simply too defensive and inactive by comparison, considering how conservative Leonard himself was. What this bout came down to was largely speed, the speed of hand that allowed Leonard to get off first and land on Benitez a lot moreso than most. That said, Leonard also showed a Benitez-like defensive radar in there, which just lead to him doing consistently the better work, in my opinion. Just a step ahead throughout, as I said earlier, both offensively and defensively. Only after a few rounds of this, when Benitez started to open up a bit more and actually press the fight, did he gain any kind of upper hand (where the majority of the rounds he won came, for me). It was short-lived, however, and Leonard soon regained control of the bout and maintained until the finish.

 

wtf? there's people who saw it like me?

 

I have never scored it round by round but when watching it i remember feeling like leonard was a couple of rounds ahead. Anyway, you got me thinking now so im gonna go find it, watch it and score it. Ill report back later with my card

 

I seem to remember Benitez was handicapped by the headbutt cut. He continually was whiping blood away in the second half of the fight. Why no immediate rematch? Like Leonard got against Duran.