He went from being one of the best in the world up there with the Leonards, Hearns and Durans, beat Duran an then all of a sudden he loses to Mustafa Hamsho and never comes back to the top, he was only 24 at that time What happened?
I personally think Parkinsons had already started by around 1983....you could see that blank 1000 yard stare and stiff facial movements.....obviously he was fighting from around 14 with his dad putting him in with grown men in all out sparring. The downfall was horrific.....the loss to Hilton was brutal........like you say he just became a shot fighter overnight. Such a shame Id have liked to see a peak 154lbs Benitez fight Hagler at 157lbs for the undisputed middleweight title in 1984.....win or lose id have liked to see Benitez fight Mccallum in 1984/85......and perform his own Duran-Barkley style comeback against say a Kalambay or Nunn......a peak Benitez against a fellow master boxer Kalambay in late 1988 !
Yes it's a shame, the health problem s really ruined his life. Management troubles, high living and lack of discipline also contributed to his downfall.
He took a terrible, career changing body battering from Roberto Duran that most fans didn't see due to Roberto's subtle skills. He pissed blood after and was in a hospital for 4 days. He was never the same again. They kept it secret from the press but Baaeliy's book from 1994 and old Pug Life magazines from October 1982 tell the story. Watch the fight from the Pursor-held camera angle and see the viscious shots.
This post proves that you're nothing if not unpredictable, Morlocks. I was sure you'd post this in green but you've thrown us a right curveball here, you old rascal.
Currently waiting for mail of my brand new 64 Crayolas crayons to be able to post in color again!!!! I can't wait.
Very sad story https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-met-wilfred-benitez-health-chicago-20180615-story.html
For Goodness sake, man. It's the 21st century in case you'd heard. They use Sharpies pens now. Get with the program(me).
I think moving up to middleweight and fighting Hamsho was a terrible decision. Moving up and then Hamsho. Had he stayed at 154 and tried to get a Hearns or Duran rematch and motivated himself fighting guys like Medal or Hargrove. He could have done well. Similar to Donald Curry and picking McCallum too soon. Picking fights at the right time can be an art and also a career extender.
This. It’s a good thread for anyone who hasn’t taken a peak. Wish @klompton2 would chime in. I recall him having some good info on Benitez back in the day.
Brain damage aside, he turned pro at 15, was fighting ranked contenders within a year or so, and was world champion by 17. He didn’t start to turn sour until roughly a decade in. In ring years, there was nothing out of the norm about his decline.
