Wilfred Benítez

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Wilfred Benítez
Benítez in 1980
Statistics
Nickname(s)	El Radar ("The Radar") Bible of Boxing
Weight(s)	Light welterweight Welterweight Light middleweight
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Reach	70 in (178 cm)
Nationality	Puerto Rican
Born	(1958-09-12) September 12, 1958 (age 63) New York City, U.S.
Stance	Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights	62
Wins	53
Wins by KO	31
Losses	8
Draws	1

Wilfred "Wilfredo" Benítez (born September 12, 1958) is a New York-born Puerto Rican former professional boxer and the youngest world champion in the sport's history. Earning his first of three career world titles in separate weight divisions at the age of seventeen, he is best remembered as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities, along with his fights with Roberto Durán, Thomas Hearns, and Sugar Ray Leonard.

Inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996, he is considered among the best Puerto Rican boxers of all time, sharing the honor with Félix Trinidad, Wilfredo Gómez, Carlos Ortiz, Héctor Camacho, and Miguel Cotto.^[1]

Early history[]

Benítez turned pro at 15, a young prodigy who was managed by his father Gregorio Benítez, was a member of one of Puerto Rico's boxing families, his brothers Frankie and Gregory Benítez having also been top contenders in the 1970s. The Benítez troop was largely directed by their mother, Clara Benítez. Young Wilfred was nicknamed "The Radar" for his uncanny ability to foresee and dodge his opponent's blows.^[2] He grew up going to a neighborhood boxing gym in New York, where he learned from watching his brothers and other local, renowned fighters practice their skills.

During the early stages of his professional career, Benítez often traveled to the Netherlands Antilles and New York City for fights. He divided his fights between those locations and Puerto Rico. The proximity of those two locations to Puerto Rico helped him start to become a household name in the island while building an international following at the same time. His speed, combined with punching power and surprising ring maturity for a 16-year-old, were enough to make him a world-ranked boxer by both the WBA and WBC, then boxing's only world-title recognizing organizations.

Professional boxing career[]

On March 6, 1976, at age 17, with his high school classmates in attendance, he faced Lineal^[3] and WBA Light Welterweight champion Antonio Cervantes. Known as Kid Pambele, the champion was 30 years old, had a record of 74-9-3 with 35 KO's, and had made 10 title defenses. The result was a fifteen-round split decision in Benítez's favor.^[4] Benítez retained the championship three times, and then moved up to the welterweight division.

Moving up[]

Benítez challenged Lineal^[5] and WBC World Champion Carlos Palomino in San Juan. On January 14, 1979, Benítez won a fifteen-round split decision to become a world champion in a second weight division. Referee Zach Clayton scored the fight 145-142 in Palomino's favor, but judges Jay Edson and Harry Gibbs disagreed. Edson scored the bout 146-142 for Benítez. Gibbs also scored for Benítez, 146-143. After outpointing Harold Weston Jr. in his first defense (avenging an earlier draw), Benítez fought Sugar Ray Leonard in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 30, 1979.

Fighting Sugar Ray Leonard[]

It was a scientific fight by both fighters, who demonstrated their defensive skills throughout the bout. Benítez suffered a third-round knockdown and a cut on his forehead, which was opened by an accidental head butt in round six. Leonard put Benítez down again in the fifteenth round and the referee stopped the fight with six seconds left in round fifteen. Leonard was ahead on all cards at the time of the stoppage. The scores were 137–133, 137–130 and 136–134, all for Leonard.^[6]

Moving up again[]

After that loss, Benítez again moved up in weight, and on May 23, 1981, at age 22, he became the youngest three-time world champion in boxing history by knocking out WBC World Super Welterweight Champion Maurice Hope in twelve rounds in Las Vegas. The knockout was named one of the knockouts of the year.

His next fight became a historic bout. On November 14, 1981, he fought future world champ Carlos Santos of Ceiba, Puerto Rico. It was the first world championship fight between two Puerto Ricans in boxing history. It was fought 3,000 miles away from Puerto Rico, at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Benítez won a fifteen-round unanimous decision. His next defense was against Roberto Durán, whom Benítez defeated at Caesar's Palace on January 30, 1982 by a fifteen-round unanimous decision. On December 3, 1982, at the Carnival of Champions in New Orleans, Benítez lost the belt to another boxing legend, Thomas Hearns, by a fifteen-round majority decision.^[7]

Career decline[]

Benítez's career went downwards after the fight with Hearns, as did his lifestyle. In 1983, he lost a unanimous decision to Mustafa Hamsho. In 1984, he tried a comeback under the hand of Yamil Chade, but this proved unsuccessful as he was knocked out in the second round by Davey Moore. On November 28, 1986, with his health declining, Benítez went to Salta, Argentina to fight against middleweight Carlos Herrera. Benítez was stopped in seven rounds. But to make matters worse, his money for the fight was stolen by the promoter, along with his documents and passport, and he was stranded in Argentina for over a year. After eventually being tracked down, and after much government huddling and talks, he was finally able to fly back home to Puerto Rico in 1988.

In 1990, with his health in increasingly worse shape, Benítez moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he tried another comeback under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward, the Kronk trainer. This also proved unsuccessful, as he went 2-2 in his last four fights. His last bout took place in Winnipeg, Canada on September 18, 1990, six days after his 32nd birthday. He lost a ten-round decision against Scott Papasadora.

Professional boxing record[]

Professional record summary

62 fights	53 wins	8 losses
By knockout	31	4
By decision	22	4
Draws	1

No.	Result	Record	Opponent	Type	Round, time	Date	Location	Notes
62	Loss	53–8–1	Scott Papasodora	UD	10	Sep 18, 1990	Winnipeg Convention Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
61	Win	53–7–1	Sam Wilson	UD	10	Aug 24, 1990	Regency Hotel, Denver, Colorado, United States
60	Loss	52–7–1	Pat Lawlor	PTS	10	May 23, 1990	Tucson, AZ, United States
59	Win	52–6–1	Ariel Conde	KO	7	Mar 8, 1990	Americana Motel, Phoenix, AZ, United States
58	Loss	51–6–1	Carlos Maria del Valle Herrera	TKO	7	Nov 28, 1986	Salta, Argentina
57	Win	51–5–1	Harry Daniels	UD	10	Sep 17, 1986	Fifth Regiment Armory, Baltimore, Maryland, United States
56	Win	50–5–1	Paul Whittaker	UD	10	Jul 1, 1986	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States
55	Loss	50–4–1	Matthew Hilton	KO	9	Feb 15, 1986	Paul Sauve Arena, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
54	Win	49–4–1	Kevin Moley	UD	10	Aug 21, 1985	Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States
53	Win	48–4–1	Danny Chapman	RTD	7	Jul 6, 1985	Walter E. Washington Convention Center, Washington, District of Columbia, United States
52	Win	47–4–1	Mauricio Bravo	TKO	2	Mar 30, 1985	Oranjestad, Aruba
51	Loss	46–4–1	Davey Moore	TKO	2	Jul 14, 1984	Stade Louis II, Monte Carlo, Monaco
50	Win	46–3–1	Stacy McSwain	UD	10	Feb 11, 1984	Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan, United States
49	Loss	45–3–1	Mustafa Hamsho	UD	12	Jul 16, 1983	Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, United States
48	Win	45–2–1	Tony Cerda	UD	10	May 18, 1983	Dunes Hotel, Las Vegas, United States
47	Loss	44–2–1	Thomas Hearns	MD	15	Dec 3, 1982	Louisiana Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States	Lost WBC light middleweight title
46	Win	44–1–1	Roberto Durán	UD	15	Jan 30, 1982	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, United States	Retained WBC light middleweight title
45	Win	43–1–1	Carlos Santos	UD	15	Nov 14, 1981	Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, United States	Retained WBC light middleweight title
44	Win	42–1–1	Maurice Hope	TKO	12	May 23, 1981	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, United States	Won WBC light middleweight title
43	Win	41–1–1	Pete Ranzany	UD	10	Dec 12, 1980	Sacramento, California, United States
42	Win	40–1–1	Tony Chiaverini	TKO	8	Aug 1, 1980	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, United States
41	Win	39–1–1	Johnny Turner	TKO	9	Mar 16, 1980	Jai Alai Fronton, Miami, Florida, United States
40	Loss	38–1–1	Sugar Ray Leonard	TKO	15	Nov 30, 1979	Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, United States, United States	Lost WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
39	Win	38–0–1	Harold Weston	UD	15	Mar 25, 1979	Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States	Retained WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
38	Win	37–0–1	Carlos Palomino	SD	15	Jan 14, 1979	Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States	Won WBC, The Ring, and lineal welterweight titles
37	Win	36–0–1	Vernon Lewis	UD	10	Dec 8, 1978	Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States
36	Win	35–0–1	Randy Shields	RTD	6	Aug 25, 1978	Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States
35	Win	34–0–1	Bruce Curry	MD	10	Feb 4, 1978	Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States, United States
34	Win	33–0–1	Bruce Curry	SD	10	Nov 18, 1977	Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States, United States
33	Win	32–0–1	Ray Chavez Guerrero	TKO	15	Aug 3, 1977	Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States, United States	Retained lineal light welterweight title
32	Win	31–0–1	Easy Boy Lake	TKO	1	Jul 1, 1977	Lionel Roberts Stadium, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
31	Win	30–0–1	Roberto Gonzalez	KO	1	Jun 2, 1977	Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
30	Win	29–0–1	Melvin Dennis	UD	8	Mar 6, 1977	Correctional Facility Prison, Marion, Ohio, United States, United States
29	Draw	28–0–1	Harold Weston	PTS	10	Feb 2, 1977	New York City, United States, United States, United States
28	Win	28–0	Tony Petronelli	TKO	3	Oct 16, 1976	Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States	Retained WBA, The Ring and lineal light welterweight titles
27	Win	27–0	Emiliano Villa	UD	15	May 31, 1976	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States	Retained WBA, The Ring and lineal light welterweight titles
26	Win	26–0	Antonio Cervantes	SD	15	Mar 6, 1976	Hiram Bithorn Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States	Won WBA, The Ring, and lineal light welterweight titles
25	Win	25–0	Chris Fernandez	PTS	10	Dec 13, 1975	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
24	Win	24–0	Omar Ruben Realecio	TKO	6	Oct 20, 1975	Felt Forum, New York City, United States, United States
23	Win	23–0	Marcelino Alicia	TKO	2	Sep 1, 1975	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
22	Win	22–0	Young Woodall	KO	4	Aug 19, 1975	Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands Antilles
21	Win	21–0	Eyue Jeudy	KO	4	Aug 1, 1975	Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands Antilles
20	Win	20–0	Jim Henry	TKO	8	Jun 28, 1975	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
19	Win	19–0	Angel Robinson Garcia	PTS	10	Jun 9, 1975	Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
18	Win	18–0	Santos Solis	PTS	10	May 5, 1975	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
17	Win	17–0	Wilbur Seales	TKO	4	Mar 31, 1975	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
16	Win	16–0	Santiago Rosa	KO	4	Feb 8, 1975	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
15	Win	15–0	Francisco Rodriguez	TKO	7	Jan 4, 1975	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
14	Win	14–0	Lawrence Hafey	UD	8	02/12/1974	Felt Forum, New York City, United States, United States
13	Win	13–0	Terry Summerhays	TKO	6	Oct 25, 1974	Madison Square Garden, New York City, United States, United States
12	Win	12–0	Al Hughes	TKO	5	Sep 16, 1974	Felt Forum, New York City, United States, United States
11	Win	11–0	Easy Boy Lake	TKO	5	Aug 31, 1974	Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands Antilles
10	Win	10–0	Carlos Crispin	TKO	3	Jun 26, 1974	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
9	Win	9–0	Ives St Jean	KO	1	Jun 21, 1974	Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands Antilles
8	Win	8–0	Easy Boy Lake	KO	5	May 11, 1974	Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands Antilles
7	Win	7–0	Juan Disla	TKO	3	Apr 30, 1974	Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States
6	Win	6–0	Victor Mangual	PTS	8	Apr 1, 1974	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
5	Win	5–0	Roberto Flanders	KO	4	Feb 18, 1974	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
4	Win	4–0	Joe York	KO	2	Jan 26, 1974	Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands Antilles
3	Win	3–0	Hector Amadis	KO	4	Jan 07, 1974	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States
2	Win	2–0	Jesse Torres	KO	2	Nov 30, 1973	Philipsburg, Sint Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, Netherlands Antilles
1	Win	1–0	Hiram Santiago	KO	1	Nov 22, 1973	San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States, United States

Retirement and illness[]

After retiring from boxing in late 1990, Benítez returned to Puerto Rico, where he lived with his mother Clara on a $200 a month pension provided by the World Boxing Council. Since 1989, Benítez has suffered from an incurable, degenerative brain condition caused by the blows that he took in the ring.^[8]

In 1997, Benítez was moved to a public nursing home for medical reasons by his mother Clara, a licensed nurse.^[9]

In 2002, Sugar Ray Leonard visited Benítez, who by this time had forgotten his identity.^[10] During the visit, their fight was shown on television. Consequently, Benítez remembered the event and said to Leonard, "Ray, I did not train for that fight."^[10]

In 2004, Benítez was diagnosed with diabetes, adding further complications to his worsening health. When his mother died in the summer of 2008, his sister Yvonne Benítez, took over his care.

In 2018, after Hurricane Maria destroyed his home and made it difficult for Benítez to receive therapy, an old friend and boxing mate, Luis Mateo, helped Benítez and his sister move to Chicago. It was their hope that in Chicago, Benítez would receive better health care.^[8]

Support, recovery and public appearance[]

Ring 10, a non-profit organization that helps impoverished former fighters, provides a monthly stipend to Benítez and established "The Wilfred Benítez Fund" to raise more money to aid the fallen champion.^[11]

During 2012, Benítez was honored with a statue in Puerto Rico.^[12]

On November 27, 2012, a smiling and healthy looking Benítez attended the funeral of Hector Camacho in Puerto Rico, arriving in a wheelchair. Benítez arrived accompanied by boxers Félix Trinidad, Wilfredo Gómez, and Alfredo Escalera.^[13] Surprising the mourners, Benítez rose to his feet for a boxing pose in front of Camacho's coffin.^[14]

With the emotional and financial assistance of former Benitez sparring partner Luis Mateo and Chicago's Puerto Rican community, on June 1, 2018, in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, Wilfred Benitez, age 59, and his sister Yvonne Benitez, arrived in Chicago, Illinois, where he spent the first week in the hospital, then was moved to an apartment on Chicago's West Side. Donations from the Chicago Puerto Rican community helped pay for the plane tickets, and continue ongoing to provide expense money for the apartment, food, and other necessities, according to Mateo and Yvonne Benitez. Wilfred appears in overall better health, good spirits, has gained weight, tries to talk, and is more alert since his arrival in the mainland United States.^[15]

Awards and recognitions[]

Benítez was inducted to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1994.

Puerto Ricans in the International Boxing Hall of Fame

Number	Name	Year inducted	Notes
1	Carlos Ortíz	1991	World Jr. Welterweight Champion 1959 June 12- 1960, September 1, WBA Lightweight Champion 1962 Apr 21 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1963 Apr 7 – 1965 Apr 10, WBC Lightweight Champion 1965 Nov 13 – 1968 Jun 29.
2	Wilfred Benítez	1994	The youngest world champion in boxing history. WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1976 Mar 6 – 1977, WBC Welterweight Champion 1979 Jan 14 – 1979 Nov 30, WBC Light Middleweight Champion.
3	Wilfredo Gómez	1995	WBC Super Bantamweight Champion 1977 May 21 – 1983, WBC Featherweight Champion 1984 Mar 31 – 1984 Dec 8, WBA Super Featherweight Champion 1985 May 19 – 1986 May 24.
4	José "Chegui" Torres	1997	Won a silver medal in the junior middleweight at the 1956 Olympic Games. Undisputed Light Heavyweight Champion 1965 Mar 30 – 1966 Dec 16
5	Sixto Escobar	2002	Puerto Rico's first boxing champion. World Bantamweight Champion 15 Nov 1935– 23 Sep 1937, World Bantamweight Champion 20 Feb 1938– Oct 1939
6	Edwin Rosario	2006	Ranks #36 on the list of "100 Greatest Punchers of All Time." according to Ring Magazine. WBC Lightweight Champion 1983 May 1 – 1984 Nov 3, WBA Lightweight Champion 1986 Sep 26 – 1987 Nov 21, WBA Lightweight Champion 199 Jul 9 – 1990 Apr 4, WBA Light Welterweight Champion 1991 Jun 14 – 1992 Apr 10.
7	Pedro Montañez	2007	92 wins out of 103 fights. Never held a title.
8	Joe Cortez	2011	The first Puerto Rican boxing referee to be inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame
9	Herbert "Cocoa Kid" Hardwick	2012	Member of boxing's "Black Murderers' Row". World Colored Welterweight Championship - June 11, 1937 to August 22, 1938; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 11, 1940 until the title went extinct in the 1940s; World Colored Middleweight Championship - January 15, 1943 until the title went extinct in the 1940s
10	Félix "Tito" Trinidad	2014	Captured the IBF welterweight crown in his 20th pro bout. Won the WBA light middleweight title from David Reid in March 2000 and later that year unified titles with a 12th-round knockout against IBF champ Fernando Vargas. In 2001 became a three-division champion.
11	Héctor "Macho" Camacho	2016	First boxer to be recognized as a septuple champion in history. WBC Super Featherweight Championship - August 7, 1983 – 1984, WBC Lightweight Championship - August 10, 1985 – 1987, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - March 6, 1989 – February 23, 1991, WBO Light Welterweight Champion - May 18, 1991–1992.
12	Mario Rivera Martino	2019	First Puerto Rican boxing sports writer to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He served Puerto Rican boxing for more than 50 years as a writer and eventual commissioner.
13	Miguel Cotto	2022	He is a multiple-time world champion, and the first Puerto Rican boxer to win world titles in four weight classes, from light welterweight to middleweight. In 2007 and 2009,

  = Indicates the person is no longer alive

Achievements
Preceded by Antonio Cervantes	Lineal Light Welterweight Champion March 6, 1976 – 1979 Vacated	Succeeded by Aaron Pryor
	WBA Light Welterweight Champion March 6, 1976 – 1977 Stripped	Succeeded by Antonio Cervantes
Preceded by Carlos Palomino	Lineal Welterweight Champion January 14, 1979 - November 30, 1979	Succeeded by Sugar Ray Leonard
	WBC Welterweight Champion January 14, 1979 - November 30, 1979
Preceded by Maurice Hope	WBC Light Middleweight Champion May 23, 1981 - December 3, 1982	Succeeded by Thomas Hearns
Records
Preceded by Tony Canzoneri	Youngest World Champion March 6, 1976 – present	Incumbent

Non boxing related awards[]

Key to the City

• Carolina, Puerto Rico (1984)

See also[]

• List of light welterweight boxing champions
• List of welterweight boxing champions
• List of light middleweight boxing champions
• List of WBA world champions
• List of WBC world champions
• List of boxing triple champions
• List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
• Sports in Puerto Rico
• Afro-Puerto Ricans

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wilfred Benítez.

• Boxing record for Wilfred Benítez from BoxRec (registration required)
• Ian Palmer's Tigerboxing.com article on Benítez
• Benítez's website
• Faded Memories