Wilfred Benitez (born September 12, 1958 in New York, New York), is a Puerto Rican boxer. A Puerto Rican ('puertorriqueño' ( Taíno term boricua) is a person who was born in Puerto Rico. The City of New York Events 1213 - Albigensian Crusade: Simon de Montfort 5th Earl of Leicester, defeats Peter II of Aragon at the Year 1958 ( MCMLVIII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The City of New York A Puerto Rican ('puertorriqueño' ( Taíno term boricua) is a person who was born in Puerto Rico. Boxing (sometimes also known as English boxing or pugilism) is a Combat sport in which two participants generally of similar weight, He is remembered best as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities who won world championships in three separate weight divisions, and was the youngest world champion in boxing history.

Early history

Benitez, a young prodigy who was managed by his father Gregorio Benitez, was a member of one of Puerto Rico's most famous boxing families, his brothers Frankie and Gregory Benitez having also been top contenders in the 1970s. Puerto Rico (ˌpwertoˈriko officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ("Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico" {{lang-en|"Associated Free State of Puerto Rico"}} This article is about the Decade 1970-1979 For the Year 1970 see 1970. The Benitez troop was largely directed by their mother, Clara Benitez. Wilfred Benitez (born September 12, 1958 in New York New York) is a Puerto Rican boxer. Young Wilfredo was nicknamed "The Radar". 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, Benitez often traveled to the Virgin Islands and New York for fights. See also Culture of the Virgin Islands Music of the Virgin Islands Virgin Islands Creole New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous 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 15 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. The World Boxing Association (WBA is a Boxing organization that sanctions official matches and awards the WBA world championship title at the professional level The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico,

Professional boxing career

Wilfred Benitez and his mother Clara Benitez (smiling, left).

In March, 1976 he defeated WBA Light Welterweight champion Antonio Cervantes in a split decision. Antonio Cervantes aka Kid Pambelé (born in San Basilio de Palenque, Bolivar on December 23, 1945) is a Colombian Boxing Benitez retained this championship three times, and then the lure of a million dollar fight with 1976 Olympic champion Sugar Ray Leonard made him move up to the welterweight division. The Olympic Games is an international Multi-sport event established for both summer and winter games Ray Charles Leonard (born May 17, 1956) is a retired American professional boxer. Welterweight is a Weight class division in combat sports Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in Boxing, but other combat sports like Kickboxing First, he challenged world champion Carlos Palomino in San Juan. Carlos Palomino (born August 10, 1949) is a Mexican former boxer who was a world champion and also a college degree holder Benitez won a fifteen round decision to become world champion in a second weight division. After a defense against Harold Weston Jr, which ended in a Benitez unanimous decision win, Benitez and Leonard signed for a fight in Las Vegas in November, 1979. Las Vegas ( Spanish: "The Meadows" is the most populous City in the state of Nevada, the seat of Clark County, and an internationally Year 1979 ( MCMLXXIX) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1979 Gregorian calendar) It was a scientific fight by both fighters, who demonstrated their defensive skills throughout the bout. Benitez unsuccessfully tried overcoming a third round knockdown, and a cut which was opened on his forehead by a head butt in round six, and the fight came to an end when the referee stopped the fight with six seconds left in round fifteen.

After that loss, Benitez again moved up in weight, and in May 23, 1981, he became the youngest three-time world champion in boxing history by knocking out world junior middleweight champion Maurice Hope in twelve rounds in Las Vegas. Maurice Hope (born December 6, 1951 in St John's, Antigua) is a former boxer from England, who was The knockout was named one of the knockouts of the year.

His next fight became a historic bout. The match against future world champ Carlos Santos of Ceiba, Puerto Rico, was the first world championship fight between two Puerto Ricans in boxing history. Carlos Santos (born October 1, 1955 in Ceiba Puerto Rico) is a former boxer from Puerto Rico, who represented his native country Ceiba (sai-EE-bah is a small town in northeast Puerto Rico. It is named after the famous Ceiba tree Ironically, the fight was fought 3,000 miles away from Puerto Rico, at the Caesar's Palace hotel in Las Vegas. Caesars Palace, sometimes referred to colloquially as simply Caesars, is a luxury Hotel and Casino located on the Las Vegas Strip in Paradise Benitez won a fifteen round unanimous decision. Next came another Hall-of-Famer, Roberto Duran, whom Benitez defeated in the same hotel in 1982. Roberto Durán (born June 16 1951 is a retired professional boxer from Panama, widely regarded as one of the greatest boxers of all-time Soon thereafter, at the Carnival of Champions in New Orleans, Benitez gave up his belt to another boxing legend, Thomas Hearns, after a fight that featured knockdowns from both fighters, when he lost a fifteen round unanimous decision. The Carnival Of Champions, as Don King nicknamed it was an important Boxing event held in New Orleans 's Superdome on December 3, New Orleans (nʲuːˈɔrliənz nʲuːˈɔrlənz French: La Nouvelle-Orléans) is a major United States port city and the largest city in Louisiana Thomas Hearns (born October 18, 1958, in Memphis, raised in Detroit) is an American 8-time world champion professional

Career decline

Benitez's career went downwards after the fight with Hearns, as did his lifestyle. In 1984, he tried a comeback under the hand of Yamil Chade, but this proved unsuccessful. Year 1984 ( MCMLXXXIV) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1984 Gregorian calendar) Yamil Chade (born c 1930 is a part Lebanese, part Cuban and Puerto Rican sports team owner and athlete manager In 1987, with his health declining, he went to Buenos Aires, Argentina to fight middleweight Carlos Herrera. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Buenos Aires is the Capital and largest city of Argentina. It is geographically located on the southern shore of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Benitez was stopped in seven rounds. But that wasn't the worst part of the trip. His money for the fight was stolen by the fight's promoter, along with his documents and passport, and he was stranded in Argentina for one year. After much government huddling and talks, he was finally able to fly back home to Puerto Rico in 1988. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) A touching public moment in his life came when, upon leaving the airplane that brought him back, he handed his seven year-old daughter an Argentine toy doll he had bought for her before his fight there, and told her he hadn't forgotten her one single day during his time away. A doll is an object that represents a baby or other human being but includes likenesses of animals and imaginary creatures

Two years later, Benitez moved to Tucson, Arizona, where he tried another comeback under the tutelage of Emanuel Steward, the famous Kronk trainer. Tucson (ˈtuːsɒn is the seat of Pima County Arizona, United States, located 118 miles (188 km) southeast The State of Arizona ( is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. Emanuel Steward (born July 7, 1944 in Bottom Creek West Virginia) is a Boxing trainer commentator and inductee Kronk Gym was a Boxing gym located in Detroit and led by the famous trainer Emanuel Steward. This also proved unsuccessful, as he won one fight and lost one in this last comeback. He returned to Puerto Rico, where he is now living with his mother Clara, on a $200 a month pension provided by the World Boxing Council. The World Boxing Council was initially created by 11 countries the United States, Argentina, United Kingdom, France, Mexico, Benitez now suffers from an incurable, degenerative brain condition many believe was caused by the blows he took in the ring.

In 2004, Benitez was diagnosed with diabetes. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Diabetes mellitus (ˌdaɪəˈbiːtiːz or /ˌdaɪəˈbiːtəs/ /məˈlaɪtəs/ or /ˈmɛlətəs/ often referred to simply as diabetes ( Ancient Greek: grc

Benitez has been a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame since 1996. The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar)

See also

• List of famous Puerto Ricans
• Afro-Puerto Ricans
• List of male boxers
• List of WBC world champions
• List of Puerto Rican boxing world champions
• List of boxing triple champions‎

External links

• Professional boxing record for Wilfred Benítez from Boxrec
• Ian Palmer's Tigerboxing.com article on Benitez
• Benitez's website
• Faded Memories