Does anyone else think that Rich needs to be on a bigger platform? These videos are top notch and really show the unfiltered history of boxing. There are some great boxing channels on RU-vid, but this is by far the most interesting of the bunch.
6 months later and still underrated. Rich , Joseph Vincent best boxing content available. However rich covers guys I never heard of. Maybe 15 fighters I never off thanks to him. And I bet there's quite a few more he's covered I haven't watched yet
Rich tells the story more, which is better in a way, j Vincent has a different style. Talks 90pct less and is absolutely brilliant, has the voice, unbelievable music, but rich has the whole story, he will grow don't worry about that. Maybe build up the music and a good intro but then again I'm not an expert.Guys it takes a lot of work to do these vids. Sad ending, don't know how fighters who are worth 40 million plus not give back, boxers need a union for injured boxers, 1 pct of each fighter's purse, it could be ANYONE next.
@@derekgreene2304 always been that way for most fighters. In modern times, only their celebrity kept Ali and Tyson from being completely broke after retirement. That "love" if you want to call it that counts for something.
I don’t recall a great fighter simply disintegrating the way Benitez did. In my opinion, he was at his absolute peak at Junior Middle when he easily defeated Duran (I didn’t realize Roberto trained so hard for this) and crushing Maurice Hope. After Hearns it was pretty much over. The knock out at the hands of Matthew Hilton still hurts after all these years. What a gifted kid he was and what a charismatic personality he had. How things turned out is heart wrenching. Rich, you’ve brought us another gem. Thank you.
Benitez deeply believed he didn't need to train, so he wouldn't take training seriously that and his abuse of drugs, alcohol and partying is what really did him in 😔
Benitez’s knockout losses were always sickening. And seeing him like this now is heartbreaking, especially considering he was the epitome of youth and life. The youngest world champion of all time at 17 and a half years. A record that will realistically never be broken for the rest of time
*_John 10.9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly._* _Jesus Christ loves you. Only Jesus Christ saves. Repent and be saved. God bless you, and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all._ ----
Yes, it is sad to see Benitez be such a rare and great fighter and then to decline and fall so badly while still in his youth, and be severely handicapped. But a lesson in this is that he made enough money to have secured his future but he squandered it, and he should have stopped fighting when people pleaded with him to stop. It's almost like he was destined to this outcome.
The Leonard KO loss was debatable. It appeared the ref jumped in to early. There were only a few seconds left in the fight. The Davy Moore KO loss. Benitez was dropped and broke his ankle. He rose and slipped almost all the follow up punches. They stopped it because he couldn't move due to the ankle. The Matthew Hilton ko loss. Yes that was a brutal KO. He was stopped once more, by Carlos Herrera. Never saw that fight
The end of this documentary is so hard to watch. I know most fighters lives dont end well, but still a great champion like Benitez deserves to be in a better situation.
As a Puerto Rican myself 🇵🇷, nothing makes me more prouder than having a champion like Benitez. To be able to watch him fight in the era of the other 4 Kings was truly a blessing. Benitez is truly under appreciated. May God Bless Benitez 🙏🙏🙏...#truschoolsports🥊🥊
I second that comment so proud to be Puertorican but what is very sad is that Wilfred 😢 was having a hard time with financing his sister was caring for him there's a boxer from Gary Indiana angel manfredy who at the time was not well known gave his whole fight purse 😢 to help Benitez and then you have all these other millionaire fighter's not one put up except Mr. Roy jones jr. 😢 Wilfred Benitez a champion in and out the ring you are one of my very few heroes 💯🇵🇷💯❤💯🇵🇷💯🔥🇵🇷
@@petierican6079 Yeap, not one of those multimillionaire boxers ever gave Benitez a helping hand, but the one you just mentioned and Roy Jones, Roy’s a class act. It is indeed heartbreaking to see him in a wheelchair like this, I wish I had the resources to help him.
@@AlcibiadesMD just your kind words are a blessing God knows and sees who heart is were and yours is in the right place blessings to you and all your loved one's 🇵🇷💯🇵🇷
@@petierican6079 Blessings to you as well, peace upon you and your love ones, and much health love and happiness too. Thank you 🙏🏼 for your words, it’s great to know that there’s more excellent good hearted fantastic folks like us. ❤️ 🇵🇷 ( Puerto Rico Me Encanta) I lived there as a teenager from Jan 4th 1971 until July 25th 1976 in Puerto Nuevo, (close to Rio Piedras & Plaza las Americas) had the best of friends and wonderful memories there, the great majority of us have kept in touch and visited back and forth through the years, oh, did I mention my love for Alcapurrias, Arroz con gandules & Bacalaitos fritos? lord have mercy! Most incredible loving panas in the world, we were a tight circle of friends (still are) Sending you a fraternal brotherly 🤗 and all the best in life to you my petie🇵🇷rican friend.
@@AlcibiadesMD wow thank you my brother and yes nice to know there are great ones in this world like u made my day brother may you also have a great one people like yourself in this world of the we'd are dime a dozen peace ✌ and all happiness as well 💯🇵🇷💯👍💪✊️
Wow Rich! Wilfredo Benitez is absolutely the fifth king and I have always included him in any conversation I have ever had when people mention the four kings. As much of a boxing historian as I consider myself to be, I have no explanation as to why I never knew Benitez' back story and am truly shocked and saddened by his current condition. I had no idea he was in this bad of shape. Truly heartbreaking. He is a fighter to the core and is incapable of turning it off. May God bless him. These documentaries you do are very powerful.
He had so much talent, that he could've been the only king of boxing. If he had more of a work ethic along Cus D'Amato training him....he would've been the greatest Welterweight, Middleweight, Lightweight and P4P champion of all time. But his own arrogance did him in.
I've had arguments with Puerto Ricans because I think Wilfredo was the greatest Puerto Rican fighter ever. My OLD SCHOOL Italian father born in 1921, who was a HUGE boxing fan, watched him for the first time on TV. This guy can box, he reminds me of sugar ray Robinson. Of course he did not hit as hard, he gave Sugar Ray Leonard all he could handle. One of the most underrated fighters ever.
I’m going to love watching this Doc then switching over to watch HaNZAgod’s Bible of Boxing highlights of Benitez. And even though he lost against Hearns, no one made The Hitman miss the way he did.
Thank you, Thank you, thank you, waited forever to see a doc on this great champion and such a sad ending ! My view is that boxing from a very young age does more damage than when older as the brain is still forming. Brilliant boxer and heartbreaking at the same time ! 17 year old world champ wow and turned professional as a child ? And yet, what other path was there ? A product of his environment !
Ah yes, "The 5th King" Thank you for this piece Rich. Breaks my heart to know of what happened with Wilfred. The brain is a crazy thing. Brain trauma is no joke. The stories of him essentially being so out of his mind from head trauma he would run until he passed out, get up, and start running again. Truly sad.
*_John 10.9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly._* _Jesus Christ loves you. Only Jesus Christ saves. Repent and be saved. God bless you, and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all._ ----
A hell of an era with so much talent. Benitez always impressed me with his quick combinations, but your awesome footage reminded me of his allusiveness.
Just to think, if he took boxing more seriously and trained who could have beat him..He admitted he didn't really train for the Leanard fight and gave Leanard and Hearns a tuff fight..
Leonard is a top 3 all time welter...stop with the exuses...no shame in losing to sugar ray...who was better at everything except defense and that was close
I've heard about him having health issues, but I couldn't even imagine how severe they were. You know it's always so sad seeing a man who was very strong, talented beyond any measure, was on a very pinnacle of his sport, and now surviving like this. This hurts me so much. Thank you again, Rich...
Rich I've been following boxing for years im near 60yrs of age and till this day never seen a real true documentary on my countrymen Wilfred Benitez never ever some short 4 to 5 minute run through but you you are a god to the boxing thing that we love ❤ bro rich blessing you are a true boxing legend yourself and 💯🥊💯.thank you again for another great documentary Puerto 🇵🇷 Rico is loving this ✌
Thank you so much for doing a documentary on Wilfred Benitez. Very very underrated. When people are often asked about great defensive fighters , Benitez is in my top 5.
Thanks a lot for doing this for our great Wilfredo Benitez. He was a great champion with no dedication, can you imagine what would’ve happen if he was 100% dedicated… very sad how everything end up. Benitez! 🇵🇷🔥
That was tough. I knew he didn't do so well later and obviously was affected by the career he had. I will always remember him in those dark blue velvet trunks. What a boxer and credit to the sport.
I remember Benitez way back in the 80's and thought he was a great fighter with an ability to slip punches like no one else. I didn't know that his health had declined to such a devastating level. Holy shit that's freaking heart breaking to say the least. I believe that him getting knocked out by Hilton did permanent damage to him. Mathew Hilton was a hard hard hitter.
Yes I concur, Wilfred was special & yes the early start may have hurt him. And the Hilton fight did really help end his career. Funny I don't remember Matthew Hilton but what a boxer!
*_John 10.9 I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly._* _Jesus Christ loves you. Only Jesus Christ saves. Repent and be saved. God bless you, and the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all._ ----
@@jesusdamaso1007 Wow I never knew that before, man the way he fought back then it wasn't so obvious. What a great boxer like so many in his generation.
Its not surprising to me. The dude fought since before 14! Not sparred but actually fought. Imagine how many times he got rocked and lost brain cells during early development stages. The whole reason behind Alcohol being available only to 21 & over is to allow the brain to mature fully before tainting it and yet many fighters taint their brain in their teens by getting hit. My point is: by the time he became excellent at defense he had miles on his brain health already so it would only take a few more powerful shots from some of the greatest punchers ever to do what happened to him
Man I remember watching some of those wars in the 80's & 90's & I believe the late 70's. Had no idea that he ended like that & all that happened to him. Bless you Wilfred, what a boxer in his day!
One of my favourite fighters of all time. To me one of the GOATS. To me he is in the same bracket as Ali, both sugar rays, Salvador Sanchez, Pernell Whittaker, Roy Jones, and the pretty boy version of Floyd, to name a few. To not include him as one of the kings was just a travesty of boxing. It showed to me that boxing is controlled by the ignorant. Like many things in life. Just because someone has money it doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about. Benitez embarrassed Duran and I have never seen anyone make Sugar Ray miss so much.
@@tintomara6209 if that’s the case then it’d be very unfair because one could argue that Haggler didn’t befight Benitez because if I’m not mistaken Benitez fought all the other kings except Hagler. He beat Duran and I think lost to Leonard and Hearns just like Duran lost to all the other kings including Benitez
Your right. "Money" Mayweather is not in this convo but "pretty boy" floyd is. Benitez is absolutely in the class of the 4 kings. He accomplished everything the other 4 did
He was only 17 when he won his first world title against an extremely dangerous fighter at the time Antonio kid Cervantes. Amazing 15 round performance. The only 17 year old boxing champion ever. 🇵🇷 💪
Benitez beat my all time favorite fighter when he dethroned Carlos Palomino in early 1979( I was 13 and my mom had passed away a month earlier). I despised Benitez, couldn't stand him. I saw his 1st fight with Bruce Curry and, if New York had a points system instead of the silly round system(meaning 5 knock downs in one round still counts as 1 round won), he would have easily lost. Also, most of the referees today would have stopped that fight when Benitez fell twice during the second knockdown of that fight. I was happy when Leonard whipped him, was upset when he beat Duran and was thrilled when the Hitman took his belt. I didn't start feeling empathy for Wilfred until his ill-advised fight with Hamsho, then his injured, bizarre defeat to Moore. By the time Hilton KO'd him in early 1986, you could see the effects boxing was having on him. Had Wilfred quit then and there after losing to Hilton, he would probably be in a much better state of health. Yes, it's tear-jerking to see this once great champion reduced to a near comatose state. No matter how I felt about him nearly 40+ years ago, he was, and always will be a true champion and yes, the 5th King.
@@suicidebysasquatch4873 Yeah, styles make fights and Benitez gave Duran fits. You could see it in Duran's eyes the entire fight. He was frustrated and clueless.
I use to train with him in Los Explosivos Boxing Club in Carolina during his last boxing days, he was beaten BADLY by a sparring partner, Manuel "El yuca" Jimenez. So it was not only in fights, but in training that he got so hurt as well. So sorry, so sad.
There was a time I thought of Benitez as cocky, I was happy when Leonard beat him but over time I came to realize it was just him, his nature. Actually a great guy that was one of the slickest fighters boxing had known, such balance in his stance and power from both hands. Just hung on too long, too many blows at the end, so sorry to see what happen to him. One of the true warriors and I'm glad I was able to see him fight. 👍 Thank you for another well put together video 🥊
The greatest PR fighter ever! Very sad the way his life ended. There are so many stories like his in boxing. Something should be done so that stories like Benitez don't end like his.
Great documentary should win an award. This is a guy who's talent overpowered his life.Still lived out his dream. Most never does. Salute to a ring king Wilfredo.
Just to think if he would have taken boxing more seriously .Who would have beat him? Admitted, he didn't train for the Leanard fight and still gave Leanard and Hearns a tough fight .Even with that, one of the best defense fighters ever and one of the greatest fighters ever .
Damn. Excellent documentary. So sad to see him like this now. There will always be the "what ifs". Had he been more dedicated to training . Had he retired earlier.
Thanks for this Rich. My goodness me, talk about god giving and takeing away. What an athlete he was and what a wreck he ended up. To say it was like a Shakespearean tradegy is an understatement. There must be a couple of leasons for all of us to learn from his life
As a Puerto Rican and Benitez fan, that's a tough one to watch, but I whole-heartedly agree he belongs in the mix as an 80s MW-WW king. The stories of his lack of training were public then. Had he trained adequately, the 80s might have looked different.
I always like Wilfred Benitez and enjoyed the fights when he was in shape and sharp. I think that with more self discipline the heart that he always showed would have carried him much higher in the ranks. The damage to his body and brain led to the end of his life and it just tears me up every time I think about him.
With all the money boxing generates it is absolutely heartbreaking to see any forner fighter in such a helpless state. Especially a multi time champion. Boxing needs to have some kind of disability program that would guarantee any fighter who suffers such injuries where they can no longer care for themselves are taken care of accordingly by qualified professionals in that field. They could shave 5% off the fighters' purse and the gate along with the promoters as well. Or something to that effect. There is no way anyone could make me believe the sport as a whole cannot afford to do this. Kind of like a union would be I imagine. Without the fighters there is no sport of boxing for the fans to pay to watch.... it is just sad to see
Had heard of him for a long time but this was first time watching a docu on him. What an incredible fighter. The ending hit real hard tho. The result of fighting that long. Took way too many punches. Praying for his spirit and health and hope he knows the legacy he left in boxing.
Rich - I'm writing you a big belated THANK YOU for your videos. They are - hands down - my favorite videos on RU-vid. Your expert story telling, thoughtful use of visual aids and deep knowledge of the sport make each video a real treat! While I enjoy mixed martial arts, nothing in combat sports can match the history, drama and cultural relevance of boxing, elements that you so skillfully preserve and present with each video. I grew up inheriting my love of boxing from my late father, who used to take me to "closed circuit TV" fights in the era before the internet and pay per view offerings. Were he alive today, I've no doubt that he'd enjoy your videos just as much as I do. At the risk of adding yet another request (you probably get more requests than Santa Claus) I hope some day you might consider doing a video about Ad Wodgast, the Michigan Wildcat. The image of him spending his final days shadowboxing in the hallways of Stockton State Hospital is among the most poignant and compelling in all of sport.
I enjoyed watching Benitez’s fights against Leonard & Hearns, and his mastery over legendary Duran, as well as Randy Shields, was impressive. Benitez maybe the only boxer that totally outclassed Duran when Roberto was in his prime (I disregard the Hearns-Duran fight & the second Leonard-Duran fight as Duran had to lose a ‘ton’ of weight before fighting each) . Against Benitez, Duran was at an optimal weight well before the fight & had regained his hunger & was dangerous. However, this didn’t stop Benitez from completely outboxing Duran over 15.
I i clude him as the 5th king...but no excuses...hearns was just too big at any weight class below light heavy...and leonard was a top3 welter all time
@@JL-bz9hi I disagree with your comment, ‘Hearns was just too big at any weight class below light heavyweight’. Tommy was huge for welter & super-welter but not for middleweight 160 lbs. Both Hagler & Iran Barkley quickly got the better of Hearns at that weight. Against the Marvelous One, Hearns lasted only 8 minutes & it took Barkley a fraction over that to nail Hearns. Even at welter, Hearns was not ‘too big’ to be stopped by Leonard. It’s good that the ref stopped the fight midway through the 14th - if it had been allowed to go on any further, Leonard may have seriously hurt him.
Jesus Lord Bless his soul. Such a sad ending to a great warriors career. Its all to common, these horrific storylines that end in pure tragedy. May God Bless you with peace and harmony Wilfred.
Of all the fighters from the late seventies and eighties Benitez, Benitez had the most beautiful style, in my opinion, even more so than Leonard, he had a real gracefulness, and economy, in his movements. He could stand in the middle of the ring, barely moving and still make the other fighter miss and then unleash a devasting counterpunch.
I remember watching his fight with Hilton and as a Canadian boxing fan I was hoping for a Hilton win but when I saw Wilfred belly down shaking his head with eyes wide open it kinda made me feel sick. I had hoped he'd retire after that. Sad story of a great fighter.
I never liked him or rooted for him when he was fighting, but oh, my God, what a horrible life to have had these past 20 or so years. No one who is not an evil person deserves such a fate. It seems that many of the guys that are defensive wizards and take punches so well fare very poorly later on. Ali & Jimmy Young come to mind.
It isn't about the fights. For the past 50 years most of the prolific boxers fight 40 to 60 times. But this excludes amateur fights and which add another 20 to 110 depending on their amateur background. But the real damage comes from sparring. For each of those fights they have dozens of rounds of sparring. And a lot of these gyms will have then spar 30 minute rounds. Their problems came from sparring. To learn how to dodge punches the way benitez could means a lot of sparring. Good trainers don't spend their time tending to kids and young amateurs and inexperienced pros so they end up learning the hard way. Less sparring and more attentive training from their trainers.
@@rasulsamad5860 not less training, less sparring. Not every lesson needs to be learnt in blood. Less sparring nd kore technical training and watching fights.
I'll NEVER forget the Jeff Harding-Dennis Andreis fight, from June of 1989. CBS had it on a Saturday Afternoon, and Dan Dierdorf called the fight! Andreis was in his late 30's, and Harding was a young, up and coming 24 year old from Austraila. For 14 rounds, Andreis beat Harding to a pulp. The ref could not stop it. Why? Because Harding SKIPPED back to his corner, every time!! His face was mince meat! In round 15, Andreis could no longer lift his arms. Harding knocked him out, with 20 seconds left in the fight! Hollywood couldn't write that! After the fight, CBS asked Harding how he could take such punishment. He said he grew up on a "GAME" preserve in the Outback. He always had pet Kangaroos who would constantly kick him in the face and jaw! He was USE TO IT!!
Harding was a warrior as was Andries. He became a three time champ after he lost his first w.b,c title to Tommy Hearns. He then showed tremendous character by moving to Kronk and completely re-tooling under Manny Steward's tutelage!
No boxer in history would ever be younger than El Radar himself. Benitez would have been the 5th king had he was in shape against Mustafa Hamsho and beat him, so he could have gotten a World Middleweight Title shot against Marvelous Marvin Hagler. Imo, Hagler would be too "Marvelous" for Benitez to handle as Hagler would neutralize his defense behind his southpaw jabs and combinations off the ropes, then he would either put Benitez away in the middle or late rounds. Also, Hearns praised Benitez after the fight that his "The Best I Faced" from Ring Magazine that the Hitman named neither Leonard, Duran nor Hagler, but he named Benitez as the best opponent he fought. Benitez will always be one of the legends in boxing history.
@@RichtheFightHistorian great work, but what can actually be done in the sport to take care of a boxer in this condition in the end. What kind of pressure can be put on the sport to change this and create a union or retirement system for these guys. Talk is cheap, what can be done in action.
Wow 😳 He loved boxing so much he was willing to give his life while doing it. That is the heart of a champion. But sad that it had to end the way it did. He will never be forgotten.
