On this day..

14th January 1979 was the day Carlos Palomino and Wilfredo Benitez thrilled fans with a hard-fought bout over fifteen rounds under the hot tropical sun in San Juan’s open-air Hiram Bithorn Stadium

‘Fights between Mexican and Puerto Rican boxers are like cousins going at it. The fighters may be from different countries, but they share the same blood and basically the same culture, and you won’t find a more intense rivalry’

After a seven month layoff having broken his left hand in his previous fight Palomino(a terrific boxer-puncher who defended his title seven times during an era deep in talent)  came in as the WBC and Ring Champion

After the bout Arum accused rival promoter Don King of trying to fix the fight


https://youtu.be/orrF5Eogp98


http://boxrec.com/media/index.php/Wilfred_Benitez_vs._Carlos_Palomino

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.nydailynews.com/sports/more-sports/benitez-palomino-fueled-mexico-puerto-rico-rivalry-article-1.2428140%3foutputType=amp

https://www.ringtv.com/125097-carlos-palomino-the-best-i-faced/

Bruce Curry vs Benitez fights are well worth watching..

Like Forrest v Mosley..Lesser fighter making a great fighter struggle because of the style..RIP Forrest nice guy....

Ah, some marvellous old Welters being mentioned here. Benitez really was something special - you could watch him all day. It was up at 154, but his dismantling of Duran (I know you'll appreciate me shoehorning that one in, Truss!) is simply one of the most wondrous performances ever caught on film, in my opinion. Beautiful right-hand counters and defence all night.

Palomino a little underappreciated, perhaps because he was wedged in between two top five all-time Welters in Napoles and Leonard. Benitez and Duran showed he wasn't quite at that elite level, but he was as tough as they come, a great body puncher...and a smooth, handsome bugger as well. Turns seventy this year and he's still hardly got a line on his face!

If anyone is interested in the Welters of that era, they should check out Palomino's first title defence against Armando Muniz. A real cracker.

Nice to see Forrest get a mention. He was inconsistent and temperamental, but when he got it right and hit the groove he was capable of the sublime. Don't forget that going in to 2002, Mosley was considered a genuine contender for the pound for pound title - and Forrest absolutely beat the snot out of him. To this day I still can't believe Mosley survived that onslaught in the second round (I think it was the second, anyhow) and stood up to the hammering he got to go the full twelve. And Forrest proved it was no fluke six months later.

He did get the benefit of an abysmal verdict against Quartey, mind you, who come to think of it was another damn good Welter who probably deserves a higher profile....

The captain and Chris on one visit. Like stepping back in time.

I’m old enough to remember palomino stracey. He was allegedly picked as an ‘easy’ opponent as there was little to suggest the brutal beating he was about to dish out. A very good fighter not a great one and certainly unlucky to be around at the time of some serious welter competition!

Some said the best defence since Archie Moore. In his 1981 fight against Maurice Hope he became the first fighter in 43 years(since Henry Armstrong) and the youngest boxer ever to win a world title in three weight divisions. Unfortunately he was seldom at his best after beating the great Antonio Cervantes for his first title:

https://youtu.be/R0vjdG8GkMw

Has to be said that Moore's defence is over rated in most quarters, he was too prone to getting taken apart to be remembered as a truly great defensive boxer. Two boxers of the same era and coincidentally two men who beat him; Holman Williams and Charley Burley were the true defensive masters of the time.

Also Emile Griffith was a three weight champion many years before Benitez, his Welterweight and Middleweight titles being the genuine thing rather than a mere alphabelt.

Moore said Burley ‘was a terrific puncher although you wouldn’t know it. His build fooled everybody. Burly’s legs were skinny, he was not extra wide of shoulder, he was small in weight and his height was the same as mine. But that man could get more leverage into a punch than anyone I ever fought’

On punchers Moore also said ‘Curtis Hatchet-Man Sheppard was another great puncher who once missed a punch to the jaw and broke a man’s collar bone. Lloyd Marshall was the snappiest hitter of them all. He could knock you out with either hand’


https://www.boxingoverbroadway.com/a-few-pearls-of-wisdom-from-my-interview-with-the-great-archie-moore/

El Radar wrote:Has to be said that Moore's defence is over rated in most quarters, he was too prone to getting taken apart to be remembered as a truly great defensive boxer. Two boxers of the same era and coincidentally two men who beat him; Holman Williams and Charley Burley were the true defensive masters of the time.

Also Emile Griffith was a three weight champion many years before Benitez, his Welterweight and Middleweight titles being the genuine thing rather than a mere alphabelt.

The bit about Moore’s defence was something I noticed earlier today in the comments section of a YouTube video so thought I’d chuck it in

Here’s another one I just found on Benitez:

‘It’s a shame that many people don’t put Benitez up with the other defensive artists like Whittaker and Pep. In my opinion Benitez’ defence was better than the two because it flowed into his offence. Whittaker was probably better at dodging than Benitez but he was either dodging or attacking not simultaneously like Benitez. Pep was great as well but he was more of an hit and away type of fighter with great footwork. Yet no matter what Benitez moved forward towards his opponents’

He was so talented but was lazy and lacked work ethic another one said

What do you think?

I think Moore and Benitez are two fighters Id like to watch more of

And what a shame there isn’t more of Charley Burley, Jimmy Bivins, Holman Williams, Bert Lytell, Lloyd Marshall, Harold Johnson, Eddie Booker and Teddy Yarosz to name a few, to look at

https://youtu.be/vMcwam3fGQE

The WBSS 140 tourney falling apart which is a shame of course but why not just make Prograis against Taylor straight up I think that’s the one everyone’s buzzing for

Some have picked Taylor out as the best Scottish fighter since Buchanan and others said Prograis was an odds on bet to lift the trophy it makes for a cracking contest

I like Prograis as you know you could imagine him in a grainy 1940’s video fighting the likes of Beau Jack or Ike Williams or Tony Canzoneri for example. Taylor put in a superb performance in his last fight too but I would like to have seen him go in with Baranchyk before going up against the stylish Prograis

Meant to put this post on the Boxing Chat thread oh well*