Youngest ever champion

Betterthanthebest · Post by **Betterthanthebest** » 11 Nov 2005, 06:18

Can anyone help?

Who is the youngest-ever recognised world champion?

Freiheit · Post by **Freiheit** » 11 Nov 2005, 06:26

Wilfredo Benitez

numpty · Post by **numpty** » 11 Nov 2005, 06:31

How old was he Freiheit?

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 11 Nov 2005, 06:38

KO Artist · Post by **KO Artist** » 11 Nov 2005, 06:46

MightyWarrior wrote:16

I think he was 17 wasnt he?

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 11 Nov 2005, 06:51

KO Atrist wrote:
MightyWarrior wrote:16
I think he was 17 wasnt he?

You're right..unbelievable really, beating a legend at the age of 17.

KO Artist · Post by **KO Artist** » 11 Nov 2005, 06:53

MightyWarrior wrote:
KO Atrist wrote:
MightyWarrior wrote:16
I think he was 17 wasnt he?
You're right..unbelievable really, beating a legend at the age of 17.

Yeah imagine if a kid of 17 beat someone like Tszyu or Mayweather now.

Its incredible when you think about it.

Old bones Ian · Post by **Old bones Ian** » 11 Nov 2005, 06:58

Was he the youngest to fight for a world title win or lose?
something to fill your time on a Friday, i don't know the answer either

Foggy · Post by **Foggy** » 11 Nov 2005, 08:37

Bloody Hell

TerribleTerry · Post by **TerribleTerry** » 11 Nov 2005, 08:57

Benitez was a child in a man's body, although his skills certainly weren't juvenile!!

Awesome accomplishment and he went on to easily handle Duran and give Leonard a decent arguement before succumbing in the last. His defensive wizardry was something else

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 11 Nov 2005, 09:01

Such a shame he was finished well short of his 30th birthday.

Its hard to think that he was younger the Leonard when they faced off.

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 11 Nov 2005, 11:37

Called himself The Bible Of Boxing - rarely trained, but with the talent he had, he rarely had to.
Pro at 15, after three years he beat the legendary Antonio Cervantes who had a record of 73-9. And it wasn't like he beat a faded champion, as once Benitez moved up, Cervantez won the title again and went on to defend it 6 times.
The stopage loss to Leonard was controversial, with the referee jumping in with 6 seconds remaining on the clock.

When he moved up to take on our own Maurice Hope, the WBC light middleweight champion, I thought Mo might have a chance to win: he was a good southpaw, had the extra weight and Benitez wasn't considered a puncher.
But I remember a writer saying that as Hope trained and ran in the desert, the words on the back of his tracksuite top "Mo Hope" shimmered in the desert light and changed to "No Hope"....

Maurice more than held his own, and had Benitez on the ropes in the 12th, when the Puerto Rican superstar suddenly came off the ropes with probably the hardest single punch he'd ever thrown, slamming into Mo's jaw and knocking him cold for around 5 minutes.

A true great.