BoxRec

I could see Benitez using his skills to take the first round and maybe the 2nd too, but then Hagler would start laying on the punishment and he'd put Benitez away at least by the 5th round.

For those that keep bringing up Benitez taking Hearns to a close decision, have u seen the fight? Or just looked at the result?

Just the opposite for me. Im sick of people saying Hearns trounced him when it WAS a close bout.

It was competitive more than it was close. Tommy won 10 rounds. No matter how you scored it, it wouldn't help Benitez a bit against Marvin.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:Just the opposite for me. Im sick of people saying Hearns trounced him when it WAS a close bout.

Curious how many rounds did you give Benitez?

I think I scored it 8-6-1 for Hearns. Benitez pushed him harder than people seem to remember, although being fair to Hearns, he wounded his hand (forget which round) which tightened things up.

The End wrote:For those that keep bringing up Benitez taking Hearns to a close decision, have u seen the fight? Or just looked at the result?

I had it 9-6

I tend to agree with the popular opinion of Hagler knocking Benitez out late. Benitez was very skillful, that would have provided some troubles for Hagler early. But Hagler didn't lack skills also. With Marvin's pressuring abilities and the amount of the given time it's hard to imagine Wilfred surviving for the final bell, his chin wasn't special. Hagler would have caught him eventually.

Hagler would have stopped Benitez once he found the range. Maybe 8 or 9 rounds.

And don't forget, Benitez wasn't even a middleweight until he was past his best.

The extra weight would probably have affected his uncanny defensive skills, even if he moved up to 160 when he was still a force.

I always thought Benitez was easy to hit - like Tommy Hearns... If you keep throwing straight down the pipe you're certain to hit Benitez... I predicted Ray Leonard would knock him out...

Benitez hadn't fought a real good technician prior to Leonard, and a good jab and straight right is how you beat a guy like him... Wilfredo fought off his front foot and tried to slip everything... Leonard battered Benitez with his jab... He floored him with a jab... Eventually Leonard broke Benitez down and knocked him out, though I thought he'd get him a lot earlier...

Benitez was a great fighter but he peaked at light-middleweight and the Hearns 15-rounder was his last great effort, even in defeat. Wilfred was 'through' after Hearns and looked terrible against Mustafa Hamsho in 1983, who had nothing to beat. Hagler enjoyed feasting on the little men and would have stopped the post-Hearns Benitez.

joe kurtz wrote: ↑16 Dec 2006, 08:59

Halfamill wrote:

dr_devious wrote:Peak Hagler would have KOd Benitez, 6 or 7 rounds

That easily?

Hmmm ...

I might go with a couple- few more rounds than that, but at the end of the day we'd have the same result, Hagler by KO or stoppage.

If it were say, the Benitez who damn near shut out Roberto Duran & extended Thomas Hearns the limit in dropping a very narrow decision, I could see him giving Hagler fits early on & being very close, if not up on the cards before getting caught by Hagler in rounds 11 or 12 of a 15 rounder.

I agree, benitez doesn't knock Hagler out and has to deal with him to the end. Late round knockout. I'll add, had Hag/Len been 15 rds. Same outcome, Leonard goes down!