Wilfred Benitez vs. Harold Weston (1st meeting)
Wilfred Benitez 145 lbs drew with Harold Weston 146 lbs by MD in round 10 of 10
- Date: 1977-02-02
- Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
- Referee: Johnny LoBianco 7-3
- Judge: Harold Lederman 5-5
- Judge: Al Reid 5-5
Draw Mars Perfect Record: Benitez Let's Victory, Fans Slip Away
Associated Press, February 4, 1977
For six rounds, Wilfredo Benitez was clearly on the way to his 27th victory in 27 pro fights. The wiry welterweight was whipping jabs and combinations at Harold Weston Jr. with impunity.
Almost all of the 10,930 fans in Madison Square Garden Thursday night were clearly in Benitez' corner. When he unleashed a particularly effective series of shots, they cheered. When he unexpectedly shifted to a southpaw stance and continued his assault with equal effectiveness, they went berserk.
He didn't just have them in his corner. He had them in the palm of his glove. But between the sixth and seventh rounds, something happened. The 18-year-old kid from Puerto Rico shifted from artistic to arrogant. It was like watching a miniature Muhammad Ali.
Instead of sitting between rounds, listening to his cornermen, Benitez stood there, smiling and gesturing at some ringsiders. When the bell for the seventh round, he windmilled his right arm. Then he tossed in an ersatz Ali shuffle. Then he tossed a few bolo punches. Then he shouted a cadence, "Pah! Pah! Pahpah-pah! Pah!" as he fired home more punches. Then he stood back, smiled, taunted Weston and gestured him to come on in and mix it up.
And suddenly most of the 10,930 fans were in Weston's corner. The 24-year-old from New York, who can hit often but not very hard, wasn't bothered by Benitez antics. He just went about his business, his crooked expression never changing. When he landed a punch, and he landed plenty of them in the final rounds, the cheers were for him.
After 10 rounds, Benitez had managed to turn a victory into a draw. The two judges each saw it 5-5 in rounds and 5-5 in points. Only referee Johnny LoBianco had Benitz on top in rounds 7-3. But the majority prevailed, Benitez had the first blemish on his record and Weston's went to 20-6-4. [1]
- Unofficial AP scorecard - 6-4 Benitez