Hands of Stone - Christian Giudice [125]
Before the fight began, traditional rivalry spilled over. At a New York press conference, Duran took a swing at Benitez and was clipped by a right hand in return. Duran also taunted Gregorio Benitez, under the false impression that he would be capable of backing up his words later in the ring. It was Papa Benitez who noted that his son had never taken a fight so seriously. “If I lose this one I will not be able to come back home to my country,” Wilfred told himself. “I have to win this one.”
In January 1982, the judges watched intently as, nearly two minutes into the bout, Duran’s head was jolted backwards by a right-hand lead in an otherwise even first round. Soon the truth emerged: Duran was a very good 154-pounder, while Benitez was a more natural, magnificent one. Some fighters go into a fight with the belief that they had done everything right in training, from ringwork to conditioning. This was no flabby Duran; he was 152 pounds weeks before the fight, and truly believed he was prepared for fifteen rounds. But this was vintage Benitez, and as the referee Richard Green stepped between the combatants at the conclusion of each round, the ugly truth emerged. For each punch Duran landed, his opponent stuck two or three back in his face.
Realizing that he had to push Benitez against the ropes and bully him, Duran took the initiative in the third round and plunged toward the Puerto Rican with the intensity of a boy who had just seen his own blood in a streetfight. However, Duran’s strategy of throwing punches hoping that a lucky one would land left him vulnerable. Every time Duran rushed the ropes, he ran into fists, and as the round closed out he took a huge straight right that completely threw off his equilibrium.
Balance was an art perfected by Benitez, ring magician. Benitez used his supreme reflexes and balance to land a gorgeous triple-hook to the body and head in the fourth round. His performance was as riveting as Leonard’s in New Orleans, and this time Duran was being punished more. It was in this round that Duran connected on his first worthwhile punch of the evening, a sorry stat which was more revealing than all of the punches Benitez had landed to that point. The excuse that Duran had overtrained had already hit the airwaves.
If there was one punch in Benitez’s arsenal that found the range as the fight progressed, it was his right uppercut. He showcased it in the seventh round. While playing his risky hide-and-seek game along the ropes, Benitez landed the ferocious uppercut directly on Duran’s left eye. Blood seeped from the eye immediately.
Duran’s handlers managed to keep the bleeding under control, but Duran was now being punished every time he stepped in range. Benitez landed big one-punch shots in the ninth and tenth rounds as Duran showed his usual aggression with little thought behind his actions. Instead of trying to enter and fight on the inside with the jab, he walked directly into the gunfire. At times, it appeared he was worn out as he shook his arms out on several occasions. Tired and unable to throw punches in rapid succession, Duran continued to plead with his arms.
Before the fourteenth round began, Arcel for the last time implored his fighter, “You can still win this fight.” Benitez proceeded to bang Duran to the body as if he had heard the comment. Duran was pushed around by the bigger fighter, which was a rarity, and spent too much time against the ropes. Every time Duran looked to quicken the pace, Benitez would stop him with smart