I recently had the oportunity to watch a special on WG, in Puerto Rico.
I was thrilled with anticipation because I had not heard of WG in a while and I knew he was in trouble with the law, etc.
I was very saddened to see Wilfredo at 200+ lbs, suffering from mild brain damage, and damage to his vocal cords.
At least he is off drugs and seems to be leading a decent life.
The program "BAZOOKA - Las Batallas de Wilfredo Gomez" will be re-transmitted via HBO-Latino in April, 2004.
is he that featherweight?
"is he that featherweight?"
Super featherweight (122)
"how did he get brain damage and damage to his vocal cords?"
Towards the end of his career he took a lot of punishment, sort of like Ali.
He now looks and sounds like one of those kids with Down Syndrome, but he is a bit more lucid.
He would shit on towels, wrap it up, and hide it under his bed. I'm not even sure if he did it because he was lazy, I think he just thought it was funny for whoever discovered it.
yes, the stories are about Wilfredo Benitez -- the
guy who Ray Leanard beat for the title.
Benitez was always a crazy guy, he is now unable to fend for himself and living in poverty.
Gomez was not old when he fought Sanchez, but he was never the same after Sanchez died. He is said to have cried and went into a major depression because he would never be able to avenge the loss.
Slick,
Our bad. They were about Benitez, not Gomez.
Ha! Not alike at all, in looks or behavior. Gomez was much sharper and smarter than Benitez.
Slick, I believe that Gomez didn't train for Sanchez. It is known that 30 days (more or less) before the fight he went on a cruise and had a torrid romance with actress Johanna Rosaly (Sp?). Ahhh, the percs of being world champ...
Gomez became spoiled with success and that is why the loss hit him so hard. He understood his mistake and believed, as I do, that he would defeat Sanchez in a rematch.
On the few occasions that he hit Sanchez during their fight, Sanchez was visibly stunned.
Remember that Gomez really lost that fight in the first round, he was knocked "out" and never recovered, yet he went 7.
i think that wilfredo benitez was born slightly mentally retarded.
"i think that wilfredo benitez was born slightly mentally retarded."
Maybe so. I remember seeing him driving around with a (was it a Rolls or a Mercedes?) brand new car with his name and the words "WORLD WELTERWEIGHT BOXING CHAMPION" (or something like that) painted on the sides.
He was always doing nutty things.
But I have not seen anyone else display the skills that earned him the monicker of "El Radar".