[8.7] MICKEY WALKER 163-131(60)-25-5-2 [Heavyweight & Light-Heavyweight & Middleweight & Welterweight]: The Boxing Magazine online – Sports Pundit online - Boxing News online -
His career began in 1919 – right at the beginning of a decade that would become known as The Roaring Twenties. The 1920s roared, too, with the likes of gangsters, bootleggers and the era of prohibition. Mickey turned pro at the age of 17. The fighters of his day didn’t have the luxury of learning their trade in the amateurs before turning pro. They learned how to fight in the ‘school of hard knocks’ – literally.
By the time Walker was 19, he was facing world-class fighters. He defeated Jack Britton by unanimous decision to take the Welterweight title in 1922. He pounded and swarmed Britton aggressively throughout the 15-round bout, dropping him in the 12th. Mickey defended the Welterweight title 4-times officially. During that time, he also fought many non-title fights against both Welterweights and Middleweights. The names on Walker’s record read like a who’s who of boxing history.
At the age of 24, in 1925, he jumped up in weight to face legendary Middleweight King – Harry Greb. Greb retained his title via 15-round decision. It was a tough give and take fight throughout until Walker ran out of gas around the 14th round. Greb pulled out the fight with a late round surge. What’s amazing about this fight was the fact that a 24-year old version of Walker fought toe-to-toe with one of the greatest fighters of all-time. Greb was the type of fighter you boxed … not the type you trade punches with. Even so, Mickey more than held his own. The Boxing Magazine online article
Mickey Walker was a professional boxer, a painter, and a businessman whose fascinating life had served both as an inspiration in an athlete’s invincibility as well as a poignant reminder of his vulnerability. Mickey was born Edward Patrick Walker July 13 1901 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. Of Irish descent, Walker was nicknamed ‘The Toy Bulldog’ and held both the World Welterweight and Middleweight Championship titles; he also competed in the Light-heavyweight and Heavyweight divisions.
Walker was regarded as one of the greatest boxers in his time not only because he was a fierce ‘pound-for-pound’ fighter, but also because he dared to fight anyone and everyone inside the ring regardless of neither weight nor prowess. His strength and durability most often brought him to victory, even if he fought opponents who were considerably a lot heavier than he was. Sports Pundit online article
Some people box for glory, others for the money, but Mickey did it simply because he loved to fight. The Elizabeth, New Jersey man enjoyed drinking and living the high-life nearly as much as brawling in the ring. A true character, he competed in 150 bouts during a career spanning over two decades. His crowning glories came when he secured the World welterweight title in 1922 and the World middleweight strap in 1926. He also fought for the World light-heavyweight title and met some of the top heavyweights of his time.
Nicknamed the ‘Toy Bulldog’ on account of his stocky physique and doggedness, Walker would march into his rivals before unloading bombs with his squat, muscled pistons. He mastered the art of bobbing and weaving away from his opponent’s punches, which was vitally important for a fighter with such a come forward style.
Mickey Walker made his professional debut at the age of 17 in his hometown of Elizabeth. Between 1919 and 1921, he fought over a half a century of bouts, predominantly in the New Jersey area. After winning the majority of these contests, Walker received a shot at Jack Britton’s World welterweight crown in November 1922. The pair had previously met over a year before, with Britton claiming a newspaper decision victory. In their second meeting however, Mickey demonstrated unrelenting aggression to topple his ageing foe over 15 rounds in New York’s Madison Square Garden.
With manager Jack Kearns by his side, world gold around his waist, and his popularity and wealth growing day by day, Walker found more reason than ever to indulge in the lavish lifestyle which he was so accustomed to. Nevertheless, he remained a destructive force in the squared circle, successfully defending his welterweight belt against Pete Latzo on a newspaper decision, as well as Lew Tendler (W Pts10) and Bobby Barrett (W KO6).
In July 1925, the 5ft 7in terror stepped up to middleweight to challenge the reigning world king Harry Greb. In front of 65,000 fans at the Polo Grounds in New York, two of the game’s great warriors went to head to head over 15 exciting and brutal rounds. Walker steamed out of the blocks early on, but ultimately could not deal with Grebb’s mesmerising hand speed. Mickey showed immense bravery in the penultimate session, standing up to a devastating onslaught from the champion, who retained his title on points.
After losing his World welter strap to Pete Latzo on points in 1926, Walker faced off against Greb-conqueror Tiger Flowers for the Camilla man’s World middleweight championship. Mickey claimed the belt on a points decision and then moved up a division again to challenge World light-heavyweight boss Tommy Loughran.
Despite being outscored in his light-heavy title tilt, this did not deter Walker in his quest to succeed at the higher weights. Incredibly, he battled future World heavyweight titlist Jack Sharkey to a draw, outpointed King Levinsky and shared a ring with former heavy ruler Max Schmeling (L RSF8).
Following a failed attempt at winning the World light-heavy title against Maxie Rosenbloom (L Pts15), Mickey defeated the same man in a non-title rematch (W Pts10) before retiring in 1935 with the majority of his boxing earnings largely used up. Boxing News online article Paul Wheeler 13th July 2018, ‘On This Day: Tough as Nails Mickey Walker was Born’
[8.7] WILFRED BENITEZ 62-53(31)-8-1 [Light-Middleweight & Welterweight & Light-Welterweight]: Boxing News online -
Like Stuart Sutcliffe, a founder member of The Beatles, Wilfred Benitez will always be the fifth member of a Fantastic Four. And like Sutcliffe, who died at just 22 years old, Benitez’s journey roared into the air only to plummet like a stalled plane. Today, the hands that made him one of the finest ring generals of all time can barely be clenched. The brain behind the magic has been ravaged by his trade.
The reason Benitez, born on September 12 1958, is generally denied entry into the Leonard-Hagler-Hearns-Duran club is because he never shared a ring with ‘Marvelous’ Marvin Hagler, thus making his membership incomplete.
But the application, that includes beating Roberto Duran, pushing Ray Leonard to the brink, and being outpointed by Tommy Hearns, should never be discarded. Wilfred Benitez was an elegant artist of the ring, using each inch of the canvas to create fistic masterpieces. He claimed three world titles in different divisions, winning the first aged just 17.
But Benitez can’t remember his achievements. He doesn’t know he is now 60 years old. He can’t remember being interviewed by Boxing News in 1981 five years after claiming his first world title with a stunning victory over Antonio Cervantes.
‘I don’t know,’ Benitez said back then when our West Coast correspondent Steve Vender asked how long he would fight for. ‘Maybe I’ll fight until I’m 40. But I want to make millions before I retire, hundreds of millions.’
He nearly didn’t survive to be 40, much less fight until that young age. Wilfred, damaged by the onset of pugilistic dementia, was 38 when he collapsed on his mother’s living room floor and slipped into a coma.
Lying stricken when doctors arrived, his family were told to prepare for the worst. Six years after his final bout, Benitez was in physical and mental dire straits. He survived the coma but his demise continues. He fought on for years past his peak, broke and desperate. The millions he earned had long gone; regaining them proved an enduring but impossible target.
But Vender witnessed a very different version of the Puerto Rican legend.
‘One simply doesn’t watch Benitez when he moves; you study him’, wrote Vender 15 years before Wilfred collapsed. ‘Whether he is under pressure from one of his sparring partners in the ring, or simply sauntering sauntering down the hallway on the way back to his room. Benitez is a man whose movement is so full of subtleties that to gain any hint of his mood or feelings you must study him like you would a clever and capable animal.’
To study Benitez today would be a depressing experience. He struggles to recognise his family, his carers. He cannot control his bodily functions. The sport that made him a king has stripped him of his soul.
The passion for pugilism came from their father Gregorio senior. ‘I married Clara Rosa [Wilfred’s mother] in 1947,’ Gregorio explained in 1981. ‘We had girls first, then the boys. I told Clara Rosa when we had a son he was going to be a fighter.’
All four of Gregario’s sons fulfilled their father’s wishes. His three elder brothers – Gregorio junior, Frankie, and Alphonso – all grew into professionals, but it was young Wilfred, who began fighting at the age of eight, who exhibited the most promise.
He turned pro at the age of 15 and within two years he was world champion.
‘I had no doubt in my mind that I would beat him,’ Benitez said of his coming-of-age party when he halted Cervantes. ‘I was in great shape and had no problem at all. I was ready to become a champion.’
But, like any teenager, Benitez soon found the distractions outside the ring an alluring playground of money, parties and beautiful women.
‘Wilfred loves the girls,’ a source told Vender. ‘He loves to be surrounded by women and the attention they give him. When a woman comes into the gym to watch him train, he works twice as hard. If he is doing push-ups, then he does 10, 20 more if a woman is watching.’
His fondness for the opposite sex was something that Vender himself noticed during his time with Benitez.
‘When it was a woman who was interested in him’, he wrote, ‘Benitez’s face would light up and glow, and the aristocratic aloofness about him would disappear as he spoke in soft tones and smiled warmly, all the time looking at the woman. It was obvious that this was the part of being a champion that Benitez enjoyed very much’.
Training was a part that Wilfred didn’t care for nearly as much. He was happy for his natural gifts to be unwrapped in a fight, but only sporadically would they be revealed in training.
Even against WBC welterweight champion, the legendary Carlos Palomino in 1979, Benitez went into their January 1979 ill-prepared.
‘I was out of shape for Palomino,’ Benitez claimed two years later. ‘Palomino is a great fighter, and halfway through the fight I felt my legs give out. I fought on the ropes because I was tired and my legs had gone.’
To watch the contest, Benitez looked at his elusive, brilliant, best as he masterfully counter-punched his way to a 15-round decision. His dominance over such a formidable foe is one of several marks of his greatness. But, lessons were not learned for the challenge from a young and unbeaten Ray Leonard later that year.