by T.K. Stewart

In what was already a bad week for the Puerto Rico boxing community with the upset knockout loss suffered by Miguel Cotto at the hands of Antonio Margarito, is now the sad news that the mother of hall of famer Wilfed Benitez has suddenly passed away.   Clara Rosa Medina, Benitez' 81 year-old mother died of unknown causes late last week.  She had been in good health and aside from suffering from high blood pressure, there were no other known medical issues, so her demise came as a shock to the Benitez family.    

The death of Benitez' mother leaves great uncertainty as to what will become of the former three division champion who still holds the record as the youngest man to ever win a world boxing title.   

The 49-year old Benitez suffers from post-traumatic encephalitis, sometimes known as pugilistic dementia or "the boxer's disease" which is directly attributed to too many blows to the head. Benitez is in such a dismal state that he requires constant care, is not fully aware of his surroundings and is described as being "child-like" in his comprehension. 

Benitez was cared for by his mother and the pair lived together, in financial distress, in a tiny two room house in Carolina, Puerto Rico which is about 10 miles outside San Juan.  In the years before her death, it was always his mother's concern that she would die before her son and that he would wind up homeless. Benitez and his mother subsisted on about $1,000 per month and at one point even sold a portion of the roof on their home for $200 in order to buy food and other necessities. 

All of Benitez' career winnings were squandered and much of the family's wealth was wasted in the purchasing and subsequent betting on racehorses by his late father Gregorio, who served as his son's manager and trainer throughout most of his career.   Benitez requires assistance with even the simplest of tasks, including walking, and was not really even aware of the fact that his mother had passed.  

Benitez, who proclaimed himself the "Bible of Boxing" because of his technical superiority and uncanny ability to evade punches, turned pro at 15 and won the WBA Jr. Welterweight title from Antonio Cervantes in 1976 at age 17.  He won the WBC Welterweight title from Carlos Palomino in 1979 and took the WBC Super Welterweight title from Maurice Hope in 1981.  Benitez retired in 1990 with a career record of 53-8-1 (31)KO and was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996.