Wilfred Benitez needs help. At this point, there’s no point in beating around the bush or easing into the reality of the hall of famer’s plight. So let’s get right to it.
One of Puerto Rico’s greatest, now living in Chicago, has been dealing with the ravages of the ring for a long time, too long for most to imagine. And while under the 24/7 care of his sister Yvonne, who is aided by her husband Efrain, the 65-year-old is in need of a seemingly endless series of doctor visits.
It’s been a way of life for Wilfred and Yvonne, one made even more difficult when it comes to transportation for the former champion, who is confined to a wheelchair, unable to walk or even speak. Uber rides have been hit or miss, with boxing historian and friend of the family Chris Smith noting that the pair were “recently forced to take 3 trains back home whilst pushing his wheelchair since no Uber would take them on that occasion.”
That’s a hard to navigate situation for anyone anywhere. For the 72-year-old Yvonne, about to experience a Chicago winter, the degree of difficulty has been raised considerably.
Enter Smith, author of a critically acclaimed biography of Brazilian legend Eder Jofre, and someone known in the boxing community for helping raise money for retired boxers in need. A post on Facebook last week told of Yvonne and Wilfred’s need for an accessible minivan to get the champion to his appointments, and then joining in was the one person who knows exactly what Yvonne is going through: Lisa McClellan.
For the nearly three decades since Gerald McClellan was permanently injured in his 1995 bout against Nigel Benn, his sister Lisa has been there. It’s a job with no lucrative paycheck, no benefits and no retirement package. It’s simply done out of love, a love that few of us could fathom. I’ve always joked with Lisa that my sister wouldn’t do for me what she’s done for Gerald, and while she says this is something any sibling would take on, that’s simply not true.
“It’s all in the way that my mom raised us to look after one another,” she told me in 2012. “And at the times where I feel like giving up and walking away, I feel my mother kind of tugging at me from the grave and letting me know that that’s not what she would be pleased with.”
It’s not easy. Forget having a “normal” life. That was over the second Gerald arrived home from England, a different person than he was when he left his native Freeport, Illinois. But Lisa remained as his primary caretaker, and while there have been momentary triumphs in his condition, there have been far more setbacks. But they keep fighting, no one harder than Lisa, who fiercely protects her brother and tirelessly looks for answers no doctors have been able to provide thus far.
That won’t stop her, though, and she recently co-founded the Ring of Brotherhood Foundation, which, according to its website, “is an organization that advocates for all athletes that have suffered TBI, CTE, and other life-altering sports-related injuries. We strive to provide a wide range of information and services to help prevent injury & protect our champions.”
Wilfred Benitez and his sister, Yvonne, are those the ROBF was founded to help, and McClellan has long been in contact with them, aiding where necessary. And when She was made aware of the need for a minivan, she put on her proverbial gloves and began fighting alongside Smith.
“Me being the co-founder of ROBF and with my connection to the fighters from Ring 10, I see a need to help the fighters,” McClellan said. “I want to be a voice for all that are suffering and in need. And through the foundation I will do so.”
Of course, in this sport, for all the good intentions, there is still the question of getting those in the industry to reach into their pockets to aid those who literally gave it all in the ring and are paying for it now. But few want to address the sport’s dirtiest secret. British journalist Tris Dixon wrote perhaps the most important boxing book ever, but “Damage,” despite being acclaimed by critics and readers, didn’t push any of the power brokers to address what happens to boxers after the final bell sounds in any significant way.
And let’s face it, the plight of Benitez and McClellan are a possibility for anyone who laces up the gloves and fights for any length of time. There is a generation of boxers currently dealing with the aftermath of their chosen craft, and often, it’s the families that are left to pick up the pieces. That was a big takeaway from “Damage,” that when the bright lights had dimmed, the money was gone and the entourages were absent, wives and siblings were the only ones who remained.
So how can we forget? By we, I mean fans, media, sanctioning bodies, promoters, managers, etc.? Chris Smith hasn’t forgotten. John Scully, former pro contender and current trainer, hasn’t forgotten. The Ringside Charitable Trust in England, which is trying to build a rest home for ex-boxers, hasn’t forgotten, either.
But it’s not enough. As I write this, $1,576 has been raised to get Wilfred and Yvonne a minivan.
Less than $2,000 for a legend of boxing, the youngest world champion in history and a fighter many consider the fifth king of the 80s, alongside Sugar Ray Leonard, Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns and Marvin Hagler. And if you don’t know who Benitez is, hit YouTube immediately and watch someone who was called “The Bible of Boxing” back in his prime. Or read the recent Chicago Magazine story on him by Edward Robert McClelland, entitled The Last Fight of Wilfred Benitez, to get a look at the good, bad and the ugly that is descriptive of so many boxing careers.
Keep in mind that this isn’t a guilt trip. Some people just want to watch the fights and not be concerned with what happens after they’re over. That’s fine. But for those who do care about those who fight for our entertainment, knowing the whole story can aid in your appreciation for those who take the longest walk in sports. And for those who take care of them when the cheers are silenced and yet don’t complain.
“I don’t regret taking care of him,” Yvonne Benitez told McClelland. “He’s like my baby.”
And he needs help.
For more information on the Ring of Brotherhood Foundation, visit https://ringofbrotherhoodfoundation.org/
To reach Yvonne Benitez, visit https://www.facebook.com/yvonne.benitez.3
Donations can be made via PayPal at 208yvonnebenitez@gmail.com