RSR Brings that 70’s Show with Former WBC Welterweight Champion Carlos Palomino Part II
Exclusive Interview by “Bad” Brad Berkwitt
Yesterday, in Part I of RSR’s exclusive interview, former WBC Welterweight Champion Carlos Palomino talked about what he is doing today, his rise up the ranks of the welterweight division, his title winning effort against then champion, John H. Stracey of England, his seven subsequent successful title defenses and lastly, his very close fight with Wilfred Benitez, which saw him lose his title via a split decision.
In Part II today, we hear Palomino talk about the current state of Wilfred Benitez, his comeback that saw him step through the ropes in his late 40’s, his poignant feelings about his late Father, Pablo Palomino, and finally, his thoughts on a myriad of boxing questions.
BB: Today, Wilfred Benitez, sadly, is a shell of his former self and needs around the clock care in order to live. Having fought him in his prime, what goes through your mind today seeing him in this state and have you ever been asked to help out in any capacity Benitez?
I wonder a lot about what happened to him? He was truly a defensive genius in the ring. It was almost like he had a sixth sense in our fight. Even though I thought I did enough to win, I really don’t think I ever caught him clean in our fight. Had I caught him with some of the left hooks and right hands I was throwing at him, I could have knocked him out. But in his defensive best, he was always like an inch away from me landing on him with the full impact.
I can recall him fighting so many times in this same way, so I am really confused how the brain damage came to him. He really didn’t fight way into his older years and hanging on like into his late 30’s. I really think it’s very sad to see him like this now and it makes me feel lucky that I got out when I did with all my faculties still in tact.
No, I have never been asked to help out in any capacity towards Wilfred.
BB: In your next fight on June 22, 1979, you face legendary “Hands of Stone” Roberto Duran on the undercard of the Larry Holmes Vs Mike Weaver WBC Heavyweight Title fight held at Madison Square Garden. You go the full ten rounds with Duran suffering a knockdown and in the end; he pulls out a unanimous decision by wide scores (99-90, 99-91, and 99-90). What are your recollections of this fight, and how would you rate Duran as a fighter in the welterweight division?
Well, the fight was initially billed as a 12 round fight, an elimination bout for a shot at the Welterweight Title. About two weeks before our fight, Benitez signs to defend against Sugar Ray Leonard. When I took the fight with Roberto, it was with the intent that I would get another shot at my title if I beat him. I was very confident going in that I could in fact, beat him.
I was really happy about getting the fight with Duran and then knowing I would finally get another shot at Wilfred. Then at the last minute, we were told the fight was now a ten round fight, which took the wind out of my sails and I told my manager if there weren’t a contract, I would go home now, because with the new circumstances, I really didn’t need to take this fight.
I went into the fight with Duran in a fog and he just out hustled me, causing me to lose probably every round.
As soon as the fight was over, I did an interview and was asked what did I think of Duran as fighter? I told them I thought he would be the next Welterweight Champion and he was when he beat Leonard in 1980. Duran was amazing in the ring. He surprised me when we fought because I always thought he was just a brawler in there, which was my kind of fight, if guys came in at me, I would nullify that with my body attack. Duran moved on me with lots of feints and was a very astute boxer in there against me. He truly was one of the best all-around fighters I ever faced in the ring.
BB: After the Duran fight, you retired. What made you retire when you still had name value and a large fan base?
My 30th birthday was coming up and I had promised my Mother and myself that I would retire from boxing at age 30, no matter what. During this time, I was really unhappy that I couldn’t get a rematch with Benitez and unhappy with the politics in boxing. When I retired, I had finished up my Bachelors Degree in Recreational Administration and had taken some acting classes in College. I really wanted to pursue that.
BB: In 1996, you decided to make a comeback to boxing after 16 years. What made you come back and what were your realistic goals now that you were boxing at age 47?
What made me come back was my Father had passed away in 1996. I really had a heavy heart when I lost him. He had cancer and he didn’t want to die in the hospital so we took him home to take care of him for six months before he passed away. I was really able to talk with him during this time because I really had a torrid love – hate relationship with him. After he passed away, I went back to the gym because the best times my Father and I had together was during the time I was a champion. He would come to the gym almost everyday to see me train. When I went back, I saw my old manager and trainer who were still there.
I really felt me Father’s presence in the boxing gym that day, and Hector Camacho, SR. happened to be the in the gym that day sparring in the ring. Something in my head just kept saying to get in the ring. I walked over to Jesse Reid Hector’s trainer at the time, and asked if I could go a couple of rounds with Hector. He agreed and I borrowed some gloves and since I always carried a gym bag in my car, I had some stuff with me as well.
Hector and I went three rounds and my manager, Jackie McCoy, said had they scored those three rounds, I would have won them. Then Hector was real happy with the sparring and asked me to come back the next day to work with him some more. Being in the gym, I felt really good again working out.
I really didn’t do it for the money as so many do. My work had sustained me pretty well with a living, but Hector’s promoter contacted me about fighting again. He said he was taking care of Hector and that when he faced Duran back in 96, it was one of the highest PPV fights that they had. I told him I really didn’t want to fight again. So I kept working out and getting in shape in the gym.
One day some guy comes in with a contract and says I will give you one million dollars for four fights. I went to his office and he did have a contract in hand. He gave me a $10,000 bonus to sign and I was like, OK lets try this. (Laughter from Carlos because you can feel where the story is going next)
I had three fights for him and he paid me $25,000 per fight, which was a total, of course, of $75,000. So going into the fourth fight, he still owed me $925,000 which I told him. (Huge laughter from Carlos now) He was like unless you are fighting for the Welterweight Championship, I can’t pay you that amount. I then proceeded to tell him I had a contract for a million dollars and asked him how did he expect to pay me the balance? I hired a lawyer and had one more fight under the contract. They wound up going bankrupt and for the four fights I made $100,000.
BB: You won four straight fights by knockout, but in your last bout of your career at the age of almost 49, you lost a ten round decision to Wilfredo Rivera. What made you call it a day at this point and, did you regret making this comeback?
After I had stopped Rene Arredondo, who was a former two-time World Champion, I wanted to step up the competition a little bit and faced Rivera. It was probably the best night of my life because we sold The Olympic out for the fight and went ten rounds with him, ultimately losing the decision. He won it fair. The response from the fans was so overwhelming to me. When I was a Champion in my 20’s, I didn’t appreciate it like I did now as an active fighter at 48 years old.
I have no regrets coming back when I did and will always look back fondly on it.
BB: During the 80’s, you made those famous Miller Lite Beer commercials. What did that do for your acting career?
After the commercials, I got a few comedy show auditions off it because they thought my timing was very good in my comedy. In the first commercial we did, I was the lead guy in it, but to be honest, they really didn’t do as much for my acting career as I thought they would back then.
BB: Having spoken to you several times now, you have a very solid grasp of the English language in both speaking and understanding it. I feel this has helped you in crossover appeal outside of boxing, as well as when you were in the ring. I also feel that many of the famous fighters or champions that are Hispanic can make a lot more money in endorsements and crossover appeal, as you did, if they learned to speak fluent English. This is not a dig, but my sincere wish that Hispanic fighters make the most money they can along with any other cultural group in boxing because it is a brutal sport. What are your thoughts about Hispanic fighters learning English? Also, what would be your words of wisdom to the younger generation out there that, as of now, only speak fluent Spanish?
You’re absolutely correct in your points that you made prior to your question. I once spoke to Julio Cesar Chavez about it once when we were doing an interview in LA about this very same thing. I asked him why he didn’t learn to speak English? Then I told him he could have made a lot of money from endorsements in the United States and his response was, I don’t want to learn it.
I just don’t understand it because why waste the opportunities to make money while you are still fighting such as Oscar De La Hoya has. I am not sure if it’s just pride or what with these guys. The same applies to Felix Tito Trinidad because he has a huge fan base in Puerto Rico, but around the world as well.
I really think it’s idiotic for Hispanic fighters not to learn English and tap into other resources to make money during their boxing careers.
My words of wisdom are if you want to maximize your earning potential while you are boxing, you need to learn English because it is going to open lots of doors in endorsements, commentary and commercials.
BB: Do you favor a mandatory retirement fund for all boxers and if so, how would you like to see it accomplished?
I am in total favor of it and we are the only and probably the oldest professional sport out there today that doesn’t have one in place. I am not just talking for the Oscar De La Hoya’s and other big money earners out there, but for the fighters that the big names use to build their careers on to get to the top.
In California they actually implemented one years ago and I think the fighter paid in 1% and the Promoter paid in as well. But the promoters wound up taking the big fights away because they didn’t want to pay into the fund and it was only a minute amount with that 1% to pay in. It was unbelievable to me that folks would come to the commission, which I sat on for five years and argue why we should not have a retirement fund.
I think what they did in California was perfect in that the fighter paid into the fund, the promoter did as well, and finally, you had to be in boxing for at least five years or so many rounds in to draw a pension. If all your fights were in California, you would draw your money. It really needs to be worldwide and it did not matter if you became a World Champion or not, but at the end of your career, you had a breakdown on number of rounds you fought would dictate how much you would get. I think it must be an independent group of people that have no interest in boxing to maintain this fund for the boxers. When you have people that are in the game to manage funds, you will run into nothing, but problems.
BB: From the year you turned professional in 1972, till today, what single fighter do you think moved the sport of boxing ahead the most and why?
I would say Oscar De La Hoya because of the attention he brought to the sport. He is an equal to Muhammad Ali who, like Oscar, drew in non-boxing fans that wanted to watch them fight. I can remember being invited to Oscar De La Hoya fight parties, or even Mike Tyson ones and I would be the only watching the fights. Other than myself, none of the people would watch the fights, until Oscar or Mike would come on and they would miss three great fights prior to the main event.
BB: If you had to pick one moment that touched you the deepest during your boxing career or after, which would you pick and why?
I would have to say winning the World Boxing Council (WBC) Welterweight Championship of the World. It was because my Dad, Pablo Palomino, was a huge boxing fan and didn’t follow any other sport. He never really told me he loved me, because he was a very hard strong man who grew up with only a third grade education, because his Father had to pull him out of school to work a ranch in Mexico. He was very hard because of it and didn’t know any better.
Growing up, I don’t recall him telling any of his children he loved them or hugged any of us. He just worked very hard and provided for us and that was his definition of what love was. I knew winning the title and coming home (would mean a lot to him), though he didn’t run up to me, hug me or tell me how proud he was and all that, but my Mother told me he cried. (Carlos at this point is very moved as he tells me this part of his answer and his voice, rightfully so, breaks — I am just as moved that he would share this story with me) People told him, because the fight was not on TV here, that I won the title and that meant the world to me.
BB: How would you like the many fans you had and followed your boxing career over the years to remember you?
I would like them to remember that every time they saw a Palomino fight, they were getting an athlete who was 100% prepared and gave the best performance that he could give. Also, that they always went away happy from fights.
BB: Finally, what is the saying you live your life by?
“Loving allows for all things to be who they are in their time and place, starting with oneself”.
Carlos wanted to add the following to the interview:
I just want to say I am engaged right now to a beautiful lady who is a schoolteacher with a great heart, who stole my heart my named, Deliene Ingram.
Carlos Palomino
Division: Welterweight
Professional Record: 31-4-3, 19 KO’s
Date Opponent Location Result
1972-09-14 Javier Martinez Los Angeles, US W PTS 4
1972-10-05 Javier Martinez Los Angeles, US W PTS 4
1972-11-16 Ted Liggett Los Angeles, US D PTS 4
1973-01-19 Tim Walker San Bernardino, US W PTS 6
1973-02-01 Ramon Solitario Los Angeles, US W KO 3
1973-03-01 Rosario Zavala Los Angeles, US W PTS 6
1973-03-29 Lalo Barriente Los Angeles, US W PTS 6
1973-04-12 Tommy Coulson Los Angeles, US W PTS 6
1974-05-04 David Arellano San Diego, US W PTS 8
1974-05-23 Juan Garza Los Angeles, US W KO 2
1974-06-14 David Arellano San Diego, US W KO 9
1974-08-02 Andy Price San Diego, US L PTS 10
1974-10-10 Nelson Ruiz Los Angeles, US W TKO 6
1974-10-24 Jose Miranda Los Angeles, US W KO 6
1974-12-19 Tommy Howard Los Angeles, US W UD 10
1975-02-13 Zovek Barajas Los Angeles, US D PTS 10
1975-03-27 Zovek Barajas Los Angeles, US W TKO 9
1975-05-23 Roger Buckskin Los Angeles, US W UD 10
1975-07-19 Johnny Pinedo Los Angeles, US W KO 2
1975-10-25 Eddie Alexander Los Angeles, US W TKO 5
1975-11-22 Hedgemon Lewis Los Angeles, US D PTS 10
1976-02-12 Mike Avans Los Angeles, US W UD 10
1976-04-29 Toshiharu Nambu Los Angeles, US W TKO 2
1976-06-22 John H Stracey Wembley, UK W TKO 12
WBC Welterweight Title
1977-01-21 Armando Muniz Los Angeles, US W TKO 15
WBC Welterweight Title
1977-06-14 Dave Green Wembley, UK W KO 11
WBC Welterweight Title
1977-09-13 Everaldo Costa Azevedo Los Angeles, US W UD 15
WBC Welterweight Title
1977-12-10 Jose Palacios Los Angeles, US W KO 13
WBC Welterweight Title
1978-02-11 Ryu Sorimachi Las Vegas, US W KO 7
WBC Welterweight Title
1978-03-18 Mimoun Mohatar Las Vegas, US W TKO 9
WBC Welterweight Title
1978-05-27 Armando Muniz Los Angeles, US W UD 15
WBC Welterweight Title
1979-01-14 Wilfred Benitez San Juan, PR L SD 15
WBC Welterweight Title
1979-06-22 Roberto Duran New York, US L UD 10
1997-01-10 Ismael Diaz Hollywood, US W KO 8
1997-05-09 Wilbur Garst Hollywood, US W KO 2
1997-06-08 Rene Arredondo Hollywood, US W KO 1
1997-10-26 Eric Ramon Vazquez Bakersfield, US W KO 9
1998-05-30 Wilfredo Rivera Los Angeles, US L UD 10