Wilfred Benitez vs Bruce Curry

---

Benitez was a 3-1 favorite. Benitez reportedly trained only seven days for the fight. Curry put Benitez down with a left hook to the chin at 2:18 of the fourth round. It was the first knockdown of his professional career. Benitez struggled to his feet at the count of seven. A barrage of punches sent him down again with 18 seconds left in the round. Benitez almost fell out of the ring as he tried to get up, but he managed to get to his feet at the count of eight and survive the round. Benitez was floored again just 15 seconds into the fifth round. Eventually, Benitez's head cleared and Curry started to tire. Under New York Rules, two judges and a referee scored the bout by rounds. A supplementary point system was used in case the rounds were even. Judge Carol Castellano scored the fight 5-4-1 for Benitez, Judge Barney Smith had it 7-3 for Benitez, and Referee Arthur Mercante called it 5-4-1 for Curry. Shortly after the fight, Referee Arthur Mercante said, "It was one of the best fights I've ever been in."