Carlos Palomino vs Wilfred Benitez

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Benitez's father, Gregorio Benitez, who had managed and trained his son from the beginning of his career, sold Wilfred's managerial contract to Jim Jacobs and Bill Cayton for $75,000 in 1977. The following year, Jacobs hired former welterweight and middleweight champion Emile Griffith to train Wilfred. Gregorio was not happy with the hiring. "You may be his manager now, but I'm still his trainer," he told Jacobs. "You can both train him," Jacobs responded. The arrangement did not go smoothly. For Palomino, Griffith planned a defensive fight from the center of the ring. "Don't go for a knockout," Griffith instructed. "Palomino is a dangerous one-punch fighter. He can hit. He is dangerous. He punches over punches. Keep your hands up and fight to go the distance. Be sharp. If you listen to me, you will win." Griffith didn't give Wilfred many compliments during training. "I tell him he's got to do better. I want a perfect fighter," Griffith said. "I got this from my manager, Gil Clancy." Gregorio thought Griffith's plan was sheer nonsense. "All Griffith does is tell him about how it was when he was champion," he scoffed. He said Wilfred "doesn't listen to him. He only listens to me." Griffith trained Wilfred at the gym behind the Benitez home in a San Juan suburb. He tried to avoid confrontations with Gregorio. Each day, Griffith would quietly work with Wilfred and then return to his hotel in the city.