'Bad' Bennie Briscoe

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'Bad' Bennie Briscoe

 

By Jim Amato

 

There are certain boxers from my past that in retrospect would be champions today. One such boxer was tough enough to be nicknamed "Bad." He was Bennie Briscoe from Philadelphia and brother you better bet he was just that, "Bad." He was probably the most feared middleweight of his era and it was a tough time just be a middleweight in Philly. If you were bad there, you were bad everywhere.

 

Briscoe turned pro in 1962 and would win his first fifteen contests. Among his victims were Charley Scott and Percy Manning. In a return with Manning in 1965, Bennie would suffer his first setback. That year he would also lose to Tito Marshall and Stanley "Kitten" Hayward. In 1966 Bennie would halt the highly respected George Benton.

 

Bennie was now among the middleweight elite. The year 1967 would see him lose two decisions to the great Luis Rodriguez. Sandwiched in between those losses was a draw in Argentina with a fella named Carlos Monzon. In 1968, he would lose to future light heavyweight titleholder Vincente Rondon. He would knock out Rondon in a 1969 rematch.

 

In 1970, Bennie began to make his march to a shot at the world's middleweight title. He won eleven straight fights until he was upset by Luis Vinales in 1972. He would stop Vinales in a return match. Finally in November he would meet the reigning middleweight champion of the world, Carlos Monzon. Again they would be fighting in Argentina. This time Carlos clearly deserved the decision the retained his title but he was rocked to his heels by Bennie in the ninth round of that fight. Monzon would always have a great respect for Briscoe.

 

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