MICHAEL Benjamin was the quintessence of true grit and determination while he was a professional boxer. It has been said that if present-day fighters possess a quarter of Benjamin’s tenacity Guyana would be basking in world glory. `Benjie’ was the total package and could be a slugger if the occasion called for it or, in another instance, a master boxer. However, like every boxer, Benjamin met his match on February 6, 1993 and Irishman Eamonn Loughram was in a no-nonsense mood when he met the Guyanese in Cardiff, Wales.

Loughram knocked out Benjamin in the sixth round to retain his Commonwealth welterweight title and hand the stocky Guyanese his fifth defeat. The Irishman won the World Boxing Organisation welterweight title in his next fight while Benjamin suffered two other successive knockouts.
Benjamin opted out of the ring in 2000 and his record stands at 23 wins (14 KOs), eight defeats and two draws. At present he is one of Guyana’s most qualified sport journalists.