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Just found this on another board (quotes from Nigel Benn)...
'Benn is in Hertfordshire right now training guys for an army boxing event for charity with Dave 'Boy' Green'
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Interesting. But the Americans respect Kessler after seeing his last couple of fights, don't you?
I thought I could maybe win the Southern Area title, British at best. So to be two-time world champion was way beyond my wildest expectations.
To be a world champion you have to be exceptionally good. My old mate Tony Velinor I thought was better than me in the amateurs, and he didn't get near any world ranks.
To be a world champion for 10 years, you are talking legend. Legend.
To be a world champion you have to be exceptionally good. My old mate Tony Velinor I thought was better than me in the amateurs, and he didn't get near any world ranks.
To be a world champion for 10 years, you are talking legend. Legend.
It's no fault of Joe's that better people haven't been put in front of him. Whatever has been put in front of him, he's smashed up and often looked a million dollars doing it.
What he wants to do is say it's better late than never and let's cross that pond and seek these fights with some of the top Americans. Blokes like Taylor and Hopkins. Hopkins is old now and not throwing much so Taylor might be the one.
To be kept in Britain and Europe and fighting British and European fighters, that isn't good enough for Joe's ability. That doesn't impress anyone, not least the Yanks.
What he wants to do is say it's better late than never and let's cross that pond and seek these fights with some of the top Americans. Blokes like Taylor and Hopkins. Hopkins is old now and not throwing much so Taylor might be the one.
To be kept in Britain and Europe and fighting British and European fighters, that isn't good enough for Joe's ability. That doesn't impress anyone, not least the Yanks.
He really should have been in the ring eight to 12 weeks after his smashing of Jeff Lacy, bad hand or not. He could have pushed for these fights and had them long ago. He could have his feet up by now.
When I fought, I wanted to be smashing people every week and pushing for these great fights. I wanted proper challengers so kept changing managers and promoters to get them.
In an 18-month period I fought some of the greatest wars against the likes of DeWitt, Barkley, Watson, Eubank - all the tough guys. That's why the public on both sides of the Atlantic sat up and took notice that there was more than one Big Ben!
Barkley had sparked Tommy Hearns quicker than Marvin Hagler and ran Michael Nunn to the wire who was the best pound-for-pound fighter at the time.
They couldn't make it at Old Trafford and I wasn't going to hang around, I wanted a tear-up and I wanted respect and I wanted to show the Yanks that us Brits aren't no push-overs.
I went right into Barkley's back garden, got off first and tried smashing him out of the ring.
I didn't take an easy defence, I took on Chris Eubank! I wanted to give the public a proper fight.
Gerald McClellan was the most feared man in boxing when I fought him. He couldn't get anyone else in the ring. I could have fought a runner like Nunn but wanted a proper fight and wasn't going to duck him.
An incarcerated Mike Tyson described Gerald as the best fighter in the world, Don King said he was going to punch me into a hospital bed. I didn't care, he was going to have to kill me to beat me. I wanted to do Britain proud.
Joe should be a little more urgent, because if the chances pass it'll be a crying shame really for a guy who'd have probably given me and Chris and Steve Collins a good going over.
When I fought, I wanted to be smashing people every week and pushing for these great fights. I wanted proper challengers so kept changing managers and promoters to get them.
In an 18-month period I fought some of the greatest wars against the likes of DeWitt, Barkley, Watson, Eubank - all the tough guys. That's why the public on both sides of the Atlantic sat up and took notice that there was more than one Big Ben!
Barkley had sparked Tommy Hearns quicker than Marvin Hagler and ran Michael Nunn to the wire who was the best pound-for-pound fighter at the time.
They couldn't make it at Old Trafford and I wasn't going to hang around, I wanted a tear-up and I wanted respect and I wanted to show the Yanks that us Brits aren't no push-overs.
I went right into Barkley's back garden, got off first and tried smashing him out of the ring.
I didn't take an easy defence, I took on Chris Eubank! I wanted to give the public a proper fight.
Gerald McClellan was the most feared man in boxing when I fought him. He couldn't get anyone else in the ring. I could have fought a runner like Nunn but wanted a proper fight and wasn't going to duck him.
An incarcerated Mike Tyson described Gerald as the best fighter in the world, Don King said he was going to punch me into a hospital bed. I didn't care, he was going to have to kill me to beat me. I wanted to do Britain proud.
Joe should be a little more urgent, because if the chances pass it'll be a crying shame really for a guy who'd have probably given me and Chris and Steve Collins a good going over.
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Interesting. But the Americans respect Kessler after seeing his last couple of fights, don't you?
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