Nigel Benn vs Gerald McClellan fight

[General Zod]

I'm interested in reading what peoples views here on this fight. Did you like the fight? Did you think it was way to brutal? Did the ref did a bad job etc?

[Silencers]

The fight was great, the consequences were tragic. Great action in that fight.

I thought the referee did a pretty bad job, he let both guys get away with dirty stuff. A lot was made of Benn's rabbit punching but McClellan was doing it as well in addition to other stuff.

[General Zod]

The fight was great, the consequences were tragic. Great action in that fight.

I thought the referee did a pretty bad job, he let both guys get away with dirty stuff. A lot was made of Benn's rabbit punching was McClellan was doing it as well in addition to other stuff.

I agree it was a great fight, but with tragic consequences. According to one of McClellan's corner man, McClellan wanted to quit after round 2 he knew something was wrong, but I think it was his trainer thinking about a Roy Jones fight talked him into continuing.Benn did rabbit punch and I think McClellan did on occasion to. The ref did a bad job as well he did give Benn a chance to get back into the fight after round one and never clamped down on all the dirty tactics in the fight. The fight was Benn's biggest win, but it finished him as a fighter and due to the fallout a lot of people just want to forget about it.

[John Hue]

I remember the fight like it was yesterday. I was watching the fight with a friend I was certain McCellan was going to win it and it was always going to be an explosive bout.My friend wanted Benn to win and we had a private bet. The beating Benn took in round one was unbelievable,I thought he can't continue taking that,how he kept going I don't know.I had a stop watch on me to time any knock down as I expected some dodgy refereeing. When Benn was knocked down and in/ through the ropes I started timing. It was over 10 seconds. As far as I was concerned the fight was over but the ref started timing late and did his level best to help Benn which was the pattern right through the fight. When McCellan started blinking I knew something was wrong and got a bad feeling something was going to happen to him. I felt a lot of anger towards the ref as had he done the job properly the fight would have been over and the tragedy of the brain damage may have been saved. I also felt for Benn as I knew despite winning the consequences of the fight would stay with him for the rest of the fight. Despite the ref helping Benn as much as he could I felt Benn showed amazing courage and fortitude. The beating he took early on was one of the biggest all out attacks I had ever seen and how he kept going I don't know. He took the life line the ref gave him weathered the storm and got back into the fight. Benn earned a huge amount of respect from me and he dug deeper than can be humanly be expected. When the fight was over I knew McCellan was seriously hurt I felt sick and I never felt quite the same about boxing after that. It is a great sport but the potential brain damage it can cause is too high a price for the entertainment. At the end of the fight my friend cancelled our private bet despite winning it, he said Benn really lost the fight and should have been counted out in round one and the ref had distorted the result. That is how I felt about the fight also and that is not taking anything away from Benn he put up a tremendous fight but the ref is a disgrace and has blood on his hands not just McCellan's either I am certain Benn took some brain damage in that fight also .

[General Zod]

I remember the fight like it was yesterday. I was watching the fight with a friend I was certain McCellan was going to win it and it was always going to be an explosive bout.My friend wanted Benn to win and we had a private bet. The beating Benn took in round one was unbelievable,I thought he can't continue taking that,how he kept going I don't know.I had a stop watch on me to time any knock down as I expected some dodgy refereeing. When Benn was knocked down and in/ through the ropes I started timing. It was over 10 seconds. As far as I was concerned the fight was over but the ref started timing late and did his level best to help Benn which was the pattern right through the fight.

Yeah I remember McClellan going crazy at the ref who was obviously trying to buy Benn more time, I also remember King going crazy at ringside with the ref.

When McCellan started blinking I knew something was wrong and got a bad feeling something was going to happen to him. I felt a lot of anger towards the ref as had he done the job properly the fight would have been over and the tragedy of the brain damage may have been saved.

There are a lot of people to blame for Geralds condition. He had complained after the first Jackson fight that he was having dizzy spells and feeling sick, so I would say that the damage had already started. He himself knew something was wrong but carried on fighting. His trainer also talked him into continuing because the winner of McClellan Benn would fight the winner of Jones Toney. The ref did buy Benn time in the first round, the fact that McClellan was standing in front of Benn with no concern for D also didnt help him.

I also felt for Benn as I knew despite winning the consequences of the fight would stay with him for the rest of the fight. Despite the ref helping Benn as much as he could I felt Benn showed amazing courage and fortitude. The beating he took early on was one of the biggest all out attacks I had ever seen and how he kept going I don't know. He took the life line the ref gave him weathered the storm and got back into the fight. Benn earned a huge amount of respect from me and he dug deeper than can be humanly be expected. When the fight was over I knew McCellan was seriously hurt I felt sick and I never felt quite the same about boxing after that. It is a great sport but the potential brain damage it can cause is too high a price for the entertainment.

I agree with your points, I watched the fight live and I felt sick afterwards, I stopped watching boxing for about 10 years after that fight.

[Sugarj]

I agree that the fight hurt Benn also. His speach was never quite the same after that fight and he never boxed with that passion or skill again.

It was an amazing fight. It was absolutely compelling viewing watching live. I feel so bad for McClellan now, he didn't deserve his plight. He was a great fighter! At the time, I think his blinking had started in round six and he was pushing out his gum shield. Why his corner didn't notice this and pull him out I dont know! Even the commentators had clocked it.

You would have thought the BB of C would have been extra vigilent after what happened to Michael Watson a couple of years before, it seemed ages before he left the arena.

[General Zod]

I agree that the fight hurt Benn also. His speach was never quite the same after that fight and he never boxed with that passion or skill again.

Benn ended up with a shadow on his brain, so he was finished as an elite fighter, but he loved the sport to much to walk away after that fight. He wanted to fight Jones after that fight but politics got in the way

It was an amazing fight. It was absolutely compelling viewing watching live. I feel so bad for McClellan now, he didn't deserve his plight. He was a great fighter! At the time, I think his blinking had started in round six and he was pushing out his gum shield. Why his corner didn't notice this and pull him out I dont know! Even the commentators had clocked it.

His team were thinking about a mega payday with the winner of Jones-Toney, so they kept pushing him out there to fight. Just like Riddick Bowe Golota II when Bowes corner should of thrown in the towel but they were thinking about a Tyson fight.

You would have thought the BB of C would have been extra vigilent after what happened to Michael Watson a couple of years before, it seemed ages before he left the arena.

I think they got him to hospital as soon as they could, unlike Watson.

Ive ordered the book: War Baby by Kevin Mitchell ,which goes into a lot of detail about the fight and the background behind it, should be a good read.

[project xxx1]

great fight and i loved it,i watched it again 6 months ago around my mates house,i really feel for mcclellen and his family big time,a very sad ending indeed.the ref didnt do a good job either,gerald should have won in the 1st round,benn was out for longer than 10 secs and they shouldnt of pushed him back in the ring.benn was never the same fighter again.but what a fight

[Sugarj]

Thanks Agentsmith, sharp replies there. I have the fight in my collection and it seemed to be a long time before Gerrald was taken from the arena.....granted not as long as poor Watson.

He seemed in alot of trouble, but it had got to Benn's post fight interview before anyone was doing anything. He should have been on a stretcher straight after taking that one knee countout, blinking randomly! Awful!!

[General Zod]

Thanks Agentsmith, sharp replies there. I have the fight in my collection and it seemed to be a long time before Gerrald was taken from the arena.....granted not as long as poor Watson.

He seemed in alot of trouble, but it had got to Benn's post fight interview before anyone was doing anything. He should have been on a stretcher straight after taking that one knee countout, blinking randomly! Awful!!

No Problemo, when I get around to reading the book I'll post quotes up.