Nigel Benn V Gerlad McCllellan - your thoughts and memories

[FLINT ISLAND]

The most enthralling fight I ever seen live.

I was too young too remeber the likes of Hagler V Hearns.

There has been some other great wars since - like Barrera V Morales, etc.

But there was something intensely special about this fight - and on British soil - the murderous punching American coming over to smash Benn up.

Complete war - and great victory - and tragic consequences to the fight.

Where does this fight rank in British Boxing history - in the greatest fights / world title fights there has been ?

And what were your memorys of the fight ?

I remeber McCllellan threatening to Knock Out Nigel Benns Father - Dennis - and he also said that he why bother standing there for 12 rounds when he could KO Benn in 1 round - he had real bad intentions for what he had in store for Benn.

McCllellan was shocked by what a warrior Benn was I think - and in the end the terrible conseqences of such a intense war were suffered by both men - McCllellan left blinded and in a wheelchair - but also Benn was so weak he collapsed and was laid out in a bath and that was his best and last great performance.

Amazing fight - but bad conseqeunces.

[Colesy]

I remember thinking this was McClellans coming out party before the fight and the precurser to a fight with Roy Jones.

I watched it in my flat with all my mates and we were all just dumbstruck by what was happening. All of us were big fight fans and all pretty much thought Benn was in for a pasting. Round after round i was just waiting for Benn to finally get caught and be put down for good but it never happened.

When G Man started sticking his gum shield out some of us guessed something was wrong but nothing that serious. I remember Jim Watt bellowing that McClellans heart was gone, bet he regrets that now.

Awful and great at the same time.

[housesecond]

I still have a poor recording on VHS. Very powerful and had it not been for the consequences it would've been an all time classic.

[dookus]

That 2nd round. Unbelievable. Benn's just been pasted in the 1st, then comes out bobbing and weaving and nails McClelland with a ton of left hooks, then it really is fight on. As a 12-year watching it on ITV I think my eyes popped out my head.

[Abbo]

The noise.. packed house (despite reports to the contrary).. freezing outside.. trains out of Paddington stopped at Ealing.. Frank Bruno (and his orange jacket).. the 2nd round.. the stomping of feet in between rounds.. not caring that McClellan was laid out (have a night in hospital son)..

Brilliant night.

Hand on heart, my emotions next morning on hearing about Gerald's demise including annoyance at my perfect night being spoiled.

[WOODDDDDDDYA]

Best fight I have seen live(on TV) that had a British fighter involved. Me and my Dad was jumping all over the room living every moment of it until it ended. Sadly McClellan's injury has taken the shine of this fantastic battle but I absolutely loved it.

[dondada]

Very powerful and had it not been for the consequences it would've been an all time classic.

It is an all-time classic DESPITE the consequences, I would say.

I was just about to post a link to the retrospective I did for Boxing Monthly on the tenth anniversary of the fight in 2005...but it is no longer on the web. :(

[Coco]

Best fight I have ever seen.

[ERIC GUY]

I filmed the show, terrific atmosphere!!! very rarely heard in a british ring, I filmed the press conf that was head to head as well, McClellan had 2 pitbulls with him for publicity photo's, great memories.....

[forcefraser]

By far the best fight I have ever seen live. Total War and more intense than any other fight I have watched.

I still think that the headbutt had a part to play in the conclusion of the fight. I read the book "War baby" which covers the fight in detail. Decent read.

I think the thing that stand out for most of us is the way that Benn refused to be beaten. It was his chance to prove to the doubters that he had what it takes to go into the trenches with the toughest out there and come out on top.

McLellan would have been a superstar in my opinon, he had it all, power, skill, chin and heart. His corner did not do the best job for him that night and the outcome was tragic.

Despite the way it ended, I watch the fight every now and again to remind myself why I love the sport and why I still stay up to god awful hours to watch fights, in the hope of seeing something that may come close to that fight.

Although not on the same level as the Benn v MCClellan fight, I have to say that the closest I have come to getting the adrenalin going since that time has been the two last Froch fights. There is something about a british fighter that goes to war and wants to win at all costs that really gets me going. That last round against Taylor answered every question I had about Froch (as did the whole Pascal fight). He is a warrior and when he goes out, which he undoubtedly will, he will go out fighting.

[hitman_hatton1]

remember watching it on itv.

as i did all the other benn & eubank fights of that era.

the pace and excitement of that fight was second to none.

unbelieveable fighting heart and will to win from benn.

he took some serious bombs that night.

when g-man went down in the 9th it did make u wonder WTF was going on.

all became clear in that tragic 10th rd.

one of the best fights ever.

[levi billups]

We were in the cheap seats. McClellan looked fearsome as he made his way to the ring, nobody around me I think was quite aware of just what a threat he was to Benn at the time - I think most ordinary punters around me were turning up to see another Benn win. I recall a split second of silence at the very end of the first round, which was a by-product of total disbelief at what we had just witnessed, followed by a primordial roar from everyone there. I didnt anticipate McClellan's sudden demise from where we were sat, in fact it looked to me like he might win on points after scoring a knockdown about the 8th round, which seemed to swing things back in his favour. The only other thing I remember was a fine performance by Mike McCallum, something that was overlooked, understandably, by the events that unfolded after the Benn fight.

This was the first (and last) boxing match I ever took my friend to. He, like I'm sure you all did, struggled to understand why he had enjoyed something so brutal yet so compelling, in the name of sport. I haven't seen a replay of it since, perhaps a subliminal sign of guilt at having shouted so vociferously for Benn like the rest of the crowd.

[Khaosai-Galaxy]

Yes, best fight i have ever seen too

The very pinnacle of ITV's boxing coverage

[stujones]

Yes, best fight i have ever seen too

The very pinnacle of ITV's boxing coverage

ITV did two shows that night, the 2nd show offered extended highlights of the fight plus showed Honeyghun vs Dodson. That show is particularly sad viewing watching back, because at the start of it (two hours after the first show went off air) all signs were that Gerald was just being kept in as a precaution. Indeed, Jim Rosenthal is interviewing someone at the BBBoC and Frank on a job well done in terms of safety. (note: I am NOT implying that things could have been done any better).

Then just before the programme goes off air the producer tells Rosenthal in his ear about the deterioration in Gerald - he is visible shaking. Its very powerful stuff emotionally.

[Tommy Gunn13]

Awesome fight(tragic what happend)

i watched this again actually couple of nights back

[the patriot]

I remember it as if it was yesterday !!

Home on leave from the Army, packed pub - everyone, and I mean everyone glued to the TV. I have the fight on a box set of Nigel Benns career - I watch it regulary and still can't believe that Benn won.

Like somebody else said earlier, if it wasn't for the aftermath the fight would be one of, no THE greatest fight ever IMO.

[King Tubby]

Best fight I have ever seen.

Me too.

[the patriot]

On a side note, I just had a peek at the full card that night. Now thats what you call a decent fight card. Not only the main event but there's also McCallum, Honeyghan/Dodson, Colin McMillan etc What I'd give to see a card like that these days.


Nigel Benn v Gerald McClellan
Mike McCallum v Carl Jones
Tony Foster v Cham Joof
Paul Denton v Paul Ryan
Andrew Reed v Marcus McCrae
Lloyd Honeyghan v Adrian Dodson
Ensley Bingham v Kevin Adamson
Mark Hargreaves v Colin McMillan
Crawford Ashley v Hunter Clay
Mark Prince v Kofi Quaye

[tonyevs]

I still have a poor recording on VHS. Very powerful and had it not been for the consequences it would've been an all time classic.

I too have the old vhs tape.

What stands out for me was how wound up Nigel still was after the fight. As McClellan was still down the commentators were asking Benn his thoughts .. obviously Benn didn`t know how bad McClellan was at that time - but Benn was still spitting venom as he showed no regard to McClellan and added " he was only brought over to bash me up" and only looked towards McClellan with contempt.

Very sad how it ended as it did. But the fight was Benn at his best, with his back against the wall - fighting for survival.

[banjo]

I still have a poor recording on VHS. Very powerful and had it not been for the consequences it would've been an all time classic.

I too have the old vhs tape.

What stands out for me was how wound up Nigel still was after the fight. As McClellan was still down the commentators were asking Benn his thoughts .. obviously Benn didn`t know how bad McClellan was at that time - but Benn was still spitting venom as he showed no regard to McClellan and added " he was only brought over to bash me up" and only looked towards McClellan with contempt.

Very sad how it ended as it did. But the fight was Benn at his best, with his back against the wall - fighting for survival.

Yeah I remember Gary Newbon trying to interview him "Nah you listen to me, I'm always listening to you now it's your turn to listen to me!"

"Now you might start believing in the Dark Destroyer, I'M NUMBER 1, second to no one"

Great fight, tragic ending but it's a dangerous sport.

[dazzathtethai]

One of the best ever but probably overlooked because of the sad ending. Would recommend to everyone to read war baby, gives you a real insight into the build up of the fight

[CheckHook]

Classic fight, tragic ending. Its a shame this fight is not acknowledged as the classic it was. I appreciate it has a tragic outcome, but it seems to me to be better to acknowledge the fight, both good and bad, than to try and brush it under the carpet like it didn't happen. Neither Benn nor Mccllelan were ever afforded the credit they deserved for the effort they put into that fight. The grit and determination shown by both fighters in that fight is a testement to both the sport and the human spirit and should forever be acknowledged.

[jamesmcdonnell]

By far the best fight I have ever seen live. Total War and more intense than any other fight I have watched.

I still think that the headbutt had a part to play in the conclusion of the fight. I read the book "War baby" which covers the fight in detail. Decent read.

I think the thing that stand out for most of us is the way that Benn refused to be beaten. It was his chance to prove to the doubters that he had what it takes to go into the trenches with the toughest out there and come out on top.

McLellan would have been a superstar in my opinon, he had it all, power, skill, chin and heart. His corner did not do the best job for him that night and the outcome was tragic.

Despite the way it ended, I watch the fight every now and again to remind myself why I love the sport and why I still stay up to god awful hours to watch fights, in the hope of seeing something that may come close to that fight.

Although not on the same level as the Benn v MCClellan fight, I have to say that the closest I have come to getting the adrenalin going since that time has been the two last Froch fights. There is something about a british fighter that goes to war and wants to win at all costs that really gets me going. That last round against Taylor answered every question I had about Froch (as did the whole Pascal fight). He is a warrior and when he goes out, which he undoubtedly will, he will go out fighting.

In truth, Benn should have been stopped in the 1st round - the ref was clearly buying him time by intervening pointlessly.

However, that's no fault of Benn's and he showed knackers the size of space hoppers to get of his arse, take it to McClellan, and win the fight, he had no right to win, but he weren't having it.

[DavidPayne]

Standing in the bar of The Windmill, Thorne. It was packed and it was like England in a football Semi-Final. We were all glued.

Greatest experience watching boxing I've ever had except for...etc, etc.

[FLINT ISLAND]

I remeber before the fight watching live on ITV from my bedroom.

Jim Rostenhal showed all the predictions the "expert" journalists had made in the Saturday papers.

Not one of them picked Benn.

It was all McCllellan - by KO.

Colin Hart of The Sun, - McCellellan 3rd round KO.
Times - McCllellan KO.
Daily Mirror - McCllellan KO.
Mike Walters of Today - McCllellan KO 1.
John Rodreun of the Guardian - McCllellan KO 1.
etc.
etc.

Most were predicting McCllellan inside 3 rounds - not one of them predicted Benn lasting beyond the sixth.

Barry Mcguigan predicted McCllellan to end it in 3 rounds.

But John McCrick pointed out that whenever the papers agree on anything in horse racing - they always seem to get it wrong - and he plumped for Benn to win the fight. And he was right.