Wazza takes my breath away...

[Autobarn]

oh no, 'es back, terry dooley, hater of british superstars!

can't read this any further, as it's making me cry

[jamesmcdonnell]

Do you think the Mcclellan fight took anything out of him? given what happened?

Physically, yes. Mentally, I'd say no as he hit Perez with some vicious shots. Nigel also wanted to KO Nardiello but could not get to the Italian, who was almost KO'd by hiw own boxing boots! Malinga was always a tough fight for Benn and by the time he fought Steve he had given all he had to give.

Don't think Nigels balance was ever the same after McClellan - he looked so bad against Collins, he was falling in with almost every single shot.

[jamesmcdonnell]

It was there in Perez. Nardiello was a false test as the Italian spent much of the fight slipping and sliding on the canvas. Benn still had it in him but a lot had been taken. The Malinga fight really finished what had been started in the fight with Gerald.

Pity, he should have had Nardiello and Perez, for the Wembley glory, and then called it a day. Malinga II was a crazy one to take.

He definitely wasn't the same come Malinga but he had a good go at him, hurt him badly when he dropped him, the Benn who fought Collins was almost unrecognisable to a few years earlier. How do you think Collins would have faired with a younger Benn?

The Benn who took on Wharton would have beaten him. The gung-ho Benn may have blown himself out and lost. Unlikely though, Collins was in the right place at the right time. Benn was a better fighter than Steve in my opinion.

Hurting is one thing, a fighter doesn't lose power but he wasn't able to close the show, unlike Roy Jones, who brushed Malinga aside.

Collins was extremely durable I'll say that for him, and a very big man too. Think he would have given Benn a tussle at any stage to be honest.

[mickey1975]

It was there in Perez. Nardiello was a false test as the Italian spent much of the fight slipping and sliding on the canvas. Benn still had it in him but a lot had been taken. The Malinga fight really finished what had been started in the fight with Gerald.

Pity, he should have had Nardiello and Perez, for the Wembley glory, and then called it a day. Malinga II was a crazy one to take.

He definitely wasn't the same come Malinga but he had a good go at him, hurt him badly when he dropped him, the Benn who fought Collins was almost unrecognisable to a few years earlier. How do you think Collins would have faired with a younger Benn?

The Benn who took on Wharton would have beaten him. The gung-ho Benn may have blown himself out and lost. Unlikely though, Collins was in the right place at the right time. Benn was a better fighter than Steve in my opinion.

Hurting is one thing, a fighter doesn't lose power but he wasn't able to close the show, unlike Roy Jones, who brushed Malinga aside.

The other day you said Wharton was "top 15".Does the fact Nigel chose to box him change your opinion?Or the fact he hit him with absolutely everything he had,but never even budged him?Henry would quite gladly have gone into the trenches with him...

[mickey1975]

The other day you said Wharton was "top 15".Does the fact Nigel chose to box him change your opinion?Or the fact he hit him with absolutely everything he had,but never even budged him?Henry would quite gladly have gone into the trenches with him...

Erm, nope. Why not box him? Wharton was hard to shift and tough so Benn did the right thing. Ditto Lewis with Tua. The fact Lewis elected to box Tua doesn't suddenly elevate David to the top ten heavyweights of all time. Henry was a very good British fighter with big shots and a solid chin, Benn did the right thing.

yes mate,your right,i am biased towards Henry though.But i dont blame Nigel for adopting those tactics,just would like to see Henry get a bit more credit on here,only lost(on points)in world title challenges,not bad for a "one dimensional" boxer.by the way Terry,i enjoy your work.

[NazNaci1]

Some excellent posts and enjoyable to-ing and fro-ing :)

Lots of great boxing memories revisted, so thanks for that

Sidenote - 'Allegedly' always, always puts the boot in on someone he doesnt promote / manage. Did the same when Audley turned him down. The guy is a hypocritical tool, albeit a wealthy one.

[mickey1975]

Who's the Leeds kid?I will know him.The only one who springs to mind is Luke Robinson,but even he has a long way to go.Despite what people say about Henry,he was very well schooled,a decorated amateur,and the UNDEFEATED British,Commonwealth and European champion

[Counter-puncher]

Just watched Benn-Watson again and it is such a brilliant performance by Watson, and yes his offence is overlooked in this fight - he hits Nigel with every shot in the book. The 2nd round is a nearly flawless display of boxing from Watson: blocking all of Nigel's phenomenal hooks from all angles while placing in lots of jabs, lead right-left hook 1-2's, uppercut-jab 1-2's, angled lefts and angled body punches. Don't think Benn got a punch in in that round of boxing.

Benn was always a gifted impulse fighter and the most natural of power-punchers, his game was mostly about athletic prowess right the way through to the Collins fights really. I think Watson beat Benn near his best, based on this. Sure Nigel could have paced himself better, that's clear. But he was at his peak physically and this showed in the opening round of his fight. Even in round six, the round he fell, he was posing a clear threat still.

You can't really say Benn was at his peak in the Watson fight .

from the way i read it, he said 'his game was mostly about athletic prowess' (i mostly agree), that vs Watson he was 'at his peak physically' (again I agree) and in overall boxing terms 'near his best' (that i agree less with.)

[mickey1975]

Who's the Leeds kid?I will know him.The only one who springs to mind is Luke Robinson,but even he has a long way to go.Despite what people say about Henry,he was very well schooled,a decorated amateur,and the UNDEFEATED British,Commonwealth and European champion

Danny Wright. Saw him a few years back, he was lucky to get by Tony Randell and he had a bit of a Wharton-esque look to him. Probably sounds a bit daft now!

Danny is a good friend of mine.Yes,he was a bit fortunate that night.He is currently a P.E instructor in Full Sutton maximum security prison near york.And yes,the lads from that gym do all box very similar(left hook happy!).By the way,Danny is one of the fittest and strongest kids you could care to meet.He was the former World Coleman champion of the world!(you had to run a couple of miles with a big bag of cole on your back)

[mickey1975]

No,he packed in 2-0.He had a contract with Nick Manners requiring him to sell 150 tickets to every bout.He found it too much hassle,so stuck to the day job!He could sell that many,as he did,but when they moved to a midweek slot in a remote area,it prooved hard graft.There is a noveltey factor with the ticket buyers,as you know..

[Counter-puncher]

from the way i read it, he said 'his game was mostly about athletic prowess' (i mostly agree), that vs Watson he was 'at his peak physically' (again I agree) and in overall boxing terms 'near his best' (that i agree less with.)

Can't agree that he was at his physical peak either. He had more to offer physically a year later versus Chris and even more in the tank during the McClellan fight (out of the ring early, battered and then floored late but comes back strong) than he did in both the Watson fight and the Eubank fight.

He was younger in those fights but in terms of stamina and physical maturity I'd put his physical peak at a later time, and tack it in during the period when he was also at his best as an all-round boxer. Could the Benn who was KO'd by Watson box 12 disciplined rounds with Jimenez and do 12 with Eubank (in the draw)? I'd say no, there was no sign that he could do this back then.

I don't think that original post was one of Cohaugen's best to be honest

aye good points about his stamina, i don't think Benn quite had the kind of explosiveness and snap to his work offensively (americanism i have regrettably slipped into using recently ) vs Eubank as he did vs watson, meself, like.

anyways, my point is it seems to me you downgrade Watson's win somewhat, as though it was mostly down to tactical/ physical faults of benn and less to do with Watson's own excellent combination of 'offensive' and defensive skills in that fight, therefore you are a coont and thats mostly what i would take issue with.

i personally believe any version of Watson has a good chance vs any version of Benn. IE a more cautious/canny Benn, IMO, may just give Watson more chance to set the tempo and push Benn back behind his better jab. etc etc.

[Counter-puncher]

excellent, we agree

[NazNaci1]

The thing that is bizaere though, in the Watson fight, Benn, who used to use the uppercut immensely well and often, threw about 2 in the whole fight. Watson's guard, although solid enough, was wide open to that punch and Benn just did not use it - Never really understood that, even to this day.

I am not saying he would have won or anything and Watson was worth his win and won well. Just never understood why, in that fight, Benn never utilised that punch. Might have been different, probably not, though.

A fact he stated himself on Midweek Sports Special (remember that? - remember Nick Owen?) - Always puzzled me.