Was Nigel Benn a bully?

[SamWise72]

I don't know about a bully, but he traded on, and benefited from intimidation and fear. Not in an illegitimate way, just that he looked a monster, and people either hid, or tried to fight fire with fire. Watson (who was IMO the best of the three, beating Benn and deserving to beat Eubank) showed that if you could be disciplined, had good skills, and wild stay calm and behind the jab, he was very beatable. He grew as a fighter, but remained vulnerable to that sort of fighter. Who did he fight who was calm and disciplined and if class. Malinga, who beat him really. Watson, who beat him, Collins, who beat him (albeit the fire was legitimately out by then). His marquee victories were all do or die firefights, and when he did box (quite capably) it was against the Whartons and Nardiellos, who were really Euro level.

It was no mere chance that he never faced Jones, McCallum, Toney, Graham. All would have beaten him,though he would have never gone quietly. We should remember him for what he was, great value for money.

[misterpunch]

good post

[banjo]

He was the British Tyson really just without the rape and all that but like Tyson he was one of those fighters who thrived on fear but was in danger of folding if those tactics didn't work.

[J]

If anyone has read nigel Bio or Dark trade, they will know he depply scared by his brother dying when he was in his teens, this led to his Mr intimidating personna.

I think it fair to say NIgel led quite a life when he was at his peak but seems to have reformed himself in later life.

Leta face it to be that type of fighter you have to have some kind of hatred burning in your soul and this stemmed from his loss as highlighted above.

[Eddy]

If anyone has read nigel Bio or Dark trade, they will know he depply scared by his brother dying when he was in his teens, this led to his Mr intimidating personna.

I think it fair to say NIgel led quite a life when he was at his peak but seems to have reformed himself in later life.

Leta face it to be that type of fighter you have to have some kind of hatred burning in your soul and this stemmed from his loss as highlighted above.

What was the fall out with Mark Tibbs about again? Nigel mentions that he's "got a bone to pick with him." I know they're friends now; was it over money?

[misterpunch]

no, I think he called nigel a bully

[J]

I dont know Im not on the inside here, just read alot about NIgel.
With ambrose Mendy involved in his career it could have been cash no doubt.

[elev8]

No I don't think close. For me Sibson/Minter would beat Benn and Eubank

Sorry, but no. Both capable fighters to be sure, but neither could weather the Benn onslaught, and Eubank would have picked both of them apart.
Minter for sure would have been cut to ribbons IMO.

and both got mullered by Hagler. Big jump up imo. Finnegan messed Hagler around and by all accounts was ahead on points (don't quote me) when stopped so Eubank may have given Hagler some problems-but you are talking about the guy that crushed Tommy Hearns here.

Agree here. Eubank would have given Hagler problems. In his prime he would have given anyone problems. Nobody had found a way to cope with him until the Watson fight re-wrote the script of his career. As for Benn, well, he was tough & game as they come and had lead in his fists, but was far too one-dimensional to trouble someone of Hagler's class.

I'd have loved to see Hagler/Eubank though, whatever the outcome. Two top quality all-round exponents with power, style, class, sophistication and jaws of granite. Would have been a fantastic fight IMO.

[littlepug]

Odd to read about Leonard, Hearns et al ducking Benn - when exactly what that? I sense the mind might be playing tricks. And didn't Nigel Benn duck Michael Nunn, Sumbu Kalambay and basically all of world class boxing by fighting the journeyman Doug DeWitt for his newly invented WBO comic title? This marked the beginning of boxing's 'I WANT TO BE A WORLD CHAMPION BUT I DON'T WANT TO FIGHT WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP LEVEL FIGHTERS' long spiral into sporting irrelevancy.

The idea of ducking must arise in any conversation about Benn and Eubank, but not in their favour. Hagler bashes them both, easily.

Around the time of the Barkley fight Benn was being seriously considered for Leonard and Duran, think Benn just looked LIke too much of a handful for them at that stage of their careers and it never happened.

[orbtastic]

There was a KO mag piece that talked about Duran and Benn. Hell, they even sparred. Benn was an unknown quantity stateside.