Nigel benn vs Golovkin

[magwitch]

No the reason Benn won was because McClellan had a brain injury ,Benn was very brave but he got into the fight once McClellan started blinking if McClellan wasn't injured there's no way Benn would of won .

You need to rewatch the fight. Mc Clellan ate Benn's left crosses as soon as the first rd.
Shot out of his bob and weave, Benn couldn't miss with it.
It was shocking to see how unprepared Mc Clellan was for that shot. Compared to the 2 Jacksons fights, he came into rather poor shape, and got his arse handed to him against a warrior ready to die in the ring that day.

I can’t remember in enough detail that Gerald only hit him in the first and the 8th.....I thought it was a battle of attrition actually, with both taking a lot of hits - but, I tend to agree with your summation here.

[magwitch]

Martin Murray took Golovkin into the championship rounds and the ref had to intervene because Murray just didn't quite have the power to keep GGG honest. I rate Murray but a prime Benn would have taken Golovkin to places he's never been and could have stopped him, in my opinion. All depends on the weight and how Golovkin approached it. At 160 I'd take GGG if he boxed him and controlled the distance but in a tear up at 168 I'd have to pick Nigel. I also think Benn would have taken this fight in a heartbeat because he was a natural born scrapper, he gets stick for not fighting the likes of Toney, Nunn and RJJ but who is to say that was all Nigels fault? And who on GGG's resume beats a prime Benn?

That’s a really dumb expression “keep him honest”.....what is dishonest about battering someone when that is the entire goal!?

But your point is right I think. Without a stern test, it’s foolish to say Golovkin would have breezed past Benn. Nobody, but nobody did that to Benn. Michael Watson beat him handily - one of my very favourite fights ever - and he did it by being switched on and smarter for every second of every round.
If Golovkin got dragged into a crude punch out with Benn, then frankly Benn would have had to be carried out the ring before he quit. All would depend on gameplan and execution thereof, imho.

[magwitch]

No the reason Benn won was because McClellan had a brain injury ,Benn was very brave but he got into the fight once McClellan started blinking if McClellan wasn't injured there's no way Benn would of won .

You need to rewatch the fight. Mc Clellan ate Benn's left crosses as soon as the first rd.
Shot out of his bob and weave, Benn couldn't miss with it.
It was shocking to see how unprepared Mc Clellan was for that shot. Compared to the 2 Jacksons fights, he came into rather poor shape, and got his arse handed to him against a warrior ready to die in the ring that day.

I watched it last week ,i really can't believe how you can say he got his arse handed to him ,his bloody head was exploding but i guess a bit of brain damage doesn't effect a fighter. Also Benn didn't throw a left cross as you said Maybe a left hook or right cross but not left cross . I think you need to watch the fight again .

I don’t think you can have it both ways ginty.
By your logic, that’s like saying if Linford Christie hadn’t run faster than him, then Frankie Fredericks would have won the Olympic gold medal in the 100 yard dash ....not sure your logic stacks up there..

[Enlightened-One]

I dunno I was shocked that reading that list I suddenly didn't feel too impressed by who Benn fought during his 8 year stay at world level. Yes Benn was the 2nd best supermiddleweight in 1995 after beating mclellan and had become an A list superstar after a great 3 year reign as world champion and having improved vastly as a fighter into a guy with speed , power, stamina, and pretty good defensive skills......but I still think of Benn between 89-94 lets say his first incarnation and I think of the list of who he didn't fight in the 160-168 ranks against who he did fight and suddenly the list of those he didn't fight is easily moreformidable than who he did...... Its true that 160 and 160lbs didn't have quite the convergence it has now but still he didn't fight and I don't mean the big 3 who would never have fought benn I mean his contempories such as Herol Graham who was the best Middleweight in Britain,sumbu kalambay the best middle weight in Europe, Michael Nunn, James Toney and Mike Mccallum who all called Benn out and were not answered. in 1990 he preferred to fight a doug dewitt for a lightly regarded world title over a Julian Jackson for the wbc even when the prior wbc champ Roberto duran he did want to fight. That would have been a wonderful fight duran-benn in summer 1990

and I think others such as the below would have beaten him

Bernard Hopkins
Reggie Johnson

Yes he was a very exciting talented fighter......but we tend to look on the benn-eubank-watson era with very rose tinted glasses in the UK

You’ve got your timelines mixed-up and I was comparing Benn’s resume to Golovkin's:

• Hopkins was a middleweight contender when Benn was nearing the end of his reign as the super-middleweight champ. this isn't one I've said Benn avoided....just that the Hopkins of 93-95 beats him

• Reggie Johnson skipped the 168lb division altogether and wasn’t a world rated fighter when Benn was competing as a middleweight. again. Nowhere did I say Benn avoided him all I simply said was Johnson would have beat him,but that in those days not the blurring of 160-168 like today

• Roberto Duran would have never travelled to the UK and he never gained any real success as a 168lb-er. in fact Duran agreed to travel to the UK to defend his and middleweight title but the BBC wouldn't sanction the fight,hence a angry Benn going the wbo route than ripping up his BBC licence on live tv -trust me I saw it I was there at the time reading the mags Duran wanted the payday

• James Toney pretty much skipped the 168lb division altogether, when Eubank Sr. and Benn were the champs. James Toney fyi was the top rated world champ at 168 he held the big belt at the same time (1993/1994) as Benn and Eubanks were the 168 and wbo champs.on primetime Saturday night tv via a satellite link on the Jonathan Ross show James toney appeared alongside Mickey Rourke and insulting challenged Benn and Eubanks calling them bums..neither took him up...Toney would have massacred benn

• Herol Graham had a terrible run of form between 1990 and 1992, to the point he lost his licence, which resulted in 4½ years of inactivity.he didn't have a terrible run of form from 1988/1989 to summer 1990 he was recognised as the British number one and was losing very very competitive fights to McCollum and Jackson...and he was wiping the floor with domestic competition...at least Eubanks and Watson admitted avoiding herol...there was every reason for a fight to take place during 88/89 and 1990 bit Benn ran a mile...

• I believe Michael Nunn was being lined you to face Benn in 1994, but the American tasted defeat when he travelled to the UK and Don Kong also wanted to the Brit to take £100K less than what he requested.Nunn was ringside for Watson-Benn and always wanted a Benn fight as Benn drew fans,tv and was exciting and v beatable by nunn....Nunn was the man at mw throughout 88/89/90 but Benn didn't want to fight the number one guy nunn, same story in 93/94 Benn didn't want nunn who was still a top fighter and who was pursuing benn

• In terms of Julian Jackson, he didn’t hold a world title at 160lbs until after Benn had tasted defeat against Eubank Sr., which resulted in Nigel making the jump to 168lbs. So both guys competed at different weight classes for a long time. Benn could have fought jackson for the vacant wbc mw title in 90 but prefered the wbo route so herol got it.Jackson was not a guy Benn wanted to share a ring with even tho a fight like that today would be a superfight


• Mike McCallum and Nigel Benn were like two passing ships, they were rarely competing in the same weight division at the same time they were the opposite of two passing ships, McCollum chased Benn, first in 1990 after beating graham and Watson on UK shores he wanted benn too and called him out on live tv....Benn also throughout his career spoke of facing McCollum....in the summer of 1995 after beating McCollum he thought about it seriously even tho mike was now at 175 ...he spoke about it in length in a ko magazine interview summer of 95 " he said he had huge respect for Mike who he called a bad mutha but said he would want to be compensated properly for a fight like that......bottom line Benn didn't fight him.Mike would have swam the Atlantic ocean for that fight .

I politely disagree with a lot of your claims.

I fact checked my post before I submitted it and I see no reason to continue the debate, since your timelines are incorrect.

Whilst you’ve raised some interesting points, several of which I agree with, too many of your claims are either factually-incorrect or based on idle gossip/guesswork.

[Jackson328]

Martin Murray took Golovkin into the championship rounds and the ref had to intervene because Murray just didn't quite have the power to keep GGG honest. I rate Murray but a prime Benn would have taken Golovkin to places he's never been and could have stopped him, in my opinion. All depends on the weight and how Golovkin approached it. At 160 I'd take GGG if he boxed him and controlled the distance but in a tear up at 168 I'd have to pick Nigel. I also think Benn would have taken this fight in a heartbeat because he was a natural born scrapper, he gets stick for not fighting the likes of Toney, Nunn and RJJ but who is to say that was all Nigels fault? And who on GGG's resume beats a prime Benn?

That’s a really dumb expression “keep him honest”.....what is dishonest about battering someone when that is the entire goal!?

But your point is right I think. Without a stern test, it’s foolish to say Golovkin would have breezed past Benn. Nobody, but nobody did that to Benn. Michael Watson beat him handily - one of my very favourite fights ever - and he did it by being switched on and smarter for every second of every round.
If Golovkin got dragged into a crude punch out with Benn, then frankly Benn would have had to be carried out the ring before he quit. All would depend on gameplan and execution thereof, imho.

Its just an expression and most of us know exactly what it means. I could have said instead that Murray lacks power at the very top level but that may have sounded disrespectful. GGG has exceptional power at the weight as we know and is therefore able to simply walk through some opponents without fear, thats what I was trying to say. I don't believe he would have been able to take that liberty with a prime Nigel Benn and you seem to agree with that

[bigjack]

GGG for me,Benn was quite fragile,one i'd like to see would be the Tommy Hearns who beat James Schuler v GGG

[crow]

What I'm saying is very clear to me anyway, McClellan was winning till suffered a very unlikely injury without the injury Benn would of lost the fight , Benn didn't hit McClellan particularly hard in fact McClellan hit Benn harder or at least his punches had more affect
On Benn . Benn never knocked McClellan out McClellan stopped fighting because he was injured.

You're wrong.
Benn got up from the first kd, and managed to land a left hook before the bell that shook Mc Clellan to his boots.

In the ensuing rounds, Benn was bobbing and weaving and firing his left hook and it was catching Clelland all day long. Clelland absorbed the shots because his chin was solid and because he was a slightly bigger and younger guy, but he was slowly dying in there.

He came into the bout hoping for a quick blowout and without a plan B, yet was repeatedly being beaten to the punch at close range, losing clearly the early and middle rds.

After falling out with Stewart, his new trainer didn't have a clue what they were getting into.

[Syntax Error]

What I'm saying is very clear to me anyway, McClellan was winning till suffered a very unlikely injury without the injury Benn would of lost the fight , Benn didn't hit McClellan particularly hard in fact McClellan hit Benn harder or at least his punches had more affect
On Benn . Benn never knocked McClellan out McClellan stopped fighting because he was injured.

You're wrong.
Benn got up from the first kd, and managed to land a left hook before the bell that shook Mc Clellan to his boots.

In the ensuing rounds, Benn was bobbing and weaving and firing his left hook and it was catching Clelland all day long. Clelland absorbed the shots because his chin was solid and because he was a slightly bigger and younger guy, but he was slowly dying in there.

He came into the bout hoping for a quick blowout and without a plan B, yet was repeatedly being beaten to the punch at close range, losing clearly the early and middle rds.

After falling out with Stewart, his new trainer didn't have a clue what they were getting into.

To be fair, McClellan was suffering long before he stayed down on his knee in round 8.

He was blinking profusely from about round 4 & there was obviously something not right with him.

[crow]

To be fair, McClellan was suffering long before he stayed down on his knee in round 8.

He was blinking profusely from about round 4 & there was obviously something not right with him.

He was blinking because he ate a dozen or so flush left hooks in the first 4 rds.
Considering his poor preparation, he probably struggled making weight, and it affected the water around his brain.
Clellan was a huge super middle.

[Oiky]

Benn was a great fighter but for me I go ggg

[Marchegiano1952]

Ggg is fighting in a time that there is no competition. Back in the 1980s and 90s there were competition. DMITRY IS ONE that could had beating him if not for theveryone injury. Gerald McClelland was for me one of the hardest punches of all time.

[Ezzard]

I loved Benn but he would be lucky to win 1 out of 10. Golovkin has too much of everything. And an offensive fighter like Benn will have a painful night.

[brilo33]

golovkin would smash ben in my eyes

[jezzamundo]

To be fair, McClellan was suffering long before he stayed down on his knee in round 8.

He was blinking profusely from about round 4 & there was obviously something not right with him.

He was blinking because he ate a dozen or so flush left hooks in the first 4 rds.
Considering his poor preparation, he probably struggled making weight, and it affected the water around his brain.
Clellan was a huge super middle.

While I agree Gerald was a big super middleweight, it's worth noting McClellan had fought all of his world title fights at middleweight and was moving up in weight and he came in at 165lb, three pounds under the SMW limit.

[Jackson328]

[/quote]

While I agree Gerald was a big super middleweight, it's worth noting McClellan had fought all of his world title fights at middleweight and was moving up in weight and he came in at 165lb, three pounds under the SMW limit.[/quote]

Maybe at the weigh-in but come fight time McClellan seemed much bigger and had height/reach advantage. Lest we forget, at the time this fight took place almost no-one gave Benn a hope in hell, Gerald was 1/3 to win and most favoured him by early stoppage, not many people expected it go beyond 3 or 4 rounds. magwitch is right, Benn was either getting carried out or nothing that night and that version of Benn would not lose against GGG in my humble opinion but the Benn/McClellan match was at 168 and GGG has never fought at that weight so maybe its unfair to compare. Who wins in a shootout between GGG and a prime McClellan at 160 is a more pertinent question, Benn is competitive vs both imo and its a 50/50 fight but stepping up to 168 Benn prevails vs both for me.

[Arsenal49]

I thought I would revive this thread for no reason other than because it's my post

[Boxerbeetle]

Golovkin would almost certainly win; a terrible style match-up for Benn.

[Ossyrules]

Benn could take out golovkin

Golovkin could take out Benn

End

[RScarf1]

I think Golovkin would win if Benn was not allowed to do rabbit punches, you know the ones that permanently damaged McClellan.

[Ossyrules]

I think Golovkin would win if Benn was not allowed to do rabbit punches, you know the ones that permanently damaged McClellan.

Poor from you

[gilgamesh]

Golovkin wins by knockout in a one sided fight.

[RScarf1]

I think Golovkin would win if Benn was not allowed to do rabbit punches, you know the ones that permanently damaged McClellan.

Poor from you

I know the truth hurts.

[Badhusker]

Toney didn't skip 168. He fought there over a dozen times.

The best at that time was Roy Jones Jr, and imo would have beaten Benn with ease, like he did everyone else. He also would have beaten GGG.

GGG would have beaten Benn imo. I can't remember who made the dumb comment about bigger names enhancing a legacy. Not if you lose them all. Lmao I guess guys like Paulie M. have quite a legacy.

[ElJefe]

Fan of Benn but Golovkin wins. Probably stops him in the mid to late rounds.

[boxing_rocks]

Toney didn't skip 168. He fought there over a dozen times.

The best at that time was Roy Jones Jr, and imo would have beaten Benn with ease, like he did everyone else. He also would have beaten GGG.

GGG would have beaten Benn imo. I can't remember who made the dumb comment about bigger names enhancing a legacy. Not if you lose them all. Lmao I guess guys like Paulie M. have quite a legacy.

Darnell Boone has the best legacy then. Should be inducted into HOF.