Benn McClellan

[Taansend]

23 years ago today.

[bigjack]

one of the most violent fights i've ever seen.

[Jackson328]

one of the most violent fights i've ever seen.

Indeed! Sheer brutality. I've probably watched that fight back more than any other, real car crash type of horror. McClellans trainer was a real idiot, still comes across that way too

[banjo]

Benn always looked like he was possessed that night, just pure bad intentions.

[Terminator666]

There’s some interesting insights to both McClellan and his trainer on the allegedly rerun of this fight

[rd350lc]

Got to be my all time favourite fight , all be it for the disasterous consequences on the final outcome .
Really sad for how it turned out for McClellan .

Firstly I used to love Benn's ringwalks , this was no exception .

Some things that stick in my mind are the very long count for the early knockdown of Benn .

Jim Watt's comments that night were unfortunately way off ( not a hater of him , liked his commentary over the years)

He did pick up on McClellan blinking excessively throughout the later rounds , but as it looked as if Benn was taking over and something was obviously wrong him and he took a knee ,he said that McClellan was choking in the fight and didn't fancy taking the same shots he was taking earlier .

When the fight was over in the pandemonium in the ring Gary Newbon was interviewing Benn he called McClellan Mike McCallum .

In the heat of the moment when told he might be seriously injured , Benn replied they only bought him over here to " bash me up " ( which they did !)

Then you had Don king with his flag-waving saying to Benn you made a believer out of me .

As said what a brutal war of a fight in that both showed massive bollox trying to win .

[banjo]

I don't think the count was that bad, besides he was knocked onto the commentary desk and I thought they give a longer count for that?

[rd350lc]

I don't think the count was that bad, besides he was knocked onto the commentary desk and I thought they give a longer count for that?

Yes I agree they do add time on .
I seem to remember it lasted an age ( happy to be put right )

[Covfefe]

I don't think the count was that bad, besides he was knocked onto the commentary desk and I thought they give a longer count for that?

Yes I agree they do add time on .
I seem to remember it lasted an age ( happy to be put right )

He was in for nine. Though you get longer if you’re knocked out of the ring anyway. What always annoys me about that is the lies people tell about Benn falling out the ring. He falls with his back square on the side of the canvas and gets up of his own accord, you read accounts and you’d think he was carried into the ring by press row.

[nobleart1978]

Remember it like it was yesterday.

17 years old at the time.

Massive Benn fan. My palms were sweating all the way through.

A brutal, brutal fight.

PS: Benn had the Essex Boys with him that night. 18 months later they were executed in a drugs meet.

[Taansend]

Got to be my all time favourite fight , all be it for the disasterous consequences on the final outcome .
Really sad for how it turned out for McClellan .

I used to feel the same Mate but after finding out about what he did to dogs I really don't give a f*ck about him.

I wish no one any harm but if you torture animals then you get what you deserve.

[banjo]

I don't think the count was that bad, besides he was knocked onto the commentary desk and I thought they give a longer count for that?

Yes I agree they do add time on .
I seem to remember it lasted an age ( happy to be put right )

He was in for nine. Though you get longer if you’re knocked out of the ring anyway. What always annoys me about that is the lies people tell about Benn falling out the ring. He falls with his back square on the side of the canvas and gets up of his own accord, you read accounts and you’d think he was carried into the ring by press row.

I know Gary Newbon was there saying he pushed him back into the ring. fornicate off Gary you couldn't even remember McClellans name.

[bigjack]

I don't think the count was that bad, besides he was knocked onto the commentary desk and I thought they give a longer count for that?

Yes I agree they do add time on .
I seem to remember it lasted an age ( happy to be put right )

He was in for nine. Though you get longer if you’re knocked out of the ring anyway. What always annoys me about that is the lies people tell about Benn falling out the ring. He falls with his back square on the side of the canvas and gets up of his own accord, you read accounts and you’d think he was carried into the ring by press row.

I just had a look at the rules and i think if a boxer gets knocked out of the ring beyond the ring apron he is allowed 20 seconds to get back in,as Benn was still on the apron then he had 10 seconds to get back in and on his feet,which he did,just.

[Covfefe]

Yes I agree they do add time on .
I seem to remember it lasted an age ( happy to be put right )

He was in for nine. Though you get longer if you’re knocked out of the ring anyway. What always annoys me about that is the lies people tell about Benn falling out the ring. He falls with his back square on the side of the canvas and gets up of his own accord, you read accounts and you’d think he was carried into the ring by press row.

I just had a look at the rules and i think if a boxer gets knocked out of the ring beyond the ring apron he is allowed 20 seconds to get back in,as Benn was still on the apron then he had 10 seconds to get back in and on his feet,which he did,just.

Fair enough, didn’t realise you had to be off the apron. You’re right though, he was in Just in time anyway.

[Old Jack J]

I was 14 at the time and grew up idolising the Bruno, Lewis, Naz, Benn era of British boxing. I despised Eubank because I loved Benn so much.

I remember everyone saying Benn couldn't win. This really bemused me because to me Benn was invincible. I remember getting really worried in the lead up because EVERYONE was saying Benn would be knocked out by "mini Mike Tyson". I watched it that night and fell in love with the sport immediately. I remember the atmosphere and Bruno jumping up and down ringside. I still watch it back every now and again and it always takes me back to the boy jumping around (like Bruno was ) the living room shouting at the telly and the unbelievable ending when Benn pulled it out of the bag.

A real roller coaster of a night and would go down as an all time great match if it wasn't for the injury sustained in the fight.

[rd350lc]

He was in for nine. Though you get longer if you’re knocked out of the ring anyway. What always annoys me about that is the lies people tell about Benn falling out the ring. He falls with his back square on the side of the canvas and gets up of his own accord, you read accounts and you’d think he was carried into the ring by press row.

I just had a look at the rules and i think if a boxer gets knocked out of the ring beyond the ring apron he is allowed 20 seconds to get back in,as Benn was still on the apron then he had 10 seconds to get back in and on his feet,which he did,just.

Fair enough, didn’t realise you had to be off the apron. You’re right though, he was in Just in time anyway.

Never knew that ,Cleared it up for me, cheers fellas

[rd350lc]

Forgot about dear old Frank jumping up and down ( nearly as much as me ! )

From memory didn't he have an electric blue suit on ?

[Lenny Cravats]

I watched it live at a mates house, I was 11 or 12. Same mate that I watched both Eubank Thompson fights with, come to think of it.

Great fight.

When I first signed up here in 2003\4 there was a long thread on it. People where saying all sorts of stuff I didn't remember, how Benn was pushed and helped back into the ring, Benn's deliberate headbutts, long counts, rabbit punches etc.

I watched it again after that. It was a rough fight, but I didn't see half of what people where on about.

[tobyh5]

I was there that night and jesus it was a violent affair. There was menace in the air, an aura and feeling that I have never felt before or since, you could just sense destruction. During the undercard there was brawls kicking off around the venue. On TV the size difference does not seem huge but in the venue, when they went face to face it was a real "Oh fcuk, that McClellan is huge!",

From the moment it began, the crowd was electric. We were stood screaming all the way and sat down between rounds ourselves to recover, and when it was over, grown men who had never met were hugging and cheering and celebrating.

[Taansend]

I was there that night and jesus it was a violent affair. There was menace in the air, an aura and feeling that I have never felt before or since, you could just sense destruction. During the undercard there was brawls kicking off around the venue. On TV the size difference does not seem huge but in the venue, when they went face to face it was a real "Oh fcuk, that McClellan is huge!",

From the moment it began, the crowd was electric. We were stood screaming all the way and sat down between rounds ourselves to recover, and when it was over, grown men who had never met were hugging and cheering and celebrating.

Brilliant stuff.

I'd been to about 5 of Benn's previous 8 fights but didn't manage this one.

A few mates went and had a fantastic time.

[Taansend]

It was a good mates birthday or something so I didn't go but we all watched it at someone's house after taking our first (of many that night) E's.

[banjo]

Forgot about dear old Frank jumping up and down ( nearly as much as me ! )

From memory didn't he have an electric blue suit on ?

orange I think

[thepocketrocket]

Got to be my all time favourite fight , all be it for the disasterous consequences on the final outcome .
Really sad for how it turned out for McClellan .

Firstly I used to love Benn's ringwalks , this was no exception .

Some things that stick in my mind are the very long count for the early knockdown of Benn .

Jim Watt's comments that night were unfortunately way off ( not a hater of him , liked his commentary over the years)

He did pick up on McClellan blinking excessively throughout the later rounds , but as it looked as if Benn was taking over and something was obviously wrong him and he took a knee ,he said that McClellan was choking in the fight and didn't fancy taking the same shots he was taking earlier .

When the fight was over in the pandemonium in the ring Gary Newbon was interviewing Benn he called McClellan Mike McCallum .

In the heat of the moment when told he might be seriously injured , Benn replied they only bought him over here to " bash me up " ( which they did !)

Then you had Don king with his flag-waving saying to Benn you made a believer out of me .

As said what a brutal war of a fight in that both showed massive bollox trying to win .

To be fair to Watt, anyone who says they thought McClellan had gone down from a brain injury is a liar. It did look like he quit, and I remember counting with the ref.

Unfortunate, but he doesn't deserve criticism.

(edited a typo)

[Taansend]

Got to be my all time favourite fight , all be it for the disasterous consequences on the final outcome .
Really sad for how it turned out for McClellan .

Firstly I used to love Benn's ringwalks , this was no exception .

Some things that stick in my mind are the very long count for the early knockdown of Benn .

Jim Watt's comments that night were unfortunately way off ( not a hater of him , liked his commentary over the years)

He did pick up on McClellan blinking excessively throughout the later rounds , but as it looked as if Benn was taking over and something was obviously wrong him and he took a knee ,he said that McClellan was choking in the fight and didn't fancy taking the same shots he was taking earlier .

When the fight was over in the pandemonium in the ring Gary Newbon was interviewing Benn he called McClellan Mike McCallum .

In the heat of the moment when told he might be seriously injured , Benn replied they only bought him over here to " bash me up " ( which they did !)

Then you had Don king with his flag-waving saying to Benn you made a believer out of me .

As said what a brutal war of a fight in that both showed massive bollox trying to win .

To be fair to Watt, anyone who says they though McClellan had gone down from a brain injury is a liar. It did look like he quit, and I remember counting with the ref.

Unfortunate, but he doesn't deserve criticism.

I remember being shocked that he'd quit like that.

Didn't realise the damage until later.

[thepocketrocket]

I have always wondered about the useless camp in the McClellan corner. It seems true that GM wanted to quit, but plenty of fighters have wanted to quit, have been persuaded not to, then gone on to win. Morales wanted to quit against McCullough famously. Is it the corner's job to stop them bailing?

Would love a cornerman's opinion on the night.