Nigel- I was never a boxing fan, anyway

thepocketrocket · Post by **thepocketrocket** » 14 Oct 2007, 16:06

If Nigel handnt turned to Boxing he would either be dead or in prison..

He needs to be quiet, he has the right to worship but the crap hes spouting is really ruining some great memories

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 14 Oct 2007, 16:07

Nigel has earned the right to say whatever he wants about boxing after what he went through in the ring. He's hardly the first ex-pro to look back at the game with contempt after they retire.

thepocketrocket · Post by **thepocketrocket** » 14 Oct 2007, 16:09

Treat it with contempt but dont come out with garbage such as 'I wish I never boxed'..he wouldnt be able to speak from such a lofty position if he hadnt fought..

Nige may have given a lot to Boxing but Boxing certainly gave a lot to him

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 14 Oct 2007, 16:11

What utter shite. If wants to say he wished he never boxed, it's entirely up to him. What, he's not allowed to regret the decision to become a fighter. He ended up almost killing a man in the ring and enduring terrible punishment himself, and his life by the sounds of it was a complete and utter mess.

He is free to say what he likes about it, he went through it, we didn't.

chesh · Post by **chesh** » 14 Oct 2007, 17:01

KO Artist wrote:
Arnie wrote:Used to love him BUT he is full of shit now. Should name him Charles
I dont know that he is full of shit. His religious turn might be genuine.

Would his Charles name refer to past or current behaviour?

I reckon he is selling the belts to give some money to the church, but I reckon he is skint too.

I've not read anything to suggest that he's not financially very sound.

thepocketrocket · Post by **thepocketrocket** » 14 Oct 2007, 17:04

jamesmcdonnell wrote:What utter shite. If wants to say he wished he never boxed, it's entirely up to him. What, he's not allowed to regret the decision to become a fighter. He ended up almost killing a man in the ring and enduring terrible punishment himself, and his life by the sounds of it was a complete and utter mess.

He is free to say what he likes about it, he went through it, we didn't.

Oh quit with the sob story..Boxing is the only thing that gave him focus, he may have behaved like a divvy during his career but he was worse beforehand...Boxing gave him his life, a damn site better life that he was going to have..

Take away that focus after his career and hes a mess!!

Now he has religion which is great and I hope it helps him find inner peace..but to write off the Sport which gave him so much is pathetic...

Now if he turned round and said 'I was a dick before Boxing and was a Dick during my career, but now I have religion and I was to leave the old Nigel behind' then I would have nothing but respect for him and his decision..

But to write Of Boxing as Satans work makes him luck like a nutjob and an ingrate

chesh · Post by **chesh** » 14 Oct 2007, 17:11

Hasn't he also recently had a bit of "extra-marital" since embracing God? Not sure, just recall reading something. Also, for someone who has renounced boxing, he still seems to have a lot to say about it! I'm not criticising him though. He's one of British boxing's great characters.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 14 Oct 2007, 18:16

thepocketrocket wrote:
jamesmcdonnell wrote:What utter shite. If wants to say he wished he never boxed, it's entirely up to him. What, he's not allowed to regret the decision to become a fighter. He ended up almost killing a man in the ring and enduring terrible punishment himself, and his life by the sounds of it was a complete and utter mess.

He is free to say what he likes about it, he went through it, we didn't.
Oh quit with the sob story..Boxing is the only thing that gave him focus, he may have behaved like a divvy during his career but he was worse beforehand...Boxing gave him his life, a damn site better life that he was going to have..

Take away that focus after his career and hes a mess!!

Now he has religion which is great and I hope it helps him find inner peace..but to write off the Sport which gave him so much is pathetic...

Now if he turned round and said 'I was a dick before Boxing and was a Dick during my career, but now I have religion and I was to leave the old Nigel behind' then I would have nothing but respect for him and his decision..

But to write Of Boxing as Satans work makes him luck like a nutjob and an ingrate

Well to expect someone who is deeply religious to be rational, is a fools errand.

tonyevs · Post by **tonyevs** » 14 Oct 2007, 18:40

Benn was one is one of my all time favourite fighters...you have to respect a man who fought as he did.

So if he thinks differently now than what he once did then thats good for him.

A quote from another former boxer sums it up well.

"A man who thinks the same at 50 as he did at 20 has wasted the last 30yrs of his life"

Max Molyneux · Post by **Max Molyneux** » 14 Oct 2007, 19:43

Man 25 grand for a WBC belt. Who valued that?

How much for his WBO?

Upto Benn what he thinks and does, still think his fights ruled though.

Says all the way boys for the Rugby team and they could cause another player an Inhury like a boxer can, so Is he supporting It when someone else Is causing the pain?

STP · Post by **STP** » 15 Oct 2007, 08:23

He only boxed to stop himself from killing everyone in the street. He never 'boxed', he fought. His goal was to inflict pain on his opponent...

THAT is why he says he was one of the devils right hand men (don't most boxers box to box?). Also, didn't he break his sons arm once in a rage (he's partially disabled)? He also cheated on both his wives hundreds of times just because he was who he was and had no end of offers.

He doesn't want to be reminded of why he boxed. As far as I gather he's still a fan of the sport, because he travelled all the way to Vegas to watch Hatton.

stujones · Post by **stujones** » 15 Oct 2007, 08:34

jamesmcdonnell wrote:What utter shite. If wants to say he wished he never boxed, it's entirely up to him. What, he's not allowed to regret the decision to become a fighter. He ended up almost killing a man in the ring and enduring terrible punishment himself, and his life by the sounds of it was a complete and utter mess.

He is free to say what he likes about it, he went through it, we didn't.

A partially agree, no I completely agree - but if Benn now just stopped talking after saying this - instead giving his opinions on Hatton/Calzaghe etc SINCE saying he's not a fan.

WildWaylon · Post by **WildWaylon** » 15 Oct 2007, 10:30

He can say what he likes as far as I am concerned, we do enough of it on here - Nigel knows the sport inside out so hes a pretty good authority on it - OK some of what he says is a bit condradictory but he must be very mixed up after all what he has been through - Sure, the man has enjoyed luxury but it came at a price - Fame often brings isolation and loneliness while being surrounded by loads of people - Who are your true friends, there are many who claim to be, but really they are just enjoying associating and being seen with you - You dont have to look for a woman they come to you and temptation takes over and usually wins - Living with a short fuse is a massive problem and will get you into loads of trouble - When you fly off the handle you completely forget the consequences of doing it yet again - Nigel Benn is a very complex character who has probably suffered as much pain out of the ring as he has inside - It cant be easy knowing you nearly killed someone and left them unable to lead a normal life - I can see how a lot of what he says is misunderstood by many people but thats his opinion having been a very contraversial champion who gave us a lot of pleasure and excitment - When Big Ben struck and you saw Nigel you knew you were going to see a tear up, what a great fighter he was.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 15 Oct 2007, 11:46

Nigel can say he longer wants anything to do with boxing, that he hates it etc, but he's always coming out with comments especially about today's super middleweights that contradicts this. i think maybe he has an addictive personality and is in retreat to repress it all. that's my opinion, because if he isn't speaking AGAINST boxing, he's speaking ABOUT it

STP · Post by **STP** » 15 Oct 2007, 11:49

He's not speaking against boxing. He's speaking against the Dark Destroyer days where all he did was hurt people, he's changed and doesn't like that no more and doesn't want to be reminded.

EddieShredder · Post by **EddieShredder** » 15 Oct 2007, 12:08

KO Artist wrote:
WildWaylon wrote:
1southpaw wrote:i was woundering people go on about nigel benn having inner peace and all that but what do you think would happen if you called him a w***er to his face
Simple, he would smash your face in, people with violent ways dont change even if they are big churchgoers - As an example I knew a man who would beat you up for saying religion stinks and he was a church leader, but a former hard case who had been in and out of prison for violence, most of his life - Nigel finds peace of mind through religion which is good because Gerald will be on his mind every day for the rest of his life and he needs something to get him through - He is bound to have mixed feelings about boxing, it made him rich but it also made him an unhappy man - He gave his all in his fights and the Nigel Benn era was full of excitement - Benn is not full of bullshit, a lot of what he says makes sense from his perspective.
If you called him a w he would probably laugh at you. He could decapitate you with one punch but what will that prove?

My guess he has better self control. In fact I know he has, from a past experience.

He has. Quite a few years back in my hometown, when nigel was a DJ

, sorry, one of the local doorman at the club thought he'd make a name for himself by kicking off.... Nigel didn't say a word, or do a thing, despite a lot of provocation.

With regards to his current rantings, I've always been a massive fan of Benn... he was one of the reasons I got into boxing, but I'm not too keen on what he's coming out with at the moment. That said, he's entitled to his opinion, and baring in mind what he's been through and acheived, IMO he's entitled to voice his opinion.... just as we're entitled to ignore it if we so choose.

Arnie · Post by **Arnie** » 15 Oct 2007, 12:14

Bollocks

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 15 Oct 2007, 12:19

Errr....could you elaborate on that?

EddieShredder · Post by **EddieShredder** » 15 Oct 2007, 12:57

Arnie wrote:Bollocks

Is that aimed at my post? I stood there and watched it. Up to you if you believe it

Arnie · Post by **Arnie** » 15 Oct 2007, 13:52

KO Artist wrote:
Arnie wrote:Used to love him BUT he is full of shit now. Should name him Charles
I dont know that he is full of shit. His religious turn might be genuine.

Would his Charles name refer to past or current behaviour?

I reckon he is selling the belts to give some money to the church, but I reckon he is skint too.

And what would you mean

Matt W · Post by **Matt W** » 15 Oct 2007, 14:48

I have some personal experiences that have given me a great deal of respect for Nigel.

I can see why criticising boxing hacks people off but to me it relates more to HIS experiences of boxing and how it affected his own self-image & self-esteem. To me he's seeking to become a better person and it's hard to knock anyone for that.

The fact that he's content with his life is the most important thing IMO.

Matt W · Post by **Matt W** » 15 Oct 2007, 14:51

To add to my last post, Nigel is clearly a complex character and has been on the brink of suicide in the past. Being so low can give you a whole new perspective on life and I think it's hard for anybody that hasn't been through that to judge.

Arnie · Post by **Arnie** » 16 Oct 2007, 05:19

I respect Benn BIGTIME for his boxing its just all this god stuff what does my nut in.He preaches it but does not carry it out

DavidPayne · Post by **DavidPayne** » 16 Oct 2007, 05:26

He's entitled to an opinion. I think if anybody talks for long enough, eventually they talk shit.

Lenny · Post by **Lenny** » 16 Oct 2007, 05:49

Yeah he's entitled to say what he wants and as others have said gave boxing more than he probably received with regards to the fans he attracted to the sport.

Although for someone who looks down on the sport it's surprising to think it wasn't that long ago he was at Witter v Corley