BoxRec

That first punch of the fight, God was that a Fast punch or what?!?

A full-power, full-momentum right hand that was literally completely untelegraphed.

Iran actually did extremely well to stay up from that considering he wouldn't have seen it, wouldn't have expected it and was caught cold. 95+% of fighters would have been knocked out I'd say. But Barkley was no ordinary fighter...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gn1Yqui9OzU


(F-in hell)

coghaugen11 wrote:

(F-in hell)

I can only hope they do.

Amazing round, amazing performance from Benn, but this fight is a great example of how the 3 kd rule can rob us of a potentially great fight. I think Barkley could have survived the round, cleared his head, and then who knows what would have happened. He was certainly game.

Will we ever have another fighter as exciting as Nigel Benn?

Iran barkley was an absolute monster ..

I don't think the three knockdown rule would have made much difference. Benn was really hurting Barkley, and he was on seriously wobbly legs after the second knockdown.

Benn may have been disqualified, but I don't see any serious chance of a difference in the outcome.

I don't like the three knockdown rule.

Imagine if it had been enforced during the first Pacquiao Marquez fight?

didnt help that barkley was running into that punch!

great war this one and i reckon benn would have KO'd iran soon anyway.

I've heard what Benn had to say about that punch. In the moments before the first bell, spies from each camp were running round to the opposite corner to eavesdrop. The spy from Benn's camp got back and reported with some alarm on what he'd heard in the American corner. He said "they think you're just a fukkin mug. They think you're just going to come out winging with the right hand". Benn just sneered "fukkin right I am"!

nobby_nobbins wrote:I've heard what Benn had to say about that punch. In the moments before the first bell, spies from each camp were running round to the opposite corner to eavesdrop. The spy from Benn's camp got back and reported with some alarm on what he'd heard in the American corner. He said "they think you're just a fukkin mug. They think you're just going to come out winging with the right hand". Benn just sneered "fukkin right I am"!

That's brilliant, Nobby. I absolutely love that.

It reminds me of when Honeyghan went to fight Curry, and at a pre-fight press conference, Don, near the p4p pinnacle at the time, offered his hand. Instead of shaking it, Honeyghan angrily slapped it away and said, "I'm not shay-kin yow-ah 'and, I've come to knock you aht, yew cahnt."

tonyevs wrote:Will we ever have another fighter as exciting as Nigel Benn?

Iran barkley was an absolute monster ..

So was Gerald McClellan. Nigel Benn was the most exciting British fighter I've seen, maybe the most exciting of all time. He was also one of the best, we may never see his like again.

i second that

Terry D wrote:

Nelson Gateau wrote:Amazing round, amazing performance from Benn, but this fight is a great example of how the 3 kd rule can rob us of a potentially great fight. I think Barkley could have survived the round, cleared his head, and then who knows what would have happened. He was certainly game.

I think Witherspoon-Smith II and Dokes-Weaver I were also victims of this rule. Dokes-Weaver II proves this as it was the greatest heavyweight title fight ever, and had the best build up to a title fight ever (Weaver on a grand piano; Dokes preparing gourmet food fare in the pre-fight show).

Terry, Witherspoon just wanted 'out' against Bonecrusher and strolled to his corner as soon as it was stopped, while there was only one knockdown in Dokes-Weaver I before an horrendous stoppage by referee Joey Curtis (a ref who had just allowed Wilfredo Gomez to half-kill Derrick Holmes).
I assume you are joking about Weaver-Dokes II; Dokes was already strung out on coke and fought in pitty patty spurts; Weaver was all muscles and zero skill, his usual self. Mike Tyson was only three years away, thank God.

nobby_nobbins wrote:I've heard what Benn had to say about that punch. In the moments before the first bell, spies from each camp were running round to the opposite corner to eavesdrop. The spy from Benn's camp got back and reported with some alarm on what he'd heard in the American corner. He said "they think you're just a fukkin mug. They think you're just going to come out winging with the right hand". Benn just sneered "fukkin right I am"!

you heard wrong........no one from benns camp went into the corner of barkley...

Hagler2002 wrote:

coghaugen11 wrote: (F-in hell)

I can only hope they do.

It was a great win over Barkley, but; it was sloppy, Benn hit him when he was down. Dirty Tactics. But, he more than made up for this scrappy win by belting McClellan.

ERIC GUY wrote:

nobby_nobbins wrote:I've heard what Benn had to say about that punch. In the moments before the first bell, spies from each camp were running round to the opposite corner to eavesdrop. The spy from Benn's camp got back and reported with some alarm on what he'd heard in the American corner. He said "they think you're just a fukkin mug. They think you're just going to come out winging with the right hand". Benn just sneered "fukkin right I am"!

you heard wrong........no one from benns camp went into the corner of barkley...

The right hand hardly landed anyway and not anywhere critical. Barkely was backing off fom it anyway.

It was the shots on the temple which made his legs go.

At the time they were talking about Benn fighting Hearns in late 1990. Well there was only one winner there.

Nigel called out Sugar Ray Leonard live on terrestrial American TV in his post-fight interview.

coghaugen11 wrote:Nigel called out Sugar Ray Leonard live on terrestrial American TV in his post-fight interview.

And Ray Leonard did what he does best - ran from a fight.

Benn said he was looking over at Barkley before the bell and near bricking it, Iran was a monster and he knew it. He certainly got rid of the nerves pretty quick there.
What a great warm up for the GMan fight to come it was, in terms of dealing with the pressure of meeting one of the most intimidating fighters around.

Funny as Jim Watt sounds almost disinterested in the commentary - don't think he was a Benn fan in the early days, too wild and reckless for Jim's liking.

a commentator should always sound disinterested.

Nelson Gateau wrote:Amazing round, amazing performance from Benn, but this fight is a great example of how the 3 kd rule can rob us of a potentially great fight. I think Barkley could have survived the round, cleared his head, and then who knows what would have happened. He was certainly game.

Ive repeated what you have stated ad nauseum on youtube.
Its clear Irans head had cleared and his legs were steadying as the bell rang to end the round. The three knockdown ending imo ruined what should have been the 90's greatest middleweight war.
Iran could take a helluva shot, and his skills were underrated.
This was such an intense meeting of two bad asses. The tough jamaican south londoner and the bronx gang leader.
If you watch the fight, it was just so intense.

Benn and Barkley are two men whose kind we have not seen in the 2000's.

MightyWarrior wrote:Benn said he was looking over at Barkley before the bell and near bricking it, Iran was a monster and he knew it. He certainly got rid of the nerves pretty quick there.
What a great warm up for the GMan fight to come it was, in terms of dealing with the pressure of meeting one of the most intimidating fighters around.

Funny as Jim Watt sounds almost disinterested in the commentary - don't think he was a Benn fan in the early days, too wild and reckless for Jim's liking.

Yes Jim Watt came from the traditional "jab, straight right and circle" stand up european fighters that were all prevalent.

Benn , Honeyghan and Laing were some of the first british fighters to be successfull on the world scene with a so called "american style".

Benn really was to an extent the english tyson domestically during 86-89. An incredibly intimidating prescence.
His comeback after he was exposed to watson was amazing. he went to the states and won 3 good fights in what was an incredible middleweight pool of the late 80's, early 90's

I sincerely believe the class of Nunn, Barkley,Mccallum,Toney,Julian Jackson, Benn, Collins,Graham.Kalambay , Tate, Olajide and Mclellan , as well as obviously Duran and Hearns were better than what we have seen in the 2000's with the notable exception of the legendary Bernard Hopkins and Arthur Abraham

The tough jamaican south londoner and the bronx gang leader.

Nigel was born in the east end not south london

Think Benn said his ancestors were West Indies

ERIC GUY wrote:

The tough jamaican south londoner and the bronx gang leader.

Nigel was born in the east end not south london

And his parents where Bahamian

Thinking back to the eighties it took me ages to warm to Benn.

Many of his early fight were shown mid week on ITV and he quickly gained a reputation as a banger that created a buzz amoung many non boxing and casual fans.

However many hard core fans suspected that Benn was a hype job and would soon be exposed when he stepped up which occured in 1989 when he ran into Michael Watson who boxed his head off.

But Benn turned the ship around and became a legend with the Barlkey win being a major stand out victory to prove his hardness and power that made all boxing fans sit up and say wow.

After the Barkley fight Benn's reputation was rightly reversed from hype to hero with the McClellan fight epitomising the heart and spirit of the man.

I see similarities with Amir Khan's career.

It's not about how you lose but about how you come back that counts

Everyone picked him to lose to DeWitt other than Michael Watson and Chris Eubank, which is interesting.

Roy Jones was the only one who picked him against McClellan. I remember Eubank saying McClellan could box and punch whereas Benn could only punch, so he made it about 75-25 in McClellan's favour. But the heart and drive of Benn that night...