BoxRec

So I've just got through the bit in Dark Trade about the Nigel Benn and Gerald McClellen fight. While it, like the rest of the book, remains a brilliant piece of writing, there were a couple of mentions of rather unsavoury aspects of McClellen's character. I dug a bit deeper on the net and have found some horrible stuff out about McClellen, about the things he used to do, and take interest in. I always remembered McClellen fondly for the way he fought against Benn, and regretted that he was denied the chance to be a boxing great, however I can't help but think of the damage that someone of his character might do given the resources that multiple world title fights (and eventual PPVs) would have afforded him.

I was wondering what people's thoughts are on him? Was he a boxer first and a person second?

Of course. There's always going to be an element of that, however Gerald seemed particularly cruel. The Labrador story springs to mind...

Horrible, cruel and cretinous bastard.

Brutal fighter too.

In asnwer to your question Flav, imagine if it was the opposite and he never even boxed - then what would he have gotten up to ?

From what I`ve read he was not a very nice man.

G0mez wrote:Horrible, cruel and cretinous bastard.

Brutal fighter too.

In asnwer to your question Flav, imagine if it was the opposite and he never even boxed - then what would he have gotten up to ?

Similar stuff I'd imagine, but with millions in the bank with enablers all around you, it could have been worse.

MachoMan09 wrote:Did this incident actually happen? I'm not so sure of its credibility and never have been.

I suppose we'll never know, although Stan Johnson 'recalled' the incident in an article in Observer Sport.

What about the flamingos?

hahaha i'd forgotten the flamingoes. necky fvckers deserve everything they get IMO.

Pelicans too, he wasn't too fussy.

.

mugabi wrote:.

?? Was just about to reply to you and you wiped it!

Deserter wrote:

mugabi wrote:.

?? Was just about to reply to you and you wiped it!

I'll give you you're chance.

I think the bit about how GMan capped Deuce was probably a macho act to spare the dog further misery.Gman didnt want to admit he had been cryin like a pusssy over a dog in front of his boys. So now he had to act tough. He realised Deuce couldnt fight no more his ass was finished, so did the, in his mind, humane thing and shot the dog but he acted all tough like he be all ruthless and shitt and it was cos that motherfucker cost him $7000.

The flamingo story is plain hilarious and i just laughed and cried when i read it not at the poor animal but at Geralds dialogue!!! In fact the style all these guys be talking is funny.

Sure Gerald was just a 20 something kidult afro american "Youth" brave fearless, tough with a "thug" and "gangster" image who liked dog fighting as hell as he put it "those motherfuckers are natural fighters and killers let them fight and kill each other"........on that point Id say dog fighting is a popular sport amongst young men in many countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East. gerald was a brave tough fighter and he liked dogs to fight just like him.

He was a brother and son, and a man of immense courage and heart. I pray for him that God blesses him. The flamingo thing was cruel but in geralds undeveloped ill educated mind it was a prank i think.

We should all pray for Geralds health and well being he had unmistakeable style and class in the ring and the tag bully cant be applied to him a man that courageous can not be a bully. Pray for the man.

You haven't given me a chance as you've changed what you wrote and the bit I was going to comment on is no longer there... no dramas, as it was nothing particularly contentious anyway...

to be honest if you aitn gotn nothign nice to say then donmt say it but the word kharma springs to mind.

My attitude towards the G Man, is simple. He came over here to London with a reputation as a big hitting Middleweight who could cause Nigel Benn a big hearted brawler alot of problems, he punched Benn clean out of the ring only to see him get shoved back into the ring by ITV's Gary Newbon who got left wondering what the hell am I doing and we ended seeing one of the most utterly brutal and savage fights ever seen in a British ring, each man gave their all in a very tight but Benn dug deep and made McCellan crack with ulitmately devasting consquences.

Nigel Benn isn't really the kind of guy that u blast out, certainly not at the age he was. This fight had trouble written all over it. I was surprised for a heavy favourite how much leather Mclellan was eating so early in the fight after nearly having Benn out of there. He does not sound like he was a nice fella at all before this, product of his upbringing or otherwise....he had a brain of his own didn't he?

The ref nearly killed McClellan, holding him off Benn and getting in his way throughout round 1, then allowing Benn to headbutt and rabbit punch McClellan into permanent disability.

Foul.

NorthEastBoxingFan wrote:Nigel Benn isn't really the kind of guy that u blast out, certainly not at the age he was. This fight had trouble written all over it. I was surprised for a heavy favourite how much leather McClellen was eating so early in the fight after nearly having Benn out of there. He does not sound like he was a nice fella at all before this, product of his upbringing or otherwise....he had a brain of his own didn't he?

He wasn't not, you are right, With Nigel Benn, you practically had to hammer him to a complete and utter standstill otherwise he might come back into the fight and knock you out, which meant that you are always going to get very exciting, and at times utterly brutal wars when you watched him, as that fight against McCellan proved, and you could argue that the fight against McCellen took just as much out of him both physically and mentally as that savage trio of fights that he had with Chris Eubank.

IRLangmaid25 wrote:

NorthEastBoxingFan wrote:Nigel Benn isn't really the kind of guy that u blast out, certainly not at the age he was. This fight had trouble written all over it. I was surprised for a heavy favourite how much leather Mclellan was eating so early in the fight after nearly having Benn out of there. He does not sound like he was a nice fella at all before this, product of his upbringing or otherwise....he had a brain of his own didn't he?

He wasn't not, you are right, With Nigel Benn, you sometimes to beat him you had to hammer him to a complete and utter standstill otherwise he might come and knock you out, which meant that you are always going to very exciting, and utterly brutal wars when you watched, as that fight against McCellan took just as much out of him both physically and mentally as that savage trio of fights that he had with Chris Eubank.

trio means 3 mate.....

having said that mind u I had totally forgotten that Watson stopped Benn....I only learnt about this in Watson's autobiography The Biggest Fight, which is brilliant, but I think this was more a case of standing Benn on his head than beating him at his own game. Think I caught up with that one it's on Youtube.

orbtastic wrote:http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/stor ... 41,00.html

Tried to read that ... `gangster journalism` gone wrong

IRLangmaid25 wrote:

NorthEastBoxingFan wrote:Nigel Benn isn't really the
kind of guy that u blast out, certainly not at the age he was. This fight had trouble written all over it. I was surprised for a heavy favourite how much leather McClellen was eating so early in the fight after nearly having Benn out of there. He does not sound like he was a nice fella at all before this, product of his upbringing or otherwise....he had a brain of his own didn't he?

He wasn't not, you are right, With Nigel Benn, you practically had to hammer him to a complete and utter standstill otherwise he might come back into the fight and knock you out, which meant that you are always going to get very exciting, and at times utterly brutal wars when you watched him, as that fight against McCellan proved, and you could argue that the fight against McCellen took just as much out of him both physically and mentally as that savage trio of fights that he had with Chris Eubank.

yes these two were intimidating men of a rare ferocity violence and power from vastly different worlds
Benn a london jamaican scored 22 kayoes in his first 22 fights he looked and was an evil mother at times in his life a former british soldier in ireland. Mclellan was just as intimidating bad ass thug from detroit. Benn was brutal but to this day i never seen a puncher like gman who put out cold before their bodies even had a chance of hitting the floor. Time and time again he sadistically put journeymen out the way a sick kid might torture a fly. He didnt give a fornicate about taking on the only man in the world who did the same julian jackson twice. Same with benn he tried to beat to death iran barkley and he didnt give a rats ass if he had to hit him on the floor.
Seems bad even to say it after the event but bad things were going to happen the way these two were talking before the fight when these two men got in the ring

I'm a veggie and very committed to animal rights.

Q.E.D my goodwill for McLellan is very limited.

IRLangmaid25 wrote:My attitude towards the G Man, is simple. He came over here to London with a reputation as a big hitting Middleweight who could cause Nigel Benn a big hearted brawler alot of problems, he punched Benn clean out of the ring only to see him get shoved back into the ring by ITV's Gary Newbon who got left wondering what the hell am I doing and we ended seeing one of the most utterly brutal and savage fights ever seen in a British ring, each man gave their all in a very tight but Benn dug deep and made McCellan crack with ulitmately devasting consquences.

Said it once, said it a million times, 'The Dark Destroyer' didn't get pushed back into the ring/held up etc by anybody when he got put through the ropes.
It's a myth, easily exposed by watching the incident once more

What a fight.

A myth perpetuated by the man who said he did it? Why would Newbon lie?

Why did Reg say "they've parked the rules at the gate tonight" just as Benn is back in the ring?