Benn vs. McClellan - wiki

Benn's next fight would change his life forever: World Middleweight champion Gerald McClellan, eager to move up in weight and become a two time world champion just as Benn had done years before, challenged Benn. The fight was shown to many countries worldwide, and in the United States it was carried by Showtime. McClellan was considered to be the hardest puncher in the world (even harder than Benn). It was an eagerly anticipated match-up.

The weights and tactics for this fight were significant. Benn weighed on the limit of 168, whilst McClellan came in at a surprisingly light 165. When lower weight champions move up a weight to challenge a respected champion without fulfilling the available weight category limit, it is usually expected they will use their likely speed advantage to out-box their heavier opponent and perhaps gain a points decision or opportunistic late knockout. McClellan surprisingly decided to pursue a very aggressive fight from the onset whilst being a significantly smaller man on the scales.

The bold policy almost worked, with McClellan dropping Benn out of the ring in round one. Benn was clearly groggy (after also hitting his head on an eager cameraman's lens at ringside). Yet he managed to survive the round and finished with a trademark crashing left hook to McClellan's head, which showed McClellan that if he didn't know already he was in with a warrior. Overall McClellan gave Benn a beating in that first round that most other fighters would not have survived. Benn nodded to his corner reassuringly at the end of the round that he was fine.

The fight continued unabated for the next six rounds. In most respected judges eyes this period of the fight was unprecedented in terms of it's ferocity. The two most dangerous punchers on the planet at the time, bar none, stood toe to toe and simply unloaded. Blow upon sickening blow unerringly hit the target from both fighters. At any moment you felt that either fighter may fall, such was the enormity of the punishment dished out. Only sheer bloody mindedness, desire, heart and above all courage kept them up.

In round eight, Benn was dropped again, after at first seeming to have McClellan in trouble, McClellan came back with a sickening right hand that sent Benn stumbling backwards. Seemingly on the verge of losing his title, Benn fought back, as in the first round. As McClellan came in for the kill, he was hit with a barrage of blows, which continued to contributed towards what was later called 'The most vicious 30 minutes in a British ring'. Both men were furiously landing blows and trading punches toe-to-toe. Neither was willing to back off, and eventually Benn's determination, huge power, desire and the support of the hometown crowd began to wear McClellan down.

In round ten, McClellan went down on one knee, after a further barrage of heavy blows from Benn. He was attacked again upon re-entering the fray and promptly took a second knee. The referee counted the ten seconds to end the bout while McClellan was still on one knee. The arena erupted, and the ring became chaotic as tens of people swarmed in to congratulate the joyous Benn. McClellan suddenly collapsed as he went back to his corner. Benn did not know what had happened until he was being interviewed by Showtime's commentator Dr. Ferdie Pacheco. McClellan was taken out of the ring on a stretcher and wearing an oxygen mask. He lost consciousness on his way to the hospital and would not recover consciousness for a very long time.

Benn spent the night in the hospital bed adjacent to his opponent, such were the severity of the injuries both fighters sustained. Benn was only slightly more fortunate than McClellan. He suffered multiple cuts and abrassions, broken jaw and ribs, lacerated kidney, damage to his liver and a shadow on his brain. The following morning, the McClellan family arrived in London and Benn was by their side. McClellan survived, but he has been blind ever since, 80 percent deaf, and was paralyzed for a long period. Recently, he began walking with the help of a cane. The week after the fight, an article about it was published in Sports Illustrated.

According to Benn's trainer, this tragedy took out all the fighting spirit from Benn. He successfully retained the title twice more, first knocking out future world champion Vincenzo Niardiello, and then stopping little known Danny Perez in seven rounds on the undercard of Frank Bruno's successful world title challenge against Oliver McCall.

In 1996 he lost to Malinga {whom he had barely and somewhat controversially beaten back in 1992 via 10 round decision} by a 12 round decision to lose the WBC world title. It was a lackluster performance by Benn, mainly due to the sheer intensity of the fights throughout his career catching up on him. It was a night to forget in Benn's career. At this point Benn needed a real challenge to inspire him one more time, but as Roy Jones Junior and numerous other American fighters refused to fight him (even when Benn offered to fight them in America for no money) he accepted an offer (financially inspiring, but not the internally inspiring fight he craved against Jones) to fight for the lesser WBO world title, Benn lost to Steve Collins by a TKO in round four, after breaking his ankle during their fight in Manchester. An immediate rematch was ordered, also in Manchester, and after this fight it was clear that Benn had come to the end. His corner retired him on his stool after six rounds - something that would have been unthinkable in the prime of his career. Collins was to remark that this wasn't the real Benn that he fought and he wished he could have fought him in his prime.

Benn has a record of 42 wins, 5 losses and 1 draw, with 35 wins by knockout as a professional boxer. Benn has contributed tirelessly to the McClellan cause and has raised and given hundreds of thousands of pounds to support him. Unfortunately his manager, who can be seen jumping for joy when McClellan knocked Benn from the ring, the infamous Don King has not given a single penny, whilst also taking the majority of McClellan's purse, from that ill fated night.

Benn, who is still a celebrity in the United Kingdom, has played many London nightclubs as a DJ. In 1996/7 he was asked to mix an album by successful UK label Fantazia for their House Collection series. However, before released the project was canceled.

Benn later appeared in the first series of the ITV reality TV show I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!. He lost out to former Radio 1 DJ Tony Blackburn.

He now lives with his family on the Spanish island of Mallorca, where he became a Born Again Christian and, later on, an ordained minister.[1]

Benn had his autobiography published chronicling his life, called Dark Destroyer.

Posted By: Old Git, Dec 6, 12:47:50