My vote goes to the Titantic battle between Nigel Benn (UK) vs Gerald McKellen (USA) in the mid 90's for the Middleweight Crown.
Nigel Benn was World Champion, nicknamed the Dark Destroyer for his impressive punching power and epic battles with Micheal Watson & Chris Eubank (the modern golden era of UK boxing). Gerald Mcellen was a new name with a feriocious reputation.
I'll never forget the fight....I'd followed Benn for ages, since his early late night fights shown on ITV, through his champion era....I was so used to him battering his opponents in a few rounds so you can image my shock when a min into the first round Gerald McKellen knocks him on his arse out of the ropes...Benn looked spent, but he climbed back into the ring and held on for dear life. Then slowly but surely he fought back (including being knocked down again) using every bit of skill at his disposale. After his state in the first knock down, he had no right to still be in the ring, god knows how he managed to dodge and evade the killer Mcellen blows. Eventually Benn stopped Mcellen, sadly the fight is always remembered for Mcellen's brain damage following the fight. But as far as ring battles go it's the most impressive I've ever seen....The Ali vs Forman rumble in the jungle palls in comparision.
Feature on it here:-
http://www.eastsideboxing.com/BennvsMclellen.html
In the world of boxing, there have been countless thrilling battles in the past thirty years. You know the names. The Ali-Frazier trilogy. Duran-Leonard I. Hagler-Hearns, certainly. More recently, the Holyfield-Bowe trilogy. Barrera-Morales even. There are too many to mention. These exhilarating fights have been watched again and again by fans and have never ceased to please.
For my money, the fight between Nigel Benn and Gerald McClellan definitely belongs among the pantheon of these epic encounters. Yet it is very infrequently cited when battles of this nature are discussed. This is almost certainly because of the tragic aftermath that left McClellan blind, half-deaf and severely disabled. While this reluctance to relive the fight is understandable, I believe it should be acknowledged as a titanic battle of wills between two great boxers at the height of their powers.
I do not propose to review the events of 25 February 1995 at the London Arena in minute detail. That would be superfluous. But I do want to look back at the fight as the pivotal moment in the careers of two very fine champions. Benn gave a career-defining performance that evening, after which he was never quite as good again. And we are sadly all too aware of what happened to McClellan who now lives in reduced circumstances (more of which later).
Nigel Benn was an excellent British fighter who was the reigning WBC super-middleweight champion. A tough ex paratrooper, he was one of the most popular British champions of recent years. The Dark Destroyer was enjoying a very good run of form, having put behind him his two early losses at middleweight when his explosive, ragged power-punching was mastered by the more technical boxing of Michael Watson and Chris Eubank. He was unbeaten in the previous 5 years. He retained his walk-forward, heavy-hitting style, but was not scoring as many knockouts in the early rounds. He was considerably more mature as a boxer.
At this moment, Gerald McClellan was looking set to become a modern boxing legend. The only blotches on his record were 2 defeats on points and they were clearly a learning experience. He claimed the scalp of his friend Roy Jones in his amateur career, a win whose significance would grow with the passing of time. Like Benn, he was an awesome, brutal fighter. For the record, 27 of his 31 wins up to that point lasted no longer than three rounds, against 25 of 39 wins for the Briton. The way McClellan despatched the highly rated Julian Jackson twice for the WBC middleweight crown made him a strong favourite to beat Benn.
The fight was incredible. It is almost unrivalled in recent years for sheer emotion and frenetic energy. McClellan started explosively like a young Mike Tyson, knocking Benn clean out of the ring in the very first round. With a generous count from the referee though, the Dark Destroyer managed to survive the round. Somehow. Maybe it was because he was hypnotised by Paul McKenna. Who knows. And then, bit by bit, Benn managed to set the agenda, turning it into an all-out slugfest. Each new round was a battle in itself. Brutal and brilliant shots landed from both parties and plenty missed too. Such was the burning intensity and the desire to end the fight. And when McClellan fell to one knee in the tenth round in what has now become a poignant, harrowing image, he was still aheadon two of the judges' scorecards.
* * * * *
Freeport, Illinois. This small town two hours west ofChicago is the home of Gerald "G-Man" McClellan. This is where he resides today with round-the-clock help from his sisters, Lisa, Sandra and Stacy. Gerald will never again see his son, Gerald Jnr. or his daughters,Forrest and Mandale, as they grow up. It is temptingat this point to be critical on moral grounds.Critical of the referee who spoke no English anddidn't stop the fight sooner. Critical of Don King.Critical of the boxing fraternity. But I believe thatwould be wrong. Boxers are aware of the dangers oftheir trade. And the public pays to watch boxing as asport, as entertainment. There is nothing further toadd on that score.
All that remains is to say that Benn-McClellan was aphenomenal fight. And Nigel Benn and Gerald McClellan were both superb champions. Only in McClellan's case, perhaps not quite as superb as he might have gone on to be.
Nigel Benn was World Champion, nicknamed the Dark Destroyer for his impressive punching power and epic battles with Micheal Watson & Chris Eubank (the modern golden era of UK boxing). Gerald Mcellen was a new name with a feriocious reputation.
I'll never forget the fight....I'd followed Benn for ages, since his early late night fights shown on ITV, through his champion era....I was so used to him battering his opponents in a few rounds so you can image my shock when a min into the first round Gerald McKellen knocks him on his arse out of the ropes...Benn looked spent, but he climbed back into the ring and held on for dear life. Then slowly but surely he fought back (including being knocked down again) using every bit of skill at his disposale. After his state in the first knock down, he had no right to still be in the ring, god knows how he managed to dodge and evade the killer Mcellen blows. Eventually Benn stopped Mcellen, sadly the fight is always remembered for Mcellen's brain damage following the fight. But as far as ring battles go it's the most impressive I've ever seen....The Ali vs Forman rumble in the jungle palls in comparision.
Feature on it here:-
http://www.eastsideboxing.com/BennvsMclellen.html
In the world of boxing, there have been countless thrilling battles in the past thirty years. You know the names. The Ali-Frazier trilogy. Duran-Leonard I. Hagler-Hearns, certainly. More recently, the Holyfield-Bowe trilogy. Barrera-Morales even. There are too many to mention. These exhilarating fights have been watched again and again by fans and have never ceased to please.
For my money, the fight between Nigel Benn and Gerald McClellan definitely belongs among the pantheon of these epic encounters. Yet it is very infrequently cited when battles of this nature are discussed. This is almost certainly because of the tragic aftermath that left McClellan blind, half-deaf and severely disabled. While this reluctance to relive the fight is understandable, I believe it should be acknowledged as a titanic battle of wills between two great boxers at the height of their powers.
I do not propose to review the events of 25 February 1995 at the London Arena in minute detail. That would be superfluous. But I do want to look back at the fight as the pivotal moment in the careers of two very fine champions. Benn gave a career-defining performance that evening, after which he was never quite as good again. And we are sadly all too aware of what happened to McClellan who now lives in reduced circumstances (more of which later).
Nigel Benn was an excellent British fighter who was the reigning WBC super-middleweight champion. A tough ex paratrooper, he was one of the most popular British champions of recent years. The Dark Destroyer was enjoying a very good run of form, having put behind him his two early losses at middleweight when his explosive, ragged power-punching was mastered by the more technical boxing of Michael Watson and Chris Eubank. He was unbeaten in the previous 5 years. He retained his walk-forward, heavy-hitting style, but was not scoring as many knockouts in the early rounds. He was considerably more mature as a boxer.
At this moment, Gerald McClellan was looking set to become a modern boxing legend. The only blotches on his record were 2 defeats on points and they were clearly a learning experience. He claimed the scalp of his friend Roy Jones in his amateur career, a win whose significance would grow with the passing of time. Like Benn, he was an awesome, brutal fighter. For the record, 27 of his 31 wins up to that point lasted no longer than three rounds, against 25 of 39 wins for the Briton. The way McClellan despatched the highly rated Julian Jackson twice for the WBC middleweight crown made him a strong favourite to beat Benn.
The fight was incredible. It is almost unrivalled in recent years for sheer emotion and frenetic energy. McClellan started explosively like a young Mike Tyson, knocking Benn clean out of the ring in the very first round. With a generous count from the referee though, the Dark Destroyer managed to survive the round. Somehow. Maybe it was because he was hypnotised by Paul McKenna. Who knows. And then, bit by bit, Benn managed to set the agenda, turning it into an all-out slugfest. Each new round was a battle in itself. Brutal and brilliant shots landed from both parties and plenty missed too. Such was the burning intensity and the desire to end the fight. And when McClellan fell to one knee in the tenth round in what has now become a poignant, harrowing image, he was still aheadon two of the judges' scorecards.
* * * * *
Freeport, Illinois. This small town two hours west ofChicago is the home of Gerald "G-Man" McClellan. This is where he resides today with round-the-clock help from his sisters, Lisa, Sandra and Stacy. Gerald will never again see his son, Gerald Jnr. or his daughters,Forrest and Mandale, as they grow up. It is temptingat this point to be critical on moral grounds.Critical of the referee who spoke no English anddidn't stop the fight sooner. Critical of Don King.Critical of the boxing fraternity. But I believe thatwould be wrong. Boxers are aware of the dangers oftheir trade. And the public pays to watch boxing as asport, as entertainment. There is nothing further toadd on that score.
All that remains is to say that Benn-McClellan was aphenomenal fight. And Nigel Benn and Gerald McClellan were both superb champions. Only in McClellan's case, perhaps not quite as superb as he might have gone on to be.
