Nigel Benn quotes from Australian sports paper

Discussion in 'British Boxing Forum' started by Bulldog24, Jun 13, 2014.


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  1. Bulldog24

    Bulldog24 Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    "I developed my punching by training with weights and hitting this swinging sand-bag, the bag was so heavy you had to tense your whole core to make it swing around and I would manage to throw 2s and 3s and eventually 3s and 4s and 5s, pulling with my feet."


    "When I first turned pro, the ambition was to become British Southern Area champion and fight Herol Graham for the British Lonsdale title, bank my money and buy a house and a BMW. That was it!"


    "The first guy I fought who really knew what he was doing was Reggie Miller from America. He was young and with a winning record himself, but far more experienced than me and would block, parry, turn me; all of it. After six rounds I was a spent force and there for the taking.

    "But he dropped his guard for a second and I came off the ropes with my last ditch haymaker."


    "When I fought Michael Watson in the world title eliminator for the British Commonwealth trophy, I had 22 fights, 22 wins, 22 knockouts and only Reggie Miller had lasted more than one or two rounds and that was two years previous.

    "Everyone told me I was the best thing since sliced bread and would fight Nunn and Leonard for millions and millions of dollars and retire within a year. But two or three years previous I was collecting my doll money at the Jobcentre!

    "Michael Watson had been a pro for five years, an amateur for five years before that and had all this sparring with world-class British pros before I even fought in the ABAs. He had many rounds, the experienced Mickey Duff in his corner and was younger than me and even beat Reggie Miller two rounds sooner than me.

    "I was a shoe-in with the bookies, yet realistically it was a mismatch! My trainer wouldn't even have me spar. I didn't have a clue what I was doing and Michael beat my backside and made me look silly."


    "The plan was to outbox Barkley. I was sparring with Freddie Pendleton for speed and sharpness and practicing moving in and out with speed shots and rolls against Adolpho Washington. But after the stare down in the middle of that ring, I changed my mind because Barkley couldn't look me in the eye, and he looked dry. I was going to go out there and let him have it and catch him cold."


    "I could've fought Sugar Ray for 5 million, but I detested Chris Eubank so much, I just had to fly back to Britain and beat this guy up. It turned out to be one of my biggest mistakes, or so I thought. It actually turned out to be the biggest blessing in diguise.

    "We bounced off each other and brought the country together."


    "Dan Sherry from Canada was even more awkward than Reggie Miller. But he made a fatal mistake by letting his guard down for a second, and I slipped a right hand in on him which was maybe the best punch I threw ever."


    "Everyone was saying Henry Wharton was going to 'do' me, because he had Mickey Duff, as Michael Watson had had, and because he had a strong chin and a mighty punch and I was supposed to be chinny in a war.

    "So what did I do? I fought him like I was going to fight Barkley. Guys from the Bronx don't scare me and Gypsys don't scare me.

    "I fought the National Front when I was 14 and got hit with baseball bats, pickaxes, you name it. I fought The Troubles in Northern Ireland when I was 17 and saw arms and legs flying all around me.

    "But sometimes you got to be smart! And that's what I was against Henry Wharton. Smart."


    "I'd have fought Mike Tyson all day long, wouldn't care. So when they brought over Gerald McClellan as the 'super middleweight Tyson', I was in my element. And when my own country writ me off completely, all the papers, it was the best thing they could've done.

    "It was my hardest fight, my greatest night and my biggest regret. And I was never the same after that."
     
    Bulldog24, Jun 13, 2014
    Bulldog24, Jun 13, 2014
    #1
  2. Ryan the Lion

    Ryan the Lion King of the Jungle Full Member

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    Great fighters, great fights, great era :deal
    Great read Bulldog :good
     
    Ryan the Lion, Jun 13, 2014
    Ryan the Lion, Jun 13, 2014
    #2
  3. chrisbonnie

    chrisbonnie Active Member Full Member

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    Its funny, as a kid, and before the first Eubank fight i hated Nigel Benn.

    My elder brother and father loved Benn but i was all Eubank. I was only 10, so i get special dispensation for that.

    However after that he became my favourite. I was absolutely gutted when Steve Collins beat him, and im Irish!!!!!

    That fight, regardless of the aftermath with McClellan is still the best fight ive ever seen. Simply amazing :happy
     
    chrisbonnie, Jun 13, 2014
    chrisbonnie, Jun 13, 2014
    #3
  4. jakethemus

    jakethemus Active Member Full Member

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    Probably my favourite fighter growing up. An absolute warrior , back in the good old days with big fight live free on ITV :)
     
    jakethemus, Jun 13, 2014
    jakethemus, Jun 13, 2014
    #4
  5. Ryan the Lion

    Ryan the Lion King of the Jungle Full Member

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    I was a huge Eubank fan myself and I seen him fight live in Glasgow against Ray Close which is still one of the best fights I've ever seen. I never liked Benn as a person, but you had to respect he was an awesome fighter. Even though I had a soft spot for Eubank I was happy when The Celtic Warrior Steve Collins beat him because he was one of my own. Collins was a Celt, a Bhoy and I was absolutely over the moon when he beat Nigel Benn.

    Great fighters, great fights, great era :deal
     
    Ryan the Lion, Jun 13, 2014
    Ryan the Lion, Jun 13, 2014
    #5
  6. Mufc30

    Mufc30 Boxing Addict Full Member

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    You mean your older than 15? Wow what dya know
     
    Mufc30, Jun 13, 2014
    Mufc30, Jun 13, 2014
    #6
  7. jakethemus

    jakethemus Active Member Full Member

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    Its a shame the mcclellan fight ended the way it did because as he said above, he was never the same after that. Nobody wanted to rave about what he accomplished in beating McClellan either so he didn't get the full credit he deserved. Don't think we'll ever get to see wars like those again with today's ref's.
     
    jakethemus, Jun 13, 2014
    jakethemus, Jun 13, 2014
    #7
  8. LeeJonesJnr

    LeeJonesJnr Active Member Full Member

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    Good.
     
    LeeJonesJnr, Jun 13, 2014
    LeeJonesJnr, Jun 13, 2014
    #8
  9. Tancred

    Tancred Boxing Junkie Full Member

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    Great fighter
     
    Tancred, Jun 13, 2014
    Tancred, Jun 13, 2014
    #9
  10. bigboots

    bigboots Member Full Member

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    loved watching Nigel Benn, no one was more game than Benn!! :)
     
    bigboots, Jun 13, 2014
    bigboots, Jun 13, 2014
    #10
  11. Brixton Bomber

    Brixton Bomber Obsessed with Boxing banned Full Member

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    Benn was and will always be my favorite fighter from these shores.

    He was electric in his day; a must-see fighter.

    I watched his fight live on the telly against G-Man,and even then you knew something 'different' was happening.

    The most entertaining fighter I've ever seen NOT called Mike Tyson. He was that good!
     
    Brixton Bomber, Jun 14, 2014
    Brixton Bomber, Jun 14, 2014
    #11
  12. Black_Rainbows

    Black_Rainbows Well-Known Member Full Member

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    It's not "good" at all. British refs are terrible and ruin the sport.

    By all means try to make the sport safer in certain ways, but not at the cost of what it should be -- brutal war.

    There is no point (imo) in some watered-down version of boxing where you stop things as soon as someone gets a little bit hurt. A lot of the fun in boxing is seeing whether people can "weather the storm" and come back from being hurt.

    F**k John Rawling etc. saying, "that could have been stopped earlier by the ref"...

    No one wants to see fighters get seriously hurt obviously, but you can't treat them like it's school boy boxing or amateur boxing...

    I have seen some Brit stoppages... well why did you even start the fight in the first place? It's just completely pointless to start fights and then stop them so early.
     
    Black_Rainbows, Jun 14, 2014
    Black_Rainbows, Jun 14, 2014
    #12
  13. Redman

    Redman Active Member Full Member

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    He'd make some serious cash if he was about in this era with his style and presence.

    One of the greats for me.
     
    Redman, Jun 14, 2014
    Redman, Jun 14, 2014
    #13
  14. renuk39

    renuk39 New Member Full Member

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    Totally agree. Froch and Groves would be bit players. In this day and age with their hype and history, Benn and Eubank would have sold out Wembley twice over.


    This content is protected
     
    renuk39, Jun 14, 2014
    renuk39, Jun 14, 2014
    #14
  15. TBooze

    TBooze Obsessed with Boxing Full Member

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    What you talk of is not boxing. Yes boxing can be brutal, but as part of the fancy you have no right to expect 'brutal war'.

    The officials are there to make sure the sport as safe as is possible, not to see the fans entertained on the back of fighters who are too brave.

    That people moan on here that referees are stopping fights too early, suggests to me they are generally doing an excellent job.
     
    TBooze, Jun 14, 2014
    TBooze, Jun 14, 2014
    #15
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