Nigel Benn vs Haglers Opponents

Benn wouldn`t even come close to stopping Vito,not a chance... The Worm schools him, I always felt Benn had good power but not at elite level. The `big` name guys he stopped? Really weren`t big name guys at all... Barkley,an older Sims,DeWitt ??? I don`t belive that Benn would have even got near the title when Hagler was climbing the ladder. And as for Benn`s `chances` against Hagler Too comical to comment on...

 

Briscoe would have stopped Benn,guaranteed...

 

Like clockwork...

 

benn is a guy who'll split series with a wide variety of fighters so i'll score that way.

hearns 1-2
leonard 1-2 mw leonard remember
mugabi 0-3
hamsho 2-1
briscoe 2-1 prime bennie = 0-3
monroe 2-1
antufermo 1-2
minter 3-0
sibson 2-1
duran 1-2
lee 1-2/2-1 not sure what i think of lee tbh.

 

The thing with Benn is he never quite had a peak at one weight.

He was raw and often willfully neglected what decent skills he did have at 160, in favour of all-out swarming and punching.Didn't know how to pace himself a full 12, yet hit his hardest and was most physically impressive there.

saying Benn had just good power is going way too far imo.He was a two-fisted, heavy handed vicious puncher, one of the better ones at middle over the past 40 odd years.

It was mostly OTHER flaws that meant he didn't get stoppages over some of the better fighters he fought there.Not the fact his power suddenly clearly became inadequate.Even Eubank, who did have an awesome chin and could take the punches he was hit by, clearly respected it.

But ultimately Benn at middle is a dangerous, highly flawed fighter...much like many of those in that list.He'd fit into interesting fights with most of those fighters in a hypothetical best vs best scenario, win some lose some.

At 168 he settled down more, became more of a boxer-puncher and actually showed a good bit of overall talent imo.Very good punch selection and much more intelligent in his ability to avoid punches.He didn't suddenly become a master boxer-puncher or anything, but he was a lot less one dimensional.A smart box-puncher with the emphasis on punching, rather than an all out "kill or be killed" banger.

Yet he was undersized at the weight(never as big a man as Watson or Eubank imo) and didn't carry his power up fully, so it wasn't quite the case of him being a completely improved fighter, though i do prefer that version.I think he he hadn't moved up to chase a rematch with Eubank and had improved naturally in the manner he did do at 168, but at 160 with the greater physicality and power afforded him there...that would have been the peak Benn.

 

Hearns W KO early
Not sure on Leonard ( the one that fought Hagler )
Mugabi - either way early
Hamsho loses by decision
Briscoe (old version ) pick em
Minter close decision
Vito close decision
Sibson either way
Duran by decision
Lee loses by KO

 

Hey I will say that Benn was a warrior always fought like one and never was in a bad fight... The biggest thing he would have had to fear back in the day was Hagler himself...

 

Briscoe stops him, the rest Benn stops. Duran and Leonard can't keep him off. Hearns only needs to be clipped once. Mugabi and Sibson too slow, Minter too hittable and cuttable.

 

Benn's recent q&a basically confirms all of this!

 

Having said that, Leonard has a good chance of stunning him with flurries and stopping him, if he avoids the unpredictable Benn bombs coming back at him, of course.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6JeY67PUco

 

He wins some and loses some. I can't see him replicating that consecutive steak of wins though. As one poster already said he had the tendency to be " wild and chinny." There are definitely some opponents on that list whom this would be a problem against.

 

Lora's assessment is a good one, although let's remember Benn was a force of nature at 160 and despite all of his flaws quickly dispatched of Barkley and Dewitt and proved himself very capable against Eubank and in higher weight classes.

There's not many better MWs on Haglers resume than Eubank or Watson either and both were huge compared to MWs of that day, bigger than Benn too. You had to be smart with plenty of heart to beat him.

So I think he'd beat most of them but he would pick up losses. I think Leonard is the only one I'd definitely pick over him, although he'd lose more than just that one ofcourse.

 

Thank 4d reminder (I did watch it at least 2 times a few years ago).
1) Barkley had to come down from 217lbs & his punches were "painfully slow"
2) Barkley's last fight @ 160
3) Barkley was 3 years older
4) Barkley was already KOd by Robbie Sims and outpointed by Kalambay,Duran,Nunn & other 2 I du not remember now.
5) Benn held and hit in z beginning
6) Benn hit Barkley hard while he was down on 2 separate occasions
7) Bakley was still stopt on his feet



A meaningless DQ worthy per4manc by Benn .

 

Please. Leonard would never even fight him. He avoided every young fighter like the plague and when he didn't, had his head handed to him

Benn being the fast starter that he is, Leonard wouldnt be ready for him and would be sprawled on the canvas within 8