20 years ago today Benn v McClellan

You chose the right word - brutal.

Similarly tragic of course was Chris Eubank vs Michael Watson and it is heading towards 25 years ago for that fight.

 

Great fight.

My memories are of jumping up and calling McClellan a quitter when he took the count on his knee blinking.
:-(

 

I watched this a kid and I knew that something special/brutal/tragic was happening.

There was something different about that fight that stood out to me.

Benn, for me, is the ultimate British warrior. Heart of a lion and loved a tear-up. Can't ask for more than that out of a fighter.

 

Remember it like it was yesterday, such a great fight, that was overshadowed by complete tragedy for Gerald, when Gerald started blinking like he did, you could sense something was not right, well i could, and yet you get Jim Watt, screaming he's quit reg, was a bit diaboical tbh.

 

Didn't realise this but I was only watching this and the fight of our lives documentary yesterday! Cracking fight, as good as I have seen between two great fighters.

 

I didn't give Benn a chance in hell and I must admit I thought mcclennan had quit.most brutal fight I've ever seen.
Benn should have called it a day after that fight.

 

Hardly diabolical. It is ok to point out that a fighter has quit. You're only saying it's diabolical with hindsight, in light of what happened to McClellan later. Watt would't have known what was going to happen at the time.

Benn was magnificent that night. Who would have thought that after that first round he could come back like he did.

It was a brutal fight - put me off watching boxing for a while. I found it disturbing but compelling. I have nothing but admiration for the courage of both fighters. Both gave it their all.

 

A few American 'experts' came out after the fight and said they knew Mcclennan was a 3 round bully but it wasn't mentioned beforehand.

 

Have to give credit to Benn for the way he turned the fight around. Was one of the most exciting fights I've ever seen. But realistically McClellan got his tactics all wrong from round 3 onwards

 

Brutal sums it up perfectly, it truly was a great fight - just such a shame what happened to G-man.

 

The fight that got me addicted to boxing as a 14 year-old. Remember reading about what a destroyer McClellan was for weeks in the build-up, seeing photos of him in London with two of his Pitbull terriers and wandering whether he was being over-hyped. Found out within 30 seconds that he wasn't.

By far the most vicious fight I've ever seen. Looking back on it, the referee was almost completely inept, spoke NO English whatsoever, prevented what may well have been a first round stoppage win for McClellan, and carried on being a spectator for the rest of the fight.

Read an interesting article on McClellan a few years ago that suggested he may well have gone into the Benn fight with some sort of neurological problem already latent.

 

As for an exisitng problem he had taken bombs from a p4p all time puncher in jackson for a total of 8 rounds in two fights. Benn vs mclellan was a great fight watched it many times

 

Nothing like it before or since.

 

It was a fight that had everything.

Benn was totally written off beforehand it is a fight I have written about and remember so well boxing at it's raw,brutal best but with a tragic ending.

The aspect of the fight that gets forgotten about the total inexperience and incompetence of G-Mac's corner.He had split with Manny Steward.

Argument over money and for anyone interested G-Mac was paid $250k for the fight and cleared just shy of $63k,managed by Don King.