This content is protected I for one didn't fancy Nigel's chances at the time after seeing how well DeWitt did against a peak Tommy Hearns (every round close/competitive) and how good he looked against Matt Hilton (known as the best left hooker in the game). Benn had power and aggression we knew that, but Hearns' right hands and Hilton's left hooks did nothing to DeWitt. DeWitt was great at doubling and trebling his jabs and hooks and keeping his 'fence' up textbook. Benn was unbelievable that night. His power unreal but the timing, footspeed, head movement everything was there.
Benn’s stock was low coming into the fight, which a lot of people overlook these days. The manner of the Watson defeat had him labelled as a hype job, and when he scaped a win over Sanderline Williams it looked like he had lost his fire and aggression. Few would have expected him to get up off the floor and beat the tar out of DeWitt, and then go onto blast out Barkley in a round. Benn was extremely dangerous as an underdog throughout his career. IIRC he wasn’t fancied either in the first Galvano fight or the second Eubank fight, and we all know what went down with McClellan.
And he pulverized the Italian (in Italy..)! Lets also not forget DDW actually RESIDED in Atlantic City and Iran was a resident of Vegas! Literally banged them out in their hometowns. Watching Barkley's previous two fights against legendary Duran and lb4lb #1-suggested Nunn, for the WBC and IBF titles, he's unlucky to not get at least a draw in both. Take the knockdown away he beats Duran, and if there were three American judges who favoured aggression he gets the nod over Nunn in that!
All good points on Barkley. He’s always very open to discussing his career at weigh ins or fights in New York, but he still has needle about the Benn blowout.
At his absolute best and fully motivated, Benn was a right handful for any middleweight that ever existed. He'd lose to a whole host of middleweight greats but, every single one of them would know they had been in a fight. For a time he was utterly fearless and every punch was thrown with bad intention and he is well ranked in my top 10 favourite fighters of all time. Would have loved to have seen him in with the likes of Nunn, RJJ, Hearns and James Toney because you know that win, lose or draw, he would have given his all and made the fights epic to watch. The absolute epitome of the Warrior code until his body started to let him down.
Loved his upper body and head movement against Eubank (II), McClellan and the Collins fights; he was like a prime Joe Frazier in there! All three were missing their right hands by miles.
