Much better by far. The atmosphere - all those thousands of people crammed into that tent and barely leaving enough space for the ring. The rivalry. Benn seemed to hate everyone those days, and Watson was not one to back down. The quality of the fighters - Benn went on to win world titles in two divisions. Watson challenged three times, and perhaps should have won the second time around. The third attempt ended in tragedy, just as Watson seemed about to win. The action - non stop. For those who want to watch the fight online, here's a link to my Daily Motion channel: This content is protected
Great fight but not in the same stratosphere as Hagler-Hearns for me. Nigel was on the way up but was just a sensational domestic prospect at this point. Only boxing fans knew Michael and, sadly, that would only really change after his ring injury. He was no fuss and all business. Top man. Marvin and Tommy were world stars. The fight was used to promote paying taxes in USA as April 15th was deadline day. Also the action was two way (at first) and intense with much higher quality work being done by the two superstars. A closer resemblance to Benn v Watson would be the Rumble, with Benn playing the role of Foreman, gassing out as he tried to blast Watson/Ali who covered up, conserved energy and pounced when he'd fully defused the bomb in front of him. Great, great domestic scrap - I watched it live and loved it - but it can't be compared with stellar wars like Hagler v Hearns. It was held in a tent, wasn't it? How about a few suggestions for what Don King might have called it? Here's my starter for ten - Narky in the Marquee.
Love it!! The Winner from the (relative) Beginner. Nice one, newbie. You've clearly not read the rules that you're not allowed to outshine me on a thread! Welcome aboard, williams. Which Williams are you named after? Ike? Truth? Danny?
I was in here for years as Williams7383 but my account got locked. Sadly... My surname is Williams the 0504 is my anniversary ... But if I had to pick one it would have been the Big Cat
The Hagler - Hearns fight was watched by 700,000 people in America, who paid for the live broadcast. The Benn - Watson fight was watched by millions who tuned in to the free broadcast by ITV. After all the hype, even extending to the free promotion by the IRS, just 700,000 people in a country of around 250 million at the time were prepared to watch it. Millions of people in a much smaller country saw Watson beat Benn live on TV. I know watching a free broadcast takes much less commitment than paying for one, but in the great scheme of things Hagler - Hearns was a fringe sporting event and Benn - Watson made a large part of the country stop what they were doing and watch the fight.
Good point. It trumps it for numbers as a live event for sure. I recall coming back from a pub and watching Benn vs Watson live - on a Sunday night, bizarrely. Incredible. On free TV to boot. Back in 1985, Hagler v Hearns was screened the night after the fight on free TV at about 7.30 or so here in England iirc and got good figures, I would imagine, as word got round it was a classic fight for the ages. Regarding the viewing figures in America, 700,000 in those days was a big, big deal. This was before everyone routinely had the additional cable channels. It would have taken quite a commitment to see it. When you say '700,000 were prepared to see it', it might be more accurate to add the extra two words 'pay to' before 'see it'. I'll bet millions tuned in for a free network viewing especially when word got out what a scorching fight it was. Far from being a fringe event, it is still talked about in awe today, its nickname being the 'Great eight'. The first round is the benchmark for many for judging a round's quality. It also made Hagler a household name. His appearance on Letterman the next week was wonderful. At about 10:20, Marvelous gives a bit more detail about how many people saw the fight and the revenue it generated. This is a great interview. I hadn't realised how likeable Hagler was. Getting back to the relevance of Benn-Watson, we in England live in a much smaller country and, as such, events can be amplified beyond their scale more easily. When you cram over 50 million people into a country the size of an average American state, events can take on a magnitude way beyond their actual global relevance. For example, the country stopped again five days later (on a Friday night, bizarrely), when Arsenal got a last minute goal to beat Liverpool and win the league on goals scored. Unbelievable stuff (Michael Watson was a big Arsenal fan. He had ever such a good week). But globally, it wasn't a huge story despite Liverpool's fame. It was a massive English story. Coronation Street routinely got nearly 20m views in those days, 30 times the Hagler-Hearns live audience. Does that add anything to my point? I'm not sure. Anyway, you make a good point and thanks for posting the fight. It was a true classic. My favourite of all the Benn-Eubank-Watson round Robin as it was Michael Watson's day in the sun and because it was such a brilliant fight.
To my shame, I've never seen it. Is it competitive or does Benn just blow himself out while Watson blocks and bides his time?
The link's on the top post, Max. Without wishing to give too much away, it'll take 20 mins or so of your time. It's a really good fight.
Terrific fight. Help make me a boxing fan for life. Benn was like Tyson in those early days but Watson had a steely resolve about him. I think it was the 4th round which was like out of a rocky film. I was at Eubank-Watson I, nearly put me off boxing forever. Didn´t they just reverse the Fenech-Nelson I result? The WBO should do the same and give Watson his belt.
