He lost to Benn because 1) his punches were slower than usual, and 2) because Benn was shorter and lower than he anticipated and moving his head and upper body better than he assumed. Basically Benn was getting under McClellan's long leads and coming up with his hooks and short cross. In terms of tactics/technqiue that was the story of the whole fight. McClellan never used uppercuts in his fights and when he'd hook downstairs it was mostly off the jab or against an upright target - so in a way he was made for Benn to duck and weave well and release his stunning power shots.
He lost to Benn because he was the lesser fighter on the night. Loads of excuses but he lost a great fight Beat the current super six ..well would Benn? Think he is over rated if you think he beats the curent crop.
if you've seen his match agaisnst williams it's clear he got stuck behind his own jab. he could punch but he wasnt the swarming one hitter that he was later on. almost trying to immitate a tommy hearnsesque style. it's strange but he is a puncher i would of suggested not try to box. acelino frietas was similar in that he was a rangy big hitter yet when he developed a back foot he just didnt deleiver the goods. should of developed some defence of course. geralds foreward motion is one of the best i've seen. at 168 atleast. also jackson was able outhustle him in there first match.
I think bc Gerald hurt Jackson in the first 30 seconds he tried to finish him and Julian had some nice counters. I wouldn't say out hustle, those low blows didn't help especially from a puncher like Jackson.
gonna have to watch mcclellan v benn again. i haven't seen it for 6/7 years. defo one of the best out and out wars ive ever seen.
McClellan was half a level above Benn generally. Which makes it such a good victory for Benn. Benn was at his best, McClellan was at his worst.
Bull****. Benn was clearly the better fighter. The only advantage McClellan had was his stronger chin.
Benn had better body movement, hooks to the head and uppercuts. McClellan had better boxing ability, footwork, was better at creating openings, more skilled at punching from range, more dexterious and looked to place shots rather than swing and hope. He wasn't as gifted as Benn, or as violent, but he was much better schooled and disciplined. McClellan's patience declined where Benn's inclined, that was a big factor.
Benn's recuperative powers were crazy odd. He didn't exactly have a weak chin, the right he took from Eubank that had all his weight behind it or the right from McClellan with gravity at the start.
This is what I'm talking about, 5:46/5:47 in: [ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6-o1XWuw88[/ame] (5:47)