22 years ago: a surrealistic and epochal story of two warriors fighting for their lives

Boxing, just like life, is cruel; there's a sort of natural and physical intrinsic propriety for which there should always be a winner and a loser (with some rare exceptions), a dualistic contrast that often steers us away from what truly matters and what remains for the ones who will judge afterwards the fact or, as in this case, the fight. A fight as memorable as they come, and regrettably with a tragic end that says much about the uppermost negative side of boxing: a referee not able to operate in the right way, an unqualified corner which couldn't conceive some obvious symptoms of danger, a promoter with a criminal history as all of you know better than me. But I believe that, when you remember the Nigel Benn vs Gerald McClellan bout, it's way better to focus on other aspects: the Dark Destroyer that, fearless, gets up from the early chirurgical and brutal onslaught of the American opponent and begins a comeback of pure grit and grind (something comparable to Joe Simpson's incredible history of survival on Siula Grande, as related in the majestic "Touching the void"); the G-Man who -despite the terrible headache, the noisy English crowd and the man on a mission in front of him- holds out, endures, lasts until the sufferance becomes too overwhelming even for a tough and tenacious warrior like him.


Not often you see two men with that kind of intensity and desire of triumph battling against each other. Considering McClellan's current conditions, you may ask yourselves: but why all this, when almost always reward isn't equal to the dedication and efforts made? Because, at the end of the day, just like happens in nature, boxers are animals who fight desperately to defeat the others and to survive in the ferociously vengeful world that is Earth. And the mentioned sensation can never be wholly civilised. However, it certainly can be remembered by humans that testify it.

For this reason, I'd like to thank from the deep of my heart both Nigel and Gerald. Their infinite souls -at the same time so different and similar- shown in that cold February night of 1995 will always constitute an example of surpassing apparently too arduous obstacles and adversities. Again, thanks.