Yes I think it is worse. Those guys have youth on their side. They're fit, they won't be doing 12 rounds and pride is unlikely to see either of them going past what they can take. Benn is 55, with a lot of miles on the clock and there will be pride, a lot of it, at stake. I just think the chances of something going wrong are that much greater. Besides, the one thing that was clear at the end of Benn's career was that he was absolutely and unquestionably done. Everyone watching and, crucially, Nigel himself, knew it. Whatever that demon was inside him that drove him was no longer in control. He'd had a fantastic career, gone further than his talent would've normally taken him and he'd won plenty of admirers. Then he goes off and becomes a DJ and a pastor and whatever else and you think, great, a life after boxing, a life well earnt. This is just wrong on so many levels.
25 years ago maybe. He wasn't banging out Malinga and Collins 23 years ago. Calzaghe, Ward, Bute, Stevenson and Dirrell weren't KOing Bika and he's fought a lot more recently than Benn. Basically a prime Benn would struggle to KO Bika, a 55 year old Benn in need of an ego massage and some attention is going to look like what he sometimes comes across as, a bit of a dickhead.
This whole fight is such a spin out, can't believe we are talking about a prime Nigel Benn lmao, the geezers 55 now wtf!!! Anyone know if it hasn't been 100% confirmed??
I don't think anyone in history is banging out Collins. He walked THROUGH McCallum, Johnson and Eubanks (first fight kd was squared up, smiling on way down) best bombs, without blinking! He had Malinga down v.heavily but was just too shot to follow up.
I think that fact is exactly why this fight shouldn't be happening, he just needs to realise that it's over, to be honest he needs to wise and grow up a bit too, Nigel Benn clearly has a lot of issues that need addressing.
I think the tissue damage on his brain has healed now, whereas after McClellan when the xray shadow showed up he carried on fighting regularly (not allowing it to heal) and his balance was affected massively. He looks mega in training lately. Scarey good
Nope. Jones just beats him on points in an awkward tussle. Collins had an otherworldly chin, he took Benn's best left hook and just stared at him (like 22inch-neck'd Holyfield did against Tyson).
Am I the only person who finds it hard to credit him with the McClellan win? On paper it looks excellent but in reality it was a fight where Benn was overly wild but showed tremendous heart but he was fighting dirty and I don't like to see that, if you want to do that go down the boozer and pick a fight with someone who's up for one.
Benn was always a street fighter - hitting Barkley when he was on his knees etc. Tyson loved him. Dempsey was similar. And Ketchel they say. Rabbit punches in clinches from the elbow aren't doing damage compared to full blooded power shots with everything into them all night to the forehead and jaw. He hit Eubank in the second fight all night with rabbit punches in the clinches to no affect. Benn was unreal that violent night at Docklands - perfect punch after perfect punch after timing his body and head movement perfectly! Great footwork too, always closing the gaps.
I never really warmed to him when I was a kid. I must admit that I watched that McClellan fight when I was 11 and it just seemed really weird. I've got a mate who was a huge fan of Benn and boxing and he said that ever since that fight he lost a bit of interest in the sport, the way everyone seemed to be baying for blood, the overly dirty tactics, Benn going in wild at the start. I was a kid and a little naive so I thought it looked pretty crazy and cool but the aftermath is one of the reasons my dad never let me in the ring. Eubank v Watson 2 had me out of boxing and doing Hap Ki Do instead. I was going to take up kickboxing with a view to getting into boxing properly when Benn v McClellan happened and that was it, no way. In the subsequent years I began to think that Benn was a bit of a t**t, he always came across like he was ready to start on anyone, that he wanted all of the attention. I think there's something in that. Benn blatantly DJ'd for the attention, he did a lot of what he did and does for the attention, the "Conor is a white version of me" comment was almost certainly to try and trigger some kind of questioning response, Conor is black ffs. I take nothing away from what he achieved, Benn had a fantastic career that most boxers could only dream of, he was in a number of memorable fights and he defied the odds on occasions, I just couldn't take to him and I really don't think it's a good idea getting him in the ring with a tough and more recently active guy like Bika.
Benn was knocking about with the Essex Boys, he's the first to admit he was scum back then. McClellan a bad bad *******, but Benn was even darker!!
Let's not forget McClellan was described by an incarcerated Mike Tyson as 'the best fighter in the world.' This content is protected
