Nigel Benn vs. Roberto Duran at MW

Watson clearly had a LOT of power in his overarm right - granted, it was the one shot he scored any KD with (amateur or pro), but still... He wiped out granite-chinned Simon Collins with it for the first and last KD of his life (took a knee against Storey after thumb), on the Bruno-Witherspoon undercard. He took out Franky Moro with it for one of the only times in his career, and during Moro's fight with Tony Collins on ITV (after TC scores a flash KD in last round) it was said Moro had only ever been KD'd before by Pyatt and Watson. Cut up and stopped quality Yanks Don Lee and Reggie Miller with it. Took out excellent Dave Dent with it in the amateurs. You'd need to be blind to suggest Watson couldn't bang a bit with his stiff, awkward, leaning short overarm right shot.

 

Oh, yeah, and he KD'd Eubank with it.

 

He forced McCallum back with it, McCallum had never been forced back before - and Toney's huge right hands were absorbed easier.

 

But against Beckles, Gilpin, Lee, Stackhouse, Miller, McCallum, Christie and Eubank, Mike was forcing the fight, not so much countering. He was a pure counter-puncher in one fight - Benn, the most mindless wildman boxing has ever seen around that time (Logan, Watson fights), peek-a-boo was always going to do the trick.

 

I was a huge Benn fan, loved Eubank, and could give Watson tons of kudos, and yet what you write wraps what was.

Benn was a brilliant breath of fresh air, who revitalized the sport here in the UK.

Eubank found a niche as the pantomime villain to Benn's superhero status.

Watson was the understated excellence, that was sadly cut short.

But please do not over exaggerate things, there is no need too, we can rightly be proud of Benn's, Eubank's and Watson's achievements on themselves, without playing them up...

Your statement I just quoted is simply wrong. Watson badly underperformed against McCallum. After the evidence of Graham/McCallum and Benn/Watson, we the Brits were looking for a sign of greatness from Watson, and we were left bitterly disappointed. Watson was brutally schooled by the Bodysnatcher. Dynamite right hands? Please, Watson landed nothing of real consequence on McCallum, certainly nothing like the likes of Curry landed on McCallum for a few rounds...

 

Watson forced McCallum back with his strength, I had never seen McCallum pushed back before. It's a shame really that Watson's timing and distance was completely off after severe ring rust, falling short with rushed shots and countered below the shoulders by the master, or he may have been able to beat McCallum - who knows!

 

Well maybe my memory deceives me but on the way up I always had Watson down as a cute counter puncher with a good defence.
The McCallum fight he pushed forward and virtually lead with his face,he was better than that. Actually in view of what happened later that beating done him no favours.

 

Also against Kenny Styles, Mike was marauding forward...

 

Sounds about right.

 

So what is your plan here? To bring up every Duran thread ever made just to slam the guy?

 

Koolkev's a pretender with an ant-Duran agenda. The boys clearly 12, or he's a man with the mental age of a 12 year old.

 

Duran by decision.Too smart, slick, experienced and technical. He would do the same to Benn to what he did to Barkley.

 

Unfortunately Duran gets slaughtered. Benn would not allow it to resort to a boxing match. Benn is the type to impose his game and just rush you out of there.
Benn is a very physically strong fighter, very relentless too.

 

lol in the sparring session been absolutely OWNED him, dominated duran, he is naturally bigger,stronger and hits harder, benn destroys the overrated duran, probably like herns did, just benn hits harder in higher weights than hearns

 

Duran hardly got hit with anything clean during that sparring session. Duran was way out of shape and Benn was most likely holding back. You can't take anything from that exhibition spar.