Interview with the G-Man

[El Kabong]

The ref constantly pushing McClellan back and not letting him follow up on Benn really cost him in the end. Had Gerald followed up the fight would have been over, Benn was holding on for dear life.


As far as justice goes rjjtszyu, McClellan is imprisoned in his body and he ain't boxing anymore either so it's basically just as you described it.

Didn't Gerald have one dog that he loved....like litterally

[Gandalf]

McClellan wasn't just into dog fighting he was sadistic.

His own relations described him as - frightening and extremely violent.

He would buy dogs from the pet shop, tape their mouths shut and let his pitbull rip them to bits. He shot his dog for losing a fight.

His former coach described the pleasure McClellan got from running over and killing a Flamingo bird at a shopping mall... so much so that he continued to circle the place killing loads of them.

I don't think any of this means he should have ended up as he did. But he was a sicko.

I had heard things from reading around about McClennan, but I had never paid too much attention. Those acts are just horrible though, the flamingo thing sounds utterly bizarre.

[donnydarkoIRL]

I understand that its a cultural thing and being around it your more likely to participate than if not in that environment. Still doesnt make it acceptable though, he either choose to torture dogs or he isnt capable of distinguishing between sport and cruelty.

I also dont think anyone wakes up one morning and decides that they are going to become a kiddie fiddler.

Can I be the one who moves this debate away from paedophiles Bad e.g

Box on

Yeah, we can leave the strange uns out of this one

I realise the distaste his actions inspire.

My point is that McClellan was only replicating practice amongst the circles he grew up in.

If you go to a primary school, you'll find kids that swear like sailors.
Parents of the more mannerly may find this unacceptable, but is it the childrens fault that they try to replicate what they think is normal or ok?

My only quarrel is that people say they don't pity him.
How can a boxing fan look at a fallen warrior (good or bad), see his condition and not be saddened?

McClellan wasn't just into dog fighting he was sadistic.

His own relations described him as - frightening and extremely violent.

He would buy dogs from the pet shop, tape their mouths shut and let his pitbull rip them to bits. He shot his dog for losing a fight.

His former coach described the pleasure McClellan got from running over and killing a Flamingo bird at a shopping mall... so much so that he continued to circle the place killing loads of them.

I don't think any of this means he deserved to end up brain damaged. But he was a sicko.

I know it sounds terrible, but thats really common Fenster.
I haven't ever seen it myself, but I've heard of it on several occassions.
I hate to draw the comparison, but its like sparring, you learn and practise the moves without having to fear retribution.

Also his dog; Deuce. In the book "War Baby," it explains that dog was hot becuase of the injuries it sustained in a losing effort.

I heard the Flamingo story and I heard some of his associates claims. They puzzle me as Emmanuel Steward and later Brendan Ingle had good relationships with the man (however brief Brendans was.)
I suppose at home where he was comfortable and less around the business he may have been more true to his own violent ways.

He's certainly violent, Teddy Blackburn depicted his fits of anger, even in his disabilitated state.


I pity him in general, a great athlete felled. A troubled man that was never saved.

[ICB]

Wow that was difficult to watch. I haven't saw the fight but that must of been some punch from Benn. This just reminds you what a cruel and dangerous sport it is, and no boxers have visited him since? That is terrible to hear.. not even Benn? You would think Benn would of been the first to visit.

Roy Jones Jr went to visit him.

[donnydarkoIRL]

Wow that was difficult to watch. I haven't saw the fight but that must of been some punch from Benn. This just reminds you what a cruel and dangerous sport it is, and no boxers have visited him since? That is terrible to hear.. not even Benn? You would think Benn would of been the first to visit.

Roy Jones Jr went to visit him.

Joey, Benn waited until his career was finished before he visited Gerald, he didn't want that on his mind in preparation for fights.

He's done a lot for Gerald recently.

[Fenster]

Donny, I've read "War Baby" twice.

The story isn't presented as though he shot the dog because of injuries. He was angry that the dog lost the fight and that it cost him a few thousand dollars gambling on it.

[donnydarkoIRL]

Donny, I've read "War Baby" twice.

The story isn't presented as though he shot the dog because of injuries. He was angry that the dog lost the fight and that it cost him a few thousand dollars gambling on it.

I'll have to read it again. I had though the story portrayed his dog losing a fight and sustaining horrific injuries.
McClellan then shot the dog as it would never fight again.
His reasoning was that a fight dog, need only live to fight.

I thought he then threw the dog in the backseat of his Merc and (under poetic licence) mourned the death of the dog for the remainder of the novel.

In the writer's mind, wasn't he speaking to the dead dog throughout the Benn fight?


As I said, I'll take your word for it, if thats not the case, I haven't read the book in a few years.

[JT Rock]

By defenition a helpless fighter unable to intelligently defend himself taking clean uncontested shots, is the purest grounds for a fight to be stopped

You can watch that video 18 ways to texas and no one in there right man can argue that Benn wasn't done in that sequence, his hands were all the way down his body was lifeless and he was still getting punched, just like Castillo/Corrales1 Pavlik/Taylor 1. Furthered by the fact that the ref kept pushing McClellan away to the point were Gerald was trying to push him out of the way and pacheco was like WTF is the ref doing... It was a tasteless despicable display of home cooking that I have seen, just like what Marlon B Wright did to Andrade... The stinck from that fight still resonates 14 years later

A few years ago, before the fight was put on the net, certain people were seriously claiming Benn was given over 30 seconds to get back in the ring.. and the crowd were helping to carry him back

I thought you were one of the guys in the crowd helping him...

[JT Rock]

Donny, I've read "War Baby" twice.

The story isn't presented as though he shot the dog because of injuries. He was angry that the dog lost the fight and that it cost him a few thousand dollars gambling on it.

I'll have to read it again. I had though the story portrayed his dog losing a fight and sustaining horrific injuries.
McClellan then shot the dog as it would never fight again.
His reasoning was that a fight dog, need only live to fight.

I thought he then threw the dog in the backseat of his Merc and (under poetic licence) mourned the death of the dog for the remainder of the novel.

In the writer's mind, wasn't he speaking to the dead dog throughout the Benn fight?


As I said, I'll take your word for it, if thats not the case, I haven't read the book in a few years.

That is the correct account, he loved deuce he even tried to stop the fight because he was getting torn up, carried the dog bleeding all over himself all in his car...

[donnydarkoIRL]

Donny, I've read "War Baby" twice.

The story isn't presented as though he shot the dog because of injuries. He was angry that the dog lost the fight and that it cost him a few thousand dollars gambling on it.

I'll have to read it again. I had though the story portrayed his dog losing a fight and sustaining horrific injuries.
McClellan then shot the dog as it would never fight again.
His reasoning was that a fight dog, need only live to fight.

I thought he then threw the dog in the backseat of his Merc and (under poetic licence) mourned the death of the dog for the remainder of the novel.

In the writer's mind, wasn't he speaking to the dead dog throughout the Benn fight?


As I said, I'll take your word for it, if thats not the case, I haven't read the book in a few years.

That is the correct account, he loved deuce he even tried to stop the fight because he was getting torn up, carried the dog bleeding all over himself all in his car...

Thats what I had thought.

The reason I recall is becuase he wore an expensive suit, it was truined, like the backseat of his car.
And if I remeber correctly, whoever was witgh him, in an interview said it was the only time he saw Gerald with tears in his eyes.

[Fenster]

Donny, I've read "War Baby" twice.

The story isn't presented as though he shot the dog because of injuries. He was angry that the dog lost the fight and that it cost him a few thousand dollars gambling on it.

I'll have to read it again. I had though the story portrayed his dog losing a fight and sustaining horrific injuries.
McClellan then shot the dog as it would never fight again.
His reasoning was that a fight dog, need only live to fight.

I thought he then threw the dog in the backseat of his Merc and (under poetic licence) mourned the death of the dog for the remainder of the novel.

In the writer's mind, wasn't he speaking to the dead dog throughout the Benn fight?


As I said, I'll take your word for it, if thats not the case, I haven't read the book in a few years.

Maybe it can be interpreted as you say... I found the story -

'He brought Deuce down to fight this guy's dog in Chicago one time, and me and Donnie, we went down there with him ...Gerald was drivin' his Mercedes Benz, a green car with caramel-coloured seats and he had this big, beautiful truck behind where he carried his dogs in cages. So Deuce, he winnin' this particular fight and all of a sudden the dog got on him and he started rippin' Deuce's throat out. So I'm kinda, like, lookin' at Gerald and I was seein' the 'spressions on his face, you know, and just as his dog was gettin' beat, Gerald told the dude, "Stop the fight!" And the dude said, "No, man. No, man, you started the fight." And Gerald says, "You stop this motherfuckin' fight! Stop the fight! I quit, here your money."

'Gerald had a nice green leather suit on, he picked his bloody dog up, threw his dog across his shoulder, blood run all down his fuckin' coat. Instead o' puttin' him in the truck, in the cage, he put him in the back seat o' the Benz, mad as hell, rubbing his dog, cryin' up and down the road, tellin', "I ain't never gonna do this shit no more, I don't know why I did this, I keep a mess o' snakes afore I put a dog through this again." You know?

'Yeah, Gerald he had some companionship about this particular dog. He'd raised this dog, and this dog, he'd killed a few. This fucking guy, man, once his dog lost a fight and he was $7,000 down. He turns around, he looks at me, and the other guy says, "Hey, you want to wash your dog off before you put him in your truck?" Gerald just pulls a nine-millimetre out of his back pocket, aims it at the dog's head, busts a cap to the dog's head, and says, "Put that motherfucker in a plastic bag. I don't need 'em if they can't fight no better than that. I don't need no motherfuckin' dog that can't fight." This the kinda guy he was...'

Fighting for life | Sport | The Observer

[JT Rock]

Sounds like 2 separate occasions to me, dont what anyone else thinks though

[donnydarkoIRL]

Donny, I've read "War Baby" twice.

The story isn't presented as though he shot the dog because of injuries. He was angry that the dog lost the fight and that it cost him a few thousand dollars gambling on it.

I'll have to read it again. I had though the story portrayed his dog losing a fight and sustaining horrific injuries.
McClellan then shot the dog as it would never fight again.
His reasoning was that a fight dog, need only live to fight.

I thought he then threw the dog in the backseat of his Merc and (under poetic licence) mourned the death of the dog for the remainder of the novel.

In the writer's mind, wasn't he speaking to the dead dog throughout the Benn fight?


As I said, I'll take your word for it, if thats not the case, I haven't read the book in a few years.

Maybe it can be interpreted as you say... I found the story -

'He brought Deuce down to fight this guy's dog in Chicago one time, and me and Donnie, we went down there with him ...Gerald was drivin' his Mercedes Benz, a green car with caramel-coloured seats and he had this big, beautiful truck behind where he carried his dogs in cages. So Deuce, he winnin' this particular fight and all of a sudden the dog got on him and he started rippin' Deuce's throat out. So I'm kinda, like, lookin' at Gerald and I was seein' the 'spressions on his face, you know, and just as his dog was gettin' beat, Gerald told the dude, "Stop the fight!" And the dude said, "No, man. No, man, you started the fight." And Gerald says, "You stop this motherfuckin' fight! Stop the fight! I quit, here your money."

'Gerald had a nice green leather suit on, he picked his bloody dog up, threw his dog across his shoulder, blood run all down his fuckin' coat. Instead o' puttin' him in the truck, in the cage, he put him in the back seat o' the Benz, mad as hell, rubbing his dog, cryin' up and down the road, tellin', "I ain't never gonna do this shit no more, I don't know why I did this, I keep a mess o' snakes afore I put a dog through this again." You know?

'Yeah, Gerald he had some companionship about this particular dog. He'd raised this dog, and this dog, he'd killed a few. This fucking guy, man, once his dog lost a fight and he was $7,000 down. He turns around, he looks at me, and the other guy says, "Hey, you want to wash your dog off before you put him in your truck?" Gerald just pulls a nine-millimetre out of his back pocket, aims it at the dog's head, busts a cap to the dog's head, and says, "Put that motherfucker in a plastic bag. I don't need 'em if they can't fight no better than that. I don't need no motherfuckin' dog that can't fight." This the kinda guy he was...'

Fighting for life | Sport | The Observer

Hmm....good find Fenster.
That really supports both sides of the arguement.

I'm not really looking to pursue this debate, but perhaps his background combined with his personal fighters mentality didn't allow for anything but a "kill or be killed" attitide.

Good find Fenster.

[donnydarkoIRL]

Sounds like 2 separate occasions to, dont what anyone else thinks though

Again JT, exactly what I thought.

[Fenster]

Sounds like 2 separate occasions to me, dont what anyone else thinks though

You think i made it up?

That's an extract from the writers book "War Baby: The Glamour of Violence"