“The Dark Destroyer”: Part II.

Nigel Benn, the bad boy of British boxing, was riding high. The ferocity and venom of his recent victories had made him a huge star across the Atlantic; U.S. promoter Bob Arum was even hailing him as the world’s most exciting fighter. His future looked bright as he enjoyed the adulation and perks of his success, but amidst all of the hoopla, a thorn was beginning to embed itself firmly into his side. A talented up and comer named Chris Eubank was making serious noise back home, both in the ring and verbally; turning heads with

his performances and emphatically calling out the new WBO champion at every opportunity. His persistence eventually paid off, Benn agreed to shut him up.

The fight was arguably the most eagerly awaited domestic showdown of recent times; it marked the first all-British world middleweight title fight and became the richest bout ever in the UK. There was genuine animosity between the two boxers; in fact, the word hate was mentioned more than once during the buildup. Eubank waged psychological warfare on Benn, making it his mission to get as far under his opponents skin as humanly possible. Benn vented his fury in pre-fight interviews and press conferences; on one memorable occasion when Eubank stubbornly refused to look him in the eye, he venomously stated, “I personally do hate the man.” He was ready to explode.

Benn was the bull, Eubank the Matador. In one of if not the fiercest battle ever seen in a British ring both men gave their absolute all in the now legendary yet brutally contested encounter which climaxed in a ninth round stoppage. Benn succumbed to defeat for the second time in his career but not before almost breaking Eubank in half with vicious body assaults, ripping open his mouth with an uppercut and clubbing him to the canvas.

It wasn’t enough though, with his left eye swollen completely shut as a result of the
challenger’s withering straight right hands; Benn was finally saved by the referee as he slumped against the ropes under a barrage of leather. It was a heartbreaking loss; the personal hatred he felt towards Eubank making it almost impossible for him to swallow. He once again had to evaluate what went wrong.

His middleweight days were over. He put his loss to Eubank down to difficulties making the weight, claiming the tortuous struggle to get down to 160-pounds had left him weakened. Win, lose or draw, Benn’s popularity never wavered though, he always delivered excitement and the fans loved him for it.

The super middleweight division had beckoned him; he made his return to the ring against Robbie Simms in a much needed confidence builder after such a painful defeat. He disposed of him in seven rounds and went on a four-fight knockout streak against modest opposition before being extended the full twelve rounds by the world-rated Thulane (Sugar Boy) Malinga. They would cross paths again, but more on that in part three.

Benn was beginning to mature as a boxer, while in the past he recklessly swung for the fences with every shot, he was now starting to incorporate a bit of thought into his attacks. Watson and Eubank had essentially exposed him as a one-dimensional slugger, albeit an incredibly powerful one, who could be out-thought and out-maneuvered. Benn addressed that, calmed himself down and started to display some impressive boxing skills.

In 1992, he captured the WBC super middleweight title by stopping Mauro Galvano on cuts in four rounds, thus becoming a two-weight world champion. He had turned his career around once again, now all he wanted to do was get Eubank back into the ring so he could even the score. Benn stopped Nicky Piper in his first defense and then agreed to fight Galvano again. He was unable to put the Italian away this time around, perhaps a small indication that his much vaunted power had diminished slightly at the new weight, but a comfortable points win and a fourth round knockout of Lou Gent paved the way for the rematch everyone had been waiting for.

Benn-Eubank II was on.

Stay tuned to SaddoBoxing.com for the third and final installment of “Dark Destroyer,” the Nigel Benn Story.