Fight of Their Lives : Benn v McClellan - ITV1 5th December

[MGG]

I remember reading about Gerald's interest in dog fighting a while back. To hear that he taped up a labradors mouth and set his pitbull on it is fucking unforgivable. Although you're heart goes out to him it kind of makes you think 'what goes around comes around'.

His sister is an AMAZING person though and didn't deserve to be thrust into the role of a 24/7 carer. I thought her story should have been dug into a little deeper.

Great doc though. ITV docs are usually crap but this one was a cut above

I have to say I completely agree. My sympathy for McClellan disappeared when I heard about the dog fighting (and I heard about it years ago)

Didnt know about the dog incident, being a dog owner, Karma is a wonderful thing

It is sad what happened to Gerrard, but he was not a nice person outside of the ring prior to injury.

[Memphis]

I remember reading about Gerald's interest in dog fighting a while back. To hear that he taped up a labradors mouth and set his pitbull on it is fucking unforgivable. Although you're heart goes out to him it kind of makes you think 'what goes around comes around'.

His sister is an AMAZING person though and didn't deserve to be thrust into the role of a 24/7 carer. I thought her story should have been dug into a little deeper.

Great doc though. ITV docs are usually crap but this one was a cut above

I have to say I completely agree. My sympathy for McClellan disappeared when I heard about the dog fighting (and I heard about it years ago)

Didnt know about the dog incident, being a dog owner, Karma is a wonderful thing

It is sad what happened to Gerrard, but he was not a nice person outside of the ring prior to injury.

[Master]

Benn was at his peak, he had grown into the super middleweight, had a good defence in his head movement (which bemused Eubanks the second time they fought), was more relaxed and experienced in the ring and could box when required. He was a soldier and had the discipline to train hard (and not use drugs) and come back from knock downs in the 1st and 8th rounds.

Did not realise Lennox was in the crowd but Bruno certainly became a friend afterwards.

I think a factor that he was with Don King and was not making enough money resulted in him leaving Manny Steward. As vicious as McClellan was he had no plan B, inexperienced team around him that he had to tie his own hands. Stan Johnson knows deep down that he could have stopped the fight and that he was the most responsible person for allowing it to continue to the extent that he had to see a psychiatrist.

I do not think the injury could have been prevented at the time only with hindsight could people says things could have been done differently to minimise the effects. Signs of mouth guard dangling out of his mouth, excessive blinking, complaints of headaches and being knocked out by Montell are clear signs that Gerald was in distress but I do not think it was enough to stop the fight at anytime because there would be more out roar if it was. Think Gerald was winning the fight at the time.

The impact of that fight affected Benn as well and did not realise he tried to commit suicide. The 2007 fundraising event was a great thing arranged by Kevin Luishing and it allowed Benn to meet Gerald for the first time. That was really moving, Gerald could not look at Benn but instead talked to hi sister and said “does he look sad”, Benn was in tears at the time. His sister also said she found a sense of peace at that moment because she realised it had affected Benn and that what he said immediately after the fight was adrenalin and bravado talking.