Gerald McClellan..

[Fenster]

It's virtually impossible to compare back then to today as things are so, so different.

13 million TV viewers and massive newspaper coverage yet there was only a fraction of boxing on TV compared to now (live undercards were NEVER shown. Imagine that when we now complain about the quality of half-a-dozen undercard fights everyweek). It only had an 11,000 gate (would easily do 50,000 by todays standards) and the purses (GMan $200,000 / Benn $800,000) are shockingly low, considering the magnitude of the fight, compared with today.

However, it was a huge deal for boxing/sport fans. Far from being a "prospect" or "damaged goods," G-Man was P4P top 10, WBC middleweight champion (at a time when the WBO was still regarded as a fake title in this country), the most fearsome sparko artist on the planet and as Master said was being setup for the Roy Jones fight (GMan beat Roy in the Golden Gloves).

Benn was a bigger underdog, for anyone that "knew" anything about boxing, than those odds suggest. He had absolutely no chance of making it past three rounds (needless to say I did me dough, even though I love(d) Benn)

Greatest atmosphere i've ever seen a fight in. And that was in a bar with a dozen or so black blokes jumping on tables helping Benn comeback.

[erics44]

i watched it on a black and white 12 inch tv in my student digs

I don't remember the build up too much but I remember the fight