Gerald McClellan..

[sanatogen]

No body thought McClellan was damaged goods until way after the fight, mainly they thought he had no plan B.

A bold statement


You can take or leave any of those accounts, soundbites, whispers etc to be honest and just go with what you see with your own eyes. McClellan was struggling the moment round one ended and Benn fought back.

We're any of these book documentaries created before the fight, or are they hindsight creations?

[Master]

No body thought McClellan was damaged goods until way after the fight, mainly they thought he had no plan B.

A bold statement


You can take or leave any of those accounts, soundbites, whispers etc to be honest and just go with what you see with your own eyes. McClellan was struggling the moment round one ended and Benn fought back.

We're any of these book documentaries created before the fight, or are they hindsight creations?

I am sure they were all after the event.

[smashup]

Frank Warren had 2 London ambulances at the arena that night as everyone knew it was proper going off in that ring that night.
I'm sure 2 ambulances was unheard of in the UK before this fight.
Memphis is right and I too believe McClellan went into that fight with brain trauma.
Nigel Benn admits he rarely sparred and I've seen recent interviews with him saying that is the reason Hearns can barely speak these days, Benns logic was why the fuck would I get smashed in the head with for no pay.
McClellan had daily wars in the Kronk gym.
Still the most dramatic fight ever on UK soil.

[Spicoli]

This is still one that as the years go it may be overthought in the mystery factor, tragedy unfortunately and what if factor. Really he had never gone over 8 rounds and I forgot about him coming in 175 vs Jackson and probably a couple of others. He said going up to Benn would mean he was a healthy weight and would prob be 175 but in actuality already was. On competition he went from lite touches save for maybe old Mugabi or Williams while taking 2 losses to the depth of Jackson. His follow up 'super showdown' with undefeated Parks fizzled and took longest off time prior to Benn. I don't know if he suffered trauma any less than another boxer who takes flush shots but lives by the ko god bless him but the fact is Benn was a massive step up in class and had long lived and learned the exact same mindset of a firefight.

[Fenster]

Against Jackson he has his mouth open by the end of the second round (you can constantly see his gum shield) and looks exactly as he did in the Benn fight when under duress. He even goes down on one knee, spits his shield out and excessively blinks as he claims a low blow, it's virtually identical to how the Benn fight ended.

Without the tragic ending, with hindsight, it would have been a case of - he didn't have the championship experience, unproven at the distance, not fought enough solid competition, he's a bully that couldn't handle being stood up to, no game plan etc.

Some people questioned him before the fight, not that I remember though, these guys were superheroes to me back then. Watching McClellan now he's not half the unstoppable chinning machine my rose-tinted glasses like to remember. And that goes for all those 90s heroes.

Canelo-GMan?

Golovkin-Benn?

Jacobs-Nunn?

Eubank Jr-Eubank Snr?

Lemieux-Barkley?

No way modern fighters are any worse than those of the past, or out of their depth, once nostalgia has been removed (well, in my case that's what i've come to believe).

[sanatogen]

This seems the best of the YouTube clips of Mclellan - Benn

[Master]

Best fight with a British fighter for me. I was standing up cheering watching the turn around from round 1.

[X]

I suspect there is a bit of rose tinted specs going on with the G Man.

When he came over to fight Benn, he was being built up as this threshing machine of a fighter. I was never quite so sure. I watched a lot of his previous bouts, and he was knocking people out all over the place, but they were generally overmatched anyway, only looking to survive or were carefully chosen to make Gerald look good.

I never saw much of a Plan B with MCClellan, and always thought that if someone durable could get past the sixth, he would run out of ideas.

Everybody overlooks the fact that he was having his first fight at a higher weight against Benn, plus Nigel was a proven world class operator who could seriously seriously bang.

Back in the day, I think Eubank could have handled the G Man a defeat.

Supermiddles like Calzaghe, Ward, Froch etc would have just been too big and too skilled for McClellan. Middles like Hagler, Monzon or Golovkin would have obliterated him.