Agreed to some extent that McClellan never boxed more (a pity really because he had an exceptional jab) and agreed that he relied on his awesome knockout punches obviously too much i.e. 'Why stand there for twelve rounds when i can get it done in one?' Â A fantastic quote, but the problem was that he would obviously meet a higher class of opposition as he progressed. Â He beat some good fighters on his way to fighting Benn i.e. Julian Jackson twice, John Mugabi etc. But Benn was an undoubted step up in class who McClellan was sure was a fighter in decline who he would knock out, like many of his other victims, in the first round (and indeed he very nearly did). Â The Problem was that i think McClellan got complacent as he got cocksure in his own punching ability and was not the recipient of great advice (especially during the Benn fight). Â Had he stayed with Manny Steward we may have seen more of a boxer-puncher, an all round better fighter, but rumour is that McClellan was so self obsessed that he thought he had enough in his artillery without the further guidance of Steward. Â (He even taped his own hands before fights because he thought he could do it better than anyone else).

Outside the ring McClellan was said to be as nasty as he was inside, all rumour of-course. Â He was a lover of the fighting American Pit bull terrier, which i am myself. Â Only one story reveals how McClellan went to a pet shop and bought a mongrel, and took it home, then taped the mongrels mouth shut and let one of his fighting dogs go to work on it, obviously killing the mongrel. Â When McClellan was asked by a friend, why he felt he had to tape the mongrels mouth shut (as a pup mongrel would obviously stand no chance against a fighting dog, mouth taped shut or not) and McClellan was rumoured to have said that just like he, his dogs were fighters, and therefore, needed sparring practice, and while in sparring they didn't want to risk getting cut etc. so he taped the mongrels mouth shut in case the mongrel did any unlikely damage.
McClellan pitted his dogs against others stating that they had to earn a living just like him, and indeed such fights were to the death. Â However, on one particular occasion McClellan was rumoured to have pulled his beloved dog 'Deuce' out of a fight that the dog was losing and took the blood soaked dog home in his brand new car, destroying the interior...

Rumours crop up here and there, but it's up to you whether you believe them or not. Â I believe that McClellan was a great fighter who came to a very sad and unfortunate end in his boxing career.