Top 100 British Boxers - No 5, Nigel Benn

The remarkable thing about Nigel Benn is that he achieved what he did in spite of, rather than because of, the hype that surrounded his early career. His first 22 bouts were all power, talk, glamour and overblown claims, then Michael Watson knocked him out and his career began for real.

Possibly the biggest puncher ever to hail from these isles, Benn turned professional in 1987 and knocked out his first 22 opponents with a reckless, all-action style that drew brought many admirers. It was a case of brain over brawn when he punched himself out in a circus tent on Finsbury Park in 1985, and was eventually knocked out.

Benn decided to reinvent himself and took himself off to the United States, where three wins set up a challenge for the WBO middleweight title against Doug DeWitt , whom he stopped in eight rounds. He then made a spectacular first defence, knocking down Iran Barkley three times on the way to a first-round stoppage. He then lost the title to Chris Eubank, on Eubank's greatest night, when once again he may have let emotion get the better of him.

But, two years later, he was challenging for a world title again, stopping Mauro Galvano in Italy for the WBC super-middleweight title. After three defences, he seemed unlucky not to gain revenge over Eubank when his unification match with the now WBO super-middleweight champion was declared a draw. Two more wins set up a defence against Gerald McLellan, an American seemingly destined for greatness, certainly by the way he stopped John "The Beast" Mugabi in a round to win the WBC middleweight title. A never-to-be-forgotten ten-round war saw Benn knocked out of the ring in the first, knocked down again in the eighth, before coming back to win. McClellan was left permanently brain-damaged.

The win over McClellan effectively finished Benn. He ended up in hospital as well as the American and, while he made a full recovery, Benn was never the same fighter again. He managed two more title defences - the second against Danny Perez at Wembley Stadium on the night Frank Bruno finally became a world champion - before losing the title to Sugarboy Malinga. Two more bouts, both losses, to Steve Collins seemed more about cashing in on his former talent than any great ability to recapture former glories, but should not detract from what he achieved.

Comments

[Robert Smith]

Without the Collins fights, Benn is top ten, maybe even top five. This is why Calzaghe & Hatton can't be ranked yet. The Collins fights messed Benn's legacy up. Imagine if, say, doctors forced him to retire after the fight at Wembley against that guy Don King drafted from WBC #26 to WBC #10 at late notice, on the Bruno undercard, due to a brain scan (caused by McClellan, obviously) & he couldn't end up fighting Roy Jones which was the proposed, then Benn would be top two or three!

Anyway, it's all subjective, and personally I do have Eubank over Benn. I have Eubank in my top half-dozen (excluding active Calzaghe). He went to the US & won the Youth Spanish Gloves title in New York, & before he lost to Collins (who used disgraceful tactics) his last loss was 10 years earlier in MSG in the Golden Gloves. For a British fighter to go 10 years unbeaten, in the US, UK and Germany, fighting the best on offer from every region of the world, is incredible & Eubank deserves so much more credit than he gets.

He was willing to fight anyone, he said 'I've got the belt, come and get it!' & 19 tried and failed, before Collins found his achilles heel (mental scar from Michael Watson tragedy). He beat Benn & Watson when they genuinely despised his guts, and Rocky in Germany who was 35 & 0 big southpaw, he fought in South Africa and went through the pain barriers against boxing's biggest secret where he had to get acclimatised & deal with a ploddy-looking southpaw who had a good jab, fast hands, great counter skills & didn't tire. & he lost his title in his opponents backyard, in the lion's den. He gave Joe Calzaghe his toughest fight to date, & even moved up two whole divisions & got robbed against the much naturally bigger and stronger Carl Thompson.

He had more distance title wins than any fighter anywhere, but also produced the best KOs we've ever seen in a British ring.

Benn is in my top dozen.

[N Stevens]

Eubank over Benn??? Mr Cummings, Mr Eubank clearly stated that he fought only for money and glory meant nothing, he also clearly stated that he was never going to try to knock anyone out and would only do just enough to win, he said all this before the Benn fight in 1990 so it wasnt just a 'Post-Watson' thing .. thats a myth!! Watch the fight with Kid Milo that Eubank had, when Milo is backed to the ropes Eubank backs off and turns away. That was in 1990 .. not 1992 on. Eubank was a Domestic fighter, the Milos and Benns and Stretchs and Watsons and Storeys and Whartons were British fighters on British soil .. when he did go to foreign soil, it was in Germany and not the States, and against a petrified Rocchigiani who basically just covered up and went into a shell all night. NIGEL BENN went away to America and PROVED HIMSELF, "bashing the granny" out of De Witt who gave a peak Tommy Hearns a gr8 workout (and beat Matthew Hilton impressively), why did he look like he was 'fighting under water'?? Because Benn was banging his head from one side of the ring to the other in the first minute of the fight with massive blows --- SAME WITH BARKLEY. Gerald McClellan was looking invincible and everyone was tipping him do a job on RJJ and James Toney. The G Man couldn't find an opponent after Jackson 2!! His overarm right and left to body were the best you'll see m8. That win is by far the greatest in British Boxing History. He was Americas best puncher, he dumped Benn out the ring with a shot that ripped all the ligaments in the side of his neck, and Nige came back to win. It was WBC king vs WBC king, no World BarryHearn Organision or Warren Boxing Organision bullshit there. Benn IS lightyears ahead of Eubanks. Thank you

[Simon Cummings]

Eubank beat Benn cleanly in 1990, he also beat Michael Watson twice in 1991 - both Watson wins FAIR AND SQUARE imo. Benn was schooled by Watson. Eubank is a greater fighter than Benn and should be highter than him. Doug DeWitt was rubbish! He led with his face and only threw a left hook. Iran Barkley was rubbish! He led with his face, too, and looked like he was fighting under water against Nigel (one-eyed, weight-drained etc). Nigel could punch, and had flashy shorts, and is the most exciting British fighter I've ever seen due to his lack of concentration etc, but he's not one of the true British greats. Eubank was simply a better boxer, watch the Malinga fights in 1992 to see the difference in class. Eubank out-jabbing Malinga to beat him clearly and Malinga out-jabbing Benn to beat him clearly. That's why Eubank was such a huge bookies favourite going into the 2nd fight, Benn's best-ever performance and Eubank's worst. Unlike Benn, Eubank wasn't fed patsies on the way up - he had to scrape his way, taking fights no-one else wanted on a few hours notice etc. And he fought everyone worth a damn - from Benn to Stretch to Watson to Malinga to Thornton to Holmes to Rocchigiani to Wharton - everyone bar Nunn and Toney. Nunn he SIGNED to fight before the 2nd Benn match, and Toney he SIGNED to fight with the Sky deal - two facts for you there. No British fighter has ever had such talented Americans out there as Nunn and Toney, I don't even rate Mayweather on their level, and Eubank SIGNED TO FIGHT THEM once he'd make a few million from six-figure purses (Hamed and Hatton had multi-million purses against bums). He got off the floor to beat Watson, when Watson looked like a machine that night, and that punch(uppercut) is the one of the greatest in history. The sneak right hand he landed on Benn in round 7 of their 1st match would have knocked out a heavyweight! How Nigel stayed up from that yet got decked by a jab I'll never know. It was an amazing shot. Even in defeat against Collins, he pulled out that great right hand to deck him in round 10 but clearly didn't go in for the kill. Same with the cruiserweight fight with Carl Thompson. He could have easily won those fights there and then. Having Benn light years ahead of Eubank doesn't cut it for me. Nigel had it easy in many ways until the McLellan fight, Henry Wharton froze for 5 rounds and did nothing. Against Eubank, Wharton was all-out from the opening bell and Eubank threw the kitchen sink at him (Benn didn't, Nigel was running). Benn quit twice against Collins - Eubank didn't know the meaning of the word.

[Paul]

benn is no.1. on my list. if calzaghe was schooled by eubank or hamed was schooled by robinson,we'd have never seen them again. benn lived like a monk in miami,fought world top-ten fighters on the broadwalk and the strip in amparo and quinones and then smashed up dewitt and barkley in legendary world title wins on the same venues when everyone said he was going nowhere after the watson and williams fights. benn was the only fighter who'd go in with eubank, hamed wouldn't have gone in with barrera or morales or mayweather and calzaghe was fighting branco sobot and juan carlos jiminez(benn fought as a late sub). it was the greatest fight in british boxing history. after losing to the man you detest more than anyone on earth,you don't come back against robbie simms! simms was an avoided fighter because he was capable of pulling out upsets and had never been knocked out. sparked. he went to italy when eubank and barkley were ducking him,no one gave him a prayer. he beat eubank at old trafford by four or five rounds,showed he could box as well as most against wharton,and punched the life out of the most dangerous man on the planet at docklands. the man is the absolute ledge of brit boxing. he had a shadow on the brain after mcclennan,which showed against nardiello and collins as he was falling over his own punches and looking about 10% of himself...

[Ron Lewis]

Lee, I probably am judging Benn and Eubank in different ways, but the two of them meant very different things to me. Eubank could have gone on to be a great fighter after his win over Benn, but he didn't. Instead he took on almost exclusively low-grade opposition and had to be baled out by some dodgy judging decisions. Benn, however, with the exception of Lou Gent (who I remember seeing getting beaten by Simon Harris at the Lyceum and Serge Fame in Wimbledon in my younger days), boxed anyone who dared face him. He won some, he lost some, but that is a very creditable quality that a member of the top two on the list had too.

[Lee Oliver]

You seem to be judging Eubank and Benn in different ways, completley overlooking the negatives for Benn but highlighting those for Eubank. In my opinion there careers can be judged similiarly. Both had fights which resulted in them not being the same fighter (Eubank-Watson, Benn-McLellan) and they both had several losses. You argue that Benn was unfortunate not to beat Eubank, but it has also been argued that Eubank was unfortunate against Collins. If it comes down to common opponents Eubank wins. You seem to have put Benn 5th purely on the basis that he beat McLellan.

I would agree with Mr Fairweather in putting Eubank slightly ahead of Benn in the early teen's but nowhere near the top 5!

Ricky Hatton deserves to be ahead of them because he's won every fight he's ever had apart from in America against the best fighter around. In comparison to both Benn and Eubank this would be like them having fought Roy Jones or James Toney in the States. Also surely his Kosta Tzsyu fight would be the McLellan equivalent? I'm not even a Hatton fan!

[chuks uwaechia]

The "Dark Destroyer" was an ultimate warrior he deserves a place in British Boxing History.

His fight with Eubank and Gerald are still the best fights in my opinion in British fight history.

Ron you have choosen a true British Fighter.

[James Martin]

I agree with my namesake Mr Fairweather. Benn belongs right next to Eubank, IMO somewhere around 10th. Altho Eubank had Benn's number, and beat Watson who had KO'd Benn, Benn 'cracked' the US which Eubank never did and also had a better win on his record - McClellan - than Eubank did.

Benn was a tremendously exciting and explosive fighter but not always the most astute, tending to get himself in trouble and relying on bravery whether he ended up victorious or not. Not dissimilar to Hatton, which is where he IMO belongs in the overall rankings.

Of course, these rankings will be argued over ad infitum and it's impossible to order them so everyone agrees. What would be the fun of that!?!

[James Fairweather]

Ron, I've already suggested that the manner of a couple of his defeats makes Benn's Number 5 ranking a bit generous. There are other reasons, too.

First is that Benn does not belong a dozen places ahead of Eubank. Yes, his victories against McClellan and Barkley are more impressive than anything Eubank managed. However, one also needs to consider the head to head record and their performances against common opponents. Here, Eubank has the call, and I don't necessarily go along with the contention that Benn was robbed in the Manchester fight, either.

Neither Benn nor Eubank conclusively proved that they were the best of their weight in the UK, let alone the world. Many good judges still think that Herol Graham would have been too good for both - certainly Benn and Eubank were never in a tearing hurry to get Bomber into the ring. The names of Nunn, Toney and Roy Jones are also conspicuous by their absence from the records of either man - in all honesty, just as well for both. Eubank and Benn are clearly greats of the British ring, but I can't separate them and a discrepancy of 12 places is clearly too large. I've got them tied at 14th in my Top 20, just below Hatton and just above McGuigan, and that seems fairer to me. Benn cannot be accounted one of our Top 5 on his record, it seems to me.