NIGEL BENN v GERALD McCLELLAN (FULL FIGHT) | WORLD SUPER MIDDLEWEIGHT TITLE | THE QUEENSBERRY VAULT

FROM THE QUEENSBERRY VAULT...
On February 25th in 1995, one of the most ferocious boxing matches in British history took place between Britain's Nigel Benn and fearsome American puncher Gerald McClellan. An epic fight unfolded which unfortunately resulted in tragedy for McClellan.
Any revenue generated from advertising on this video will be donated to the Gerald McClellan fund. www.gofundme.com/f/n4hjic
#BennMcClellan #NigelBenn#QueensberryPromotions

[@QueensberryPromotions]

Any revenue generated from advertising on this video will be donated to the Gerald McClellan fund. www.gofundme.com/f/n4hjic

[@TextBookPuncher1]

Queensberry Promotions you’re a good man frank

[@purewk2730]

This is just class, much love to the Gman.

[@ancientdictator]

Please add ads between rounds. Great work, any case Frank.

[@mariosanchez8236]

@@ancientdictator What is "add ads between rounds," exactly? just curious

[@mariosanchez8236]

@Steven Stone Thank you for answering the ads question. As for your other statements

[@liverpoolscottish6430]

Nigel Benn- what a Lionheart. Incredible performance to recover from that first round. Great fight, it's just a crying shame that it resulted in tragedy for McClellan.

[@petermontgomery8707]

I’m not crying over the animal abuser,I’m laughing

[@DarkBlackMagic]

​@@petermontgomery8707Do you meat?

[@missmorena1049]

He abused animals?

[@GodBlessGodBless1227]

How is it a great fight when a man’s life was ruined???

[@chrispowell8043]

Fight should have been stopped at round 1. Appealing refereeing!!

[@terrywalker2663]

Got to love Frank Bruno throwing every puch with his countrymen what a legend 👏

[@skoltheviking1201]

Best fight Bruno ever had.

[@jamiemansell5769]

"Heart couldnt take it anymore" " eyes as clear as a bell" "nothing wrong with him" says the commentator 🤦‍♂️ u really can never speak to soon when it comes to this sport. Just like the chavez/taylor fight where taylor walked away with severe brain damage or when they called golota a quitter and the crown threw things at him when it turned out he suffered a broken cheek bone and a concusscion. Never question a fighters heart, if he takes a knee or leaves the ring its for a reason, and that reason is usually their brain telling them "if you dont get away from this youre gonna die"

[@jameshampton2899]

So so true boxing is a very dangerous sport..Like Deantay Wilder firing Mark Mark Breland for stopping his fight with Tyson Fury. Mark only did what a good trainer would do...

[@dogvomit9765]

well said my friend x

[@ryanpeterson7856]

Well said. Cheers.

[@waltersampson3455]

Meldrick had Chavez beat on all the judges cards going into the last round. His corner told him to stay away. The announcers were saying all he has to do is stay away and he wins. Meldrick being a philly fighter mixed it up and got knocked out with 8 seconds left. Andrew Golotta the man who cant stop throwing low blows. Looses a title literally because he cant stop throwing low blows. Faces Mike Tyson. A human being he cant low blows. Get hit...hard! Fear factor...fear factor. You may have a point...but use better examples

[@stuartwadlow9815]

@@jameshampton2899 spot on, this is boxing not Roman gladiators

[@LissaBroyles]

When you dig deeper into the story of this fight & the events leading up it's incredibly angering. Gerald wasn't right before the fight, (he was getting KOd repeatedly in sparring) & he wasn't right during the fight & expressed it, but they kept throwing him back in there anyway because Don King was angling for a big money fight with Roy Jones. It's been reported that King was heard berating McClellan for ruining his payday to his face as they were loading him in the ambulance. GM's first sign of problems was after his first fight with Julian Jackson where he absorbed huge bombs before scoring the KO. Afterwards he complained of severe headaches & dizziness, but his team had him back in the ring 3 months later & he never stopped training. His handlers should all be ashamed. They failed him at every turn.

[@presence5426]

There's a special place in hell for King. He gets an eternity of left hooks to the body from Tommy Morrison, while his hair is smoldering.

[@ramieskola7845]

They used him up. Like military empire uses bodies of young gullible men.

[@mrkipling2201]

If he'd stayed with Manny Steward, kept him as his trainer, the problems that McClellan experienced wouldn't have happened. The people in his corner, apart from Brendan Ingle who was the bucketman, didn't have a clue what they were doing.

[@petermontgomery8707]

The problem was he just wasn’t that good.He had power but that was all

[@yvonnesanders4308]

@Peter that's just a stupid comment

[@MrGrungefuttock]

Aside from the awful consequences of this fight, I am always amazed how Benn managed to come out in the second round after such a mauling in the first

[@SIZINGPENYRHEOL]

At the end of the 1st round - Benn sat down on his Stool and his Corner Man - Deni Mancini - told him all excited - that McCllellnan was totally fucked - he told him he threw everything he had into trying to get a 1st round knockout and he failed to do it and spent all his explosive energy - then he told Benn to go out there and do it back to him.

[@markwright5223]

True warrior that night The heart of a lion was pumping is Benn's chest for that fight

[@spenser6353]

@@SIZINGPENYRHEOL how can you be excited after getting dominated and almost knocked out in that round

[@paulanthony5274]

@@spenser6353 He explained why numb nuts are u stupid or something?

[@bricktop2090]

Im surprised at how many times Benn hit him at the back of the head without a word from the Ref?😳

[@SiLoMixMaster]

The only thing louder than the crowd was Frank Bruno's orange suit

[@malarki5]

Always seeking to be the centre of attention!

[@cviasco8571]

His suit was pink on my old shitty living room tv when I was a kid 😂

[@johnniethepom7545]

That's West Indian's for you . Frank Bruno was one of the most popular British boxers in the last 100 years . He had two faults , his legs were too strong, and he lacked the killer instinct . If he had been raised on the streets of Brooklyn, he would have been World Champion for 10 years .

[@terrydabill283]

one of the best fights I've ever seen and one of the hardest to watch on repeat after knowing what we now know.. way too many back of the head punches for me from Benn, i know mclellan was no angel in the ring either but yea very hard to watch.

[@dafarsher9738]

Whilst later punches to the back of his head could have worsened the injury, the injury itself occurred at 02:12 when Benn’s left hook off the ropes deflected off of McClellan’s raised right glove and Benn’s wrist struck McClellan behind his right ear so was in no way deliberate. From that point on there was a progressive swelling on the back right side of McClellan’s head and he began blinking rapidly. A tragic end to one of the best fights ever.

[@mrknuckles5269]

This is a GREAT showing by the dark destroyer. I hate what happened to my fellow American Gerald, and I respect how he kept trying to fight . It must have been very scary in his head when he began feeling things werent right. He boxed wobbly and strange, but well for the last several rounds as he was clearly brain damaged. This is humbling to watch. Also. Frank Bruno going nuts at ringside in that red suit is epic entertainment.

[@danthomas4198]

He was an evil man. It's a shame it had to come to human injury, but good vs evil did win this fight.

[@mauriceosullivan6832]

Mr knuckle,,, Its a shame Frank bruno,,wasn't that aggressive in his own fights.

[@wesleypresley1000]

But he didn't throw labradors to PitBulls.@@mauriceosullivan6832

[@ynotnilknarf39]

@@mauriceosullivan6832lol, true, bur Bruno was stiff as a brush, had rubbish trainers compared to US counterparts

[@mauriceosullivan6832]

​@@ynotnilknarf39agreed mate.

[@simodthebod4256]

Surprised Frank Bruno didn’t sit in the corner between rounds for Vaseline and ice. He fought every second of it too.

[@CallumFitzpatrick-ld5mg]

He makes everyone look miniature in comparison. My dad always said that Bruno LOOKED like the best of all time, but that looks can be deceiving.

[@Dreamy8900]

@@CallumFitzpatrick-ld5mghe was the best at some point, but his problem was always his lack of chin and stamina. He was comfortably beating Tim Witherspoon and Bone Crusher Smith before getting tired and rocked. He still climbed to the top of the heavyweight division just to be met with a prime Mike Tyson twice. He definitely had the boxing skills to be the best of all time, but it wasn’t meant to be.

[@ejreed2980]

The amount of hits to the back of the head is crazy.

[@markdoughty8780]

A tragic outcome, but, what a fight; one of the best in boxing history - up there with Hagler vs Hearns for me. Thanks for uploading.

[@LuvThatDirtyWater]

McClellan vs Benn was one of the most savage and tragic events in boxing history and as the 25th anniversary approaches I decided to re-examine the original broadcasts to see if there were any tell tale signs that would indicate Gerald was injured. I believe there was. In fact, I think the evidence is clear but hindsight is always 20-20 especially when you can pause and rewind. I also think these tell tale signs would have been less clear and much more difficult to see during the heat of the battle in 1995 In Round 1 after Nigel collected himself he threw a hail Mary left that went BOOM at 3:21 and that may have started the bleed. He also threw some low blows at the end of the round but boys will boys and the referee wasn't just deaf dumb & biased. He was blind! In Round 2 Nigel threw another BOOM and at 5:31 Gerald shows the FIRST signs of spitting the bit. At 5:45 Nigel was banging the back of his head and Gerald was uncharacteristically backing up which shouldn't be happening because Nigel has hit him with NOTHING that even remotely compared to the BOOMs Julian Jackson put on McClellan in the 2nd round of their fight. And look at the BOMB Jackson dropped on him in Round 3 because in his dreams Nigel never hit him with anything like THAT and yet Gerald is uncharacteristically spitting the bit. So something ain't right and the only question is WHEN it went wrong. I would suggest Gerald was injured BEFORE his fight with Nigel and the damage may have been done by Julian Jackson who pound-for- pound was one of the hardest punchers in history! Nevertheless, in Round 3 you KNOW something wasn't right. Gerald's mouthpiece is literally hanging which is a clear sign of exhaustion but when the round ends he doesn't appear to be tired or even winded in the corner. In Round 4 NIGEL is taking him apart and at 14:30 look at the HUGE BULGE on the left side of GERALD's head behind the ear. I believe this is the FIRST sign of a hematoma that eventually went subdural and in Round 5 Gerald is gasping for air. Then Nigel nailed him with two solid rabbit punches to the back of the head after the bell and my heart is aching but the beat went on. So something was wrong and after reviewing every round there is no doubt. In retrospect, SOMEBODY should have been watching McClellan VERY closely because even if he wasn't injured SOMETHING was real WRONG and I can't help but wonder if Emmanuel was there if he would've stopped the fight. We'll never know. Steward and McClellan parted company 4 months before Benn but even if a sage like Steward was there I think it would've been extremely difficult to pick up on something that your eyes don't want to see

[@Leonardo-1]

In hindsight one can say whatever you want to say ....

[@LuvThatDirtyWater]

@@Leonardo-1 so say something doofus

[@robh4671]

I agree with your synopsis 100% ,I watched when he fought Jackson, and he took some big punches in that fight, and like in the Ben fight McClellan was pawing the side of his face during that fight , I thought Rabbit punches were illegal!! and agreed that Ref was awful.

[@malarki5]

@@Leonardo-1 lol so very true lol

[@Tboy439]

What you just wrote is a whole lot of nothing. What would being a little winded have to do with a brain bleed. The incident that happened was in the 9th with the head butt when Benn tried to throw a haymaker and missed and his momentum threw him forward where the crown of his head, { the hardest thing on the human body } slammed into the side of McClellans head. McClellan went to his corner as Benn hit the canvas holding the side of his head complaining about the head butt.And although McClellan had started to dominate in the 8th, everything changed after that. If you listen to the announcer, when they come out in the 10th he said that McClellan was blinking a lot and he hadn't seen him doing that before. On this video you can't really see how damaging it was but if you find a video about { the tragedy of Gerald McClellan } It will show you a slow motion close up of the incident. That's what happened.

[@ellisrochlin2267]

What a battle royale, benn was on rocket fuel when getting stunned and then miraculousl giving it back in Benn style . McClelland just didn't know how to uppercut Benn which was the only way to stop him. Rest is history

[@basedsigma5634]

I watched it live. Most vicsious to and fro i have ever seen in my life

[@oliverbayley3509]

Nice to see so many neuroscientists joining us in the comments section.

[@kevinhisee4265]

You don't need to be when you watch the training footage, smart arse.

[@andyelliott8027]

The first time Gerald had been hit by a super-middleweight. Also the last.

[@mrwaqy]

What a war! So sad what happened to MClellan. I remember watching highlights of this on a DVD called Best of British Boxing when I was about 12 yrs old it also had Bruno, Eubank, Naz and Calzaghe. Brings back so many memories.

[@richardbickle4098]

sad, a dog killer

[@essen00cat]

Omg..lol 😆 I had that vhs when I was 13.It had Bruno and Naz on the front cover.Amazing soundtrack too but it did feature alot of bum fighters.Bruno vs Mcall at the end.I also had the Tyson uncaged vhs at around the same time.If you remember that,or maybe you remember that boxing magazine with classic fights vhs from newsagents every fortnight ?

[@OGboxing...]

@@essen00cat I remember all that stuff too. Awesome

[@bigdaddy4069]

In my day as a kid it was VHS British Boxing vids featuring Charlie Magri and John Conteh 😀

[@fernandoherrera5170]

Fuck him . He tortured animals POS . Now I'm waiting for Vick to get his karma

[@thinkbig3384]

This, at the time, was the UK Army against the US. As a British Army Sgt, in the crowd, we would follow Benn, whatever the cost. And that is what we did. McClellan was struggling at the end of the third, Benn was hitting him hard, his mouth guard was starting to appear, signalling no breathing through the nose. The referee was not qualified enough to deal with such a fight. Brilliant fight Nigel.

[@paulbowman1762]

TOPMAN SARG ! RESPECT ! PAUL PARA !

[@bullydakidd2023]

It wasn't Brilliant. Benn was fortunate to fight a Gerald McClellen who clearly enjoyed himself too much over there and the days/nights before the fight. Gerald didn't look right from the start. I don't know exactly what he did in the days and nights before this fight, but it left him weak and sluggish from the opening bell. This was not the same McCellen from previous fights. McCellen usually would come out firing quick hard punches to attempt to hurt and knockout his opponent. He moved in and out. If you look at this fight, the first round he has no power in his punches. Even throwing soft, tapping punches. And there isn't much movement. he's getting hit easy by a Benn whose punches aren't that fast. He also rest on the ropes in the first round which is clear sign that he is low on energy and has no legs. There is no doubt in my mind that Gerald McClellen wasn't disciplined in his preparation for this fight in the days/nights leading up to this fight. And it cost him his health. The nightlife over there helped Benn win this fight.

[@richgrenville4151]

😊

[@steve81nz39]

so it was the nightlife and not julian jackson and not nigel benn thanks for clearing that up @@bullydakidd2023

[@frazerbond3413]

I've watched this fight probably 20 times possibly more. I remember watching this as a 14 year old on the night as an amamture British boxer. And as much as im a great, 90s british boxing fan. Something changed in McClellen in round 2, Benn hit him at 4.49 and he was never the same, his reaction times changed, the jab slowed and the mouth guard came out.

[@paulanthony5274]

You were an amateur boxer but you can't spell it. Something wrong there. And you say you are British but call a gum shield the American way of mouth guard? Mate you're telling porkies.

[@frazerbond3413]

Your comment has really made me feel that i now have to go out of my way to prove to you that i am what i say i am. On second thoughts, feel free to think whatever you like, plonker.

[@philldownes8685]

yes i fought he was getting knocked out when benn got him with a cracking shot.. from then the mouthpiece was hanging out and not the same. a good ref would of prob seen it. the french ref was useless prick.

[@stavros693000]

@@paulanthony5274 im aussie and i use american euphemisms' all the time! So what!....this is youtube comments not college grammar dick!

[@mrkipling2201]

I was there that night at the London Arena. Its a block of posh flats now. Thankfully the floating Chinese restaurant is still there though, in front of the flats. The atmosphere was electric. I've watched this fight back closely a couple of times, and there's nowhere near the amount of rabbit punching by Benn on McClellan that people say there was. Rounds 2 to 6 there's none at all.

[@DavidJsmith-dk5tf]

Great to see Nigel Benn from the start of the second round, punishing McLellan and chasing him around the ring for three minutes. McLellan wasted his chances of stopping Benn in the first round, by throwing huge telegraphed punches, which Nigel was able to avoid with ease. The'dark destroyer' did us all proud that night - he had the heart of a lion.

[@cutthierthroats7463]

He did britain proud even when he lost

[@tubey84]

Will never understand how Benn survived the 8th. The heart of that guy was unreal.

[@drstephenbond1585]

Or the 1st round for that matter

[@shallowgod5539]

And it probably cost him his life

[@danthomas4198]

@@shallowgod5539 Except for his being Alive I see your point

[@ryancooney2560]

​@@danthomas4198 cracker 😂😂😂😂😂😂🤝

[@TonyMahoneybeats]

yeah..an uppercut or 2 would have ended it. That first punch at the start of round 9 was crazy too, Benn just ate it

[@simonthompson1214]

Still one of the best fights I've seen ,it was like watching a Rocky movie at times. Both of them landing big shots . Such a sad ending though ,Benn was never the same after.

[@starman9921]

The heart of a lion

[@simonreeves828]

Probably the best Boxing Matxh ive ever seen . Benn and the G-Man both never gave up . Best wishes to Gerald and his wonderful sister 👌🇬🇧✅

[@MartinBWall]

Our Nigel is a fuckin legend and a warrior this fight was a toe to toe war

[@Mikeandlucy1]

I didn't realise McClellan was pushing his gumshield out from just the second round, later he would do that far more pronouncedly which some have said was an indication of something wrong in his head. Either way, a tragedy for both him and Nigel

[@vigilantemovements]

too many blows behind the head .. 36:39 straw that broke the camels bk

[@achecee2070]

GM getting smacked with his mouthpiece not properly clenched in is what did it. That and all th constant hits to the head and back of the head afterwards

[@robertstevenson7554]

Nigel, What a warrior. One of our best fighters of all time. Should have been knighted by now. What do you think.

[@leeragsdale8856]

I feel like the ref was on Bens side

[@chrismoore2971]

I mean the ref did literally pat him on the back at the end of the 8th round kzbin.info/www/bejne/hGLIo3aGZdtsfJI

[@momot9051]

You talk shit

[@ppuh6tfrz646]

5:55 Piers Morgan in the bottom left. 6:07 Les Ferdinand on the right between the two middle ropes.

[@MichaelJordan-xp3yb]

JRE brought me here

[@tubey84]

McClellan was in no way overhyped either, proper animal of a fighter, not many gave Benn a prayer for this fight.

[@Yourtruthmightnotbemine]

Yeah a dog of a fighter that staged dog fights to the death.

[@tubey84]

@@Yourtruthmightnotbemine indeed, horrible human being, but unfortunately sometimes horrible humans have tremendous talent too.

[@threerings1345]

It's impossible to identify the exact moment when McLellan's head trauma became life-threatening, but his irregular non-stop blinking began after Benn butted him on the forehead at 33:10. Gerald also took countless rabbit punches to the back of his skull, b/c the incompetent referee did nothing to prevent Benn from using this illegal tactic.

[@threerings1345]

@@BigboyRoy100 Do you believe McLellan got hurt originally in one of the Jackson fights? If so it had to have been the 1st one b/c the rematch was 90 seconds. Benn landed bombs (and rabbit punches) all night.displayed great head movement wore Gerald out from missing so many punches. By the 4th rd. his mouthpiece was hanging out like a target.

[@steve81nz39]

@@threerings1345 Mclellans gum shield started to be a problem mid round 4 maybe the Jackson fights maybe just all the fights hard to tell.

[@LuvThatDirtyWater]

@@threerings1345In rounds 2 & 3 of the 1st fight between Jackson & McClelllan because in his dreams Nigel never hit Gerald with ANYTHING that remotely compares

[@threerings1345]

@@LuvThatDirtyWater Based on some pretty compelling evidence I believe you are right about the origin of the injury. The shots from Benn busted open the already weakened blood vessel McLellan originally suffered at the fists of Julian Jackson.

[@threerings1345]

@@steve81nz39 I believe based on some statements made not long ago that McLellan left the ring after the 1st Jackson fight w/ a KO and a critical blood vessel injury to the brain that went undetected. He was having occasional headaches during training for Benn, but nothing was going to keep him out of that ring.

[@canopus101]

I could see McClenan was suffering something unusual from round two onward. I have never seen, in several decades of watching boxing, a fighter who was almost spitting out his gum shield . No criticism of the ref as he had probably never seen this either. Nigel Benn was an awesome fighter who had some tremendous victories. I would love to see a Young Nigel against Canelo. What a fight!!

[@martytdd1606]

Canelo is not finishing that fight. Same with G-Man, they would be stylistic nightmares for him, and out gun him.

[@larryjenkinson4789]

Hats off to Benn, he had some balls and started coming back at the end of the 1st. After the fight the American press said they knew McClellan was only a 3 round fighter, which they hadn't mentioned before

[@dlmullins9054]

If you believe that, i have nothing to say because you are in a dream world. If McLellan had not gotten brain damage in the second round, he would have made short work of Nigel. He was at maybe 50% after he suffered brain damage in round 2.

[@francishughes542]

Jeez, What a ridiculous comment to make, whose fault was it that he got brain damage ?

[@roudyralpher9539]

Bob and weaving and a heart from Ben... Viscious fight. I liked both fighters.

[@davidbarlee4722]

Benn... one of the greatest boxers of all time ? I think so.

[@cutthierthroats7463]

Fighter but fucking brilliant

[@edwardhaggarty365]

We shall endeavour to persevere. Result. =triumph.

[@rahernan30]

Its weird how nobody talks about how many times Benn hit him behind the head

[@antoniobanderas7426]

How many times benn punch gerald in back of head?

[@wolves1980]

​@Antonio Banderas about 20 round 9 was the worst rabbit punching cheat

[@dylanburston7453]

Weird how no one talks about McCllenan doing it either. And unlike Benns, which were from the clinch, and i dont think ive seen a fight that doesnt have at least one thrown) Geralds were fully loaded right hands, including the one that caused benn to fall out the ring.

[@paulyboy2311]

Shut up! sounds like you need a few on the back of your head too!

[@RichardBlakey]

But they always do. And always about Benn. It is weirder how people talk about punching behind the head in this fight and only mention Benn's name. G-Man was loading up and not only from the clinch position. I do wonder if perhaps that narrative comes because of the hindsight of the devastating result with McLellan's injuries.. It was a brutal, dirty fight. Both equally pushing the boundaries. But anyway, there's always hundreds of comments about it every time this video does the rounds.

[@jow8560]

i really think the falling into head butt benn gave accidentally stumbling around half stunned is what caused the damage that was a huge blow and immediately affected McClellan and he took knee shortly after and was never same. and i think that was the blow that caused the perm damage. damn shame i love McClellan and have even donated to his fund his sister has.

[@richardbickle4098]

look again doh boy round 2

[@jow8560]

@@richardbickle4098 no idea WTF doh boy is some dumbass half speak

[@lemankurtz8950]

@@jow8560 Dude, you're vindicated.....EVERYONE outside of Britainia brings up the Headbutt and the sudden Blinking/Head Shaking.

[@steve81nz39]

@@lemankurtz8950 just watching about midway in the fourth gum shield starts being a problem

[@Shootskas]

Around 36:25 right?

[@kennymokuolu863]

McClellan was already showing signs of something wrong as early as round 2, when he kept bring out his birth guard. The referee and McClellan's corner were, moronic. They should have stopped the fight by round 5 or 6. It was obvious he couldn't breath. McClellan had heart, courage, strength but no protection. His career could have gone further had they saved him. A loss today would have been glory tomorrow.

[@jonmolina948]

McClellan walked through a lot Julian Jackson’s punches. He walked some of Nigel’s shots until the 2nd like mentioned. I think guy’s are smarter now. Even if you can overwhelm your opponent, you don’t want to be taking his punches, and you don’t want to be walking him down with your hands down

[@spenser6353]

With McClellan the corner didn’t stop fights early because they knew he had the power to stop his opponents at any time

[@JohnSmith-su3ze]

Birth guard? Was McClellan 9 months pregnant?

[@yvonnesanders4308]

You get brain scans now and better ringside medical assistance

[@chriscato8637]

I was watching G-man's fight with Julian Jackson and someone keenly pointed out that he was blinking in the end of that fight like he was blinking in this one. #CATO

[@malarki5]

I noticed that as well! I was thinking only 24 hrs ago where I last saw him, McClellan, blinking and boxing with gumshield out! It was the Jackson fight! Thanks for reminding me, Chris Cato!

[@nissaazzam]

Wowwww fantastic...

[@user-uw9wr3mv1y]

Nigel in round2 was amazing ❤

[@essen00cat]

You do get a slower count if you get knocked through the ropes,thats true. Plus with Mcclellan's first onslaught Benn wasn't hurt and only one power shot connected if you watch carefully.That was the one directly on top of Benns head when he was ducked down on the rope.He later described it felt like his neck muscles popped.So no Gerald shouldn't have been declared winner after that.

[@MultiMcgurk]

Not sure about that . There were many that landed

[@svan81]

Benn was definitely hurt. His legs were wobbly.

[@raindancerave8521]

I was at this fight at the london areana we were about 5 rows from the ring and i swear you could hear literally every punch land was pure power from both of them

[@danielhughes4642]

2 tough warrior's 👏👍

[@hensmithers9687]

the 2nd round from Benn was the greatest round I've ever seen ...what a warrior

[@paulanthony5274]

10-8 round for me that and the 4th but the judges didn't think so.

[@user-uw9wr3mv1y]

Totally agree ❤

[@gwbenites]

Jesus Christ, could these announcers be any more biased? Questioning his professionalism because he complained about a head butt? What about the end of the round where Benn not only hit after the bell, not once, but two or three times?

[@LuvThatDirtyWater]

The only thing less professional than the British announcers was the French referee

[@Da_Publick]

Back in '95, British Boxing was something only die-hard fans would appreciate in the United States. So Nigel Benn wasn't merely underrated, he was unknown to most Americans.

[@hughwardjackson4776]

I think he was fairly well known, cause he knocked out barkley and Doug dewitt in America.

[@BlaneNostalgia]

A big part of Benn dominating most rounds is his ability to close the gap between the 2 fighters, something that all of McClellan's previous opponents couldnt do. Benn's style is more aggressive than McClellan and it exposed his lack of defense.

[@markdavies3921]

Hi

[@dlmullins9054]

I am sorry but Benn wasn't fighting the real McLellan after the second round. Nigel hurt him with a punch that caused brain damage. Benn would not have been able to handle him if he hadn't been brain damaged from the middle of the second round. Even though his brain was damaged, McLellan still was able to stick around for a while in the fight, but if not he would have dusted Benn within two more rounds imo. I am old enough to have watched all their fights with other great fighters and Benn just could not have won against McLellan if he was 100% that night. The first round shows a different and undamaged McLellan. That is what the next rounds would have looked like if not for a tragic brain damaging blow.

[@BlaneNostalgia]

@@dlmullins9054 Incorrect for the first 2 rounds, correct for all the rounds after you could clearly something was strange about Gerald. But those first 2 rounds Gerald showed incredible speed, punching power annd defense. I would argue the first 2 rounds was as close as you ever see both fighters fighting in their prime. After that it was all downhill

Savage fight.

[@philldownes8685]

Brilliant fight and the likes will not be seen again. been not only came back but still took at least 20 good smacks on the chin and carried on.. this was pure aggression and fitness by Benn.. Gerald also had a granite chin as most of those shots he took was knocking out the other super stars..... terrible shame what happened in Gerald's corner at the end, they definitely done something extremely stupid to get him back to normal. what did they do to that poor fella in that corner ? seen same sort of thing a few times and its not the punches.. i could understand if we has knocked out. but goes back to corner fine, stands there fine talking away and nodding all fine, then they get hi ma chair and he is surrounded then he is in a terrible state . what did they inject him with ? its the same when they smother round a fighter and put too much oxygen into them and they go in a coma.. ... been deserved to be a champion after that performance and should of called it a day right then. he had nothing else to prove to anyone that he had the heart and fire for fighting..

[@zofo666]

What i did not notice until i watched it again, McClellan lead with his head in the clinches and Benn was head butted a lot, so with all due respect he was doing himself no favours with this practice!

[@JohnSmith-su3ze]

6:23 Frank Bruno committing a fashion crime with that suit

[@simonridgewell]

the commentary by jim watt about mclelland not having the heart for it is shocking in light of what happened

[@cutthierthroats7463]

Nigel benn said in interview before the fight, if it goes to the later round we will then see if hes got it. Clearly he didnt. Don king ,stan johnson. Mini mike tyson is coming to do your man. What they should of been telling GM HE was getting in the ring with a man with more hate for opponents than mike tyson. Benn thrived on fear a trait benn and tyson both had.

[@justinanton3826]

Probably the most brutal and viscous fight in a British boxing ring. McClellan throwing shots with serious intent in the first round. Benn eventually had more heart and fighting spirit. Shame what happened to McClellan.

[@andyelliott8027]

VICIOUS.

[@ycamara9034]

Wel done Ben the warrior .god thank you,god have many ways to punish any one who dislove his childrens.

[@lespaul3717]

What an incredible fight, how Benn come back from the first round is unbelievable. Nigel Benn is one of the true greats from boxing oner the year, a real animal with a thirst to win. Amazing come back to win, however, a very tragic ending. Very sad .

[@dazuk1969]

I have thumbed this up...but i cant watch it. I saw it first time around, a few times since and it just upsets me. McClellan was an awsome Boxer..people talk about Wilders right left combo...well McClellan was one of the hardest puchers i ever saw. Hindsight is always wise, i know...but there was so obviously something badly wrong with McClellan in this fight...but one had the balls to stop it. This is what infuriates me about Wilder v Fury 2. McClellan would have had a wonderful career if they had done so...very sad...God bless you Gerald....peace.

[@johnthegodfatherslack]

Wilder is not a boxer at all. Left right combo? Dont make me laugh.

[@dharitrichoube5308]

The first sign apoarently was with Julian Jackson whic Mc won. A punch had his mouthpiece out and he was numb. The beginning. But experts dont post this at one shot but over a time-- may be during sparring and throughout. A string is involved.

[@freqeist]

only Benn could survive that first round I dont even think Eubanks or Watson could have?

[@deandalton8482]

Eubank would have done the same as Benn I think

[@spenser6353]

@@deandalton8482 the man had brain damage. That’s the only reason

[@user-uw9wr3mv1y]

Just love the fight I was 9 and allowed to stay up to watch it! Not only that but the music intro❤ nigel is my fav middleweight of all time ! Love you nige!❤ anyways hope gerald is doing good what a powerful man , it just a shame 4 gerald both warrior❤s❤❤❤ ❤❤

[@vernellstarnes9775]

The reason why Ben survived alot of those punches 👊🏾 missed or grazed. I love GM also ,but truth is truth 😊

[@williemoreno3010]

Gerald needed more defense. Got hit too many times by BENN.😢

[@Gbabbasspotlessleopard]

That first round,& the Eighth round shows what heart Nigel Benn had as well as an Engine..Could bang too..One of many great fights involving Benn.Fair play to Nigel for helping McClelland too later in life,Respects. Cheers B,S3

[@danharun3673]

Great fight !

[@CobraAction1]

If any fighter deserves the title warrior it was Nigel Benn ...

[@higsterful]

It's so funny that Americans always go against so much the British fighters....whether it be Lewis or Benn....Bruno ....they always do their best to belittle the British boxer

[@pwrprtt1234]

It looks like a case of Mclellan could dish it out, but he couldn't handle the punishment in the long run! Sad that it ended his career , but I've seen some real back and forth fights even more intense than this one!

[@soondjukian7531]

Seru, mantap

[@peterjanoff]

This was an epic brawl. Both fighters were exceptional. Tragic ending for Gerald.

[@Bb-pw1zi]

Labradors around the world rejoiced.

[@ohyeahyeah8150]

He deserved every bit of what happened

[@bryonwatkins1432]

What did Gerald in was his years of cutting TOOO much weight!!!! He used to walk around at 190 pounds!!!! i know how it feels cutting just five pounds!!!! It’s a bitch!!!!

[@yvans.]

@@ohyeahyeah8150 nobody cares about dogs. Nobody. Hahahah 😂

[@spenser6353]

@@ohyeahyeah8150 because he killed dogs. Who cares

[@awesomemrk1]

I love that Benn faint with drop of the left shoulder and the right hook over the top. He just couldn't miss. It maybe should have been stopped in the first round, mind. Bit of behind the scenes boxing shenanigans going on there I reckon

[@DavidWilliams-dj5br]

No boxer goes between the ropes expecting to be hurt but benn was devastated as the same as eubank v watson

[@johndoe-qg7jp]

No fear, no mercy 😮

[@simonreeves828]

Frank Bruno really into it 👌👌✅

[@robnewton3368]

In retrospect the signs were there of McClellans distress with the pushing out of the gum shield. I rooted for Benn but never wanted to see a his opponent (or any boxer) end the fight in such a manner.

[@julianwilcox399]

Listen to the commentator . " He is ducking below he belt line , which is not allowed" Mayweather did that as a major part of his defence. I always said that

[@davehedgehogUK]

Should have been stopped in the first round. Such a shame. Also, Jim Watt's take that McClellan quit due to a lack of heart has to be one of the worst ever made. Shows why ex-boxers don't always make great commentators, they're often a bit dim. The other guy had it right, he noticed the blinking, he knew something was amiss and he pointed it out - but Watt kept banging on like McClellan just wanted out of the fight because he was getting punched - the guy had taken everything Julian Jackson could throw at him, I very much doubt Benn would have made him quit. Benn was a great boxer, and a hard puncher, but Jackson threw absolute bombs and McClellan took them all. Watt likely wouldn't have known that as Jackson was always terribly promoted (so was McClellan to be honest) so he likely never watched him fight. Best wishes to Gerald and his family.

[@AlfredoGonzalez-wc9dz]

Very sad. Same thing happened to Prichard Colon, from Puerto Rico.

[@rockyfish3115]

Britain's best performance in the ring by far

[@-lowdown-4698]

Watching this back now today watching mcchellen getting his brain smashed and damaged, each punch was taking his life away, I’m glad he’s and happy, it’s not nice watching it knowing and knowing he didn’t know at the time madness, wasn’t beans fault it’s part of the game it’s a dangerous profession, it only takes a punch in a street fight, wow I love Benn I’m from the uk but it was hard watching this poor man’s brain being damaged rattling swelling in his skull, shit man big respect to him and both ✌🏼

[@markcarter9476]

Great fight, far too many adverts.

[@amc7185]

You can see McClellan suffered without Manny Steward in his corner. Power is there, but what a mindless and limited attack he had after a shoulda-been-done Benn got up. Downward right over and over with an occasional left hook. No jabs, combos, or mix of shots.

[@steveallen1635]

Benn was a great boxer, his chin let him down slightly, but his judgment of distance was supreme! 99% of boxers would have been Ko'ed after 3!

[@stewartwardle9486]

Tony tuckers hair though 😂😂

[@assalt18]

One of the greatest fights with one of the most tragic outcomes 😢 #RIPMcClellan

[@mr2gti]

He didn't die ffs. Christ.

[@mikekaraoke]

@@mr2gti Was just about to say that!

[@hemanag1020]

​@@mr2gtijeez, thanks. I thought he must have died.

[@pottsyuk]

@@hemanag1020 He didn’t die but he’s blind, in a wheelchair and can’t talk properly. Watch the documentary about the fight, it’s extremely interesting.

[@28DAYS77]

such a great fight such a sad end!👏

[@jossym]

Whenever I watch this back I always end up wondering at what point did the bleed on McClellan's brain start. Was it one shot or a cumulation of them? Or had the damage already began from the huge shots he took from Jackson in his previous fights meaning the outcome of this one was going to happen regardless of who he fought?

[@justinkingery2489]

Wikipedia says he had issues far before this night. Interesting bits if info there.

[@dylanburston7453]

Already began years before. Reports from the training camp said he did the blinking thing loads in sparring. McClellan started showing sighns in this fight with the mouthpeice as early as the 3rd

[@danyoutube7491]

Yep, I think it was a time bomb waiting to go off. I suspect that his own exertions in this fight, as much as the punches from Benn, set off the final injury to his brain. The odd mouth piece behaviour suggests to me that something was already in motion early in the fight.

[@user-bs8fy9nn6h]

Greatest performance of Benn's Career what a warrior

[@Yourtruthmightnotbemine]

The dogfighting boxer got bit by the dark destroyer. Justice was served .

[@marccas10]

The best fight never shown

[@leeragsdale8856]

If the ref didn’t interfere in the first round McClellan would have knocked out Ben. The ref didn’t do anything about the rabbit punches later in the fight

[@stevedoughty1941]

Kinda understand in a way with that size crowd..but you're right.

[@ba8898]

The ref was a fucking joke.

[@phillipbarratt5280]

Relation of jimm watt or macguion . Mate

[@deandalton8482]

Ref was an absolute disgrace

[@MakeSense71]

Ref must have had a bet it would go past round 1. Corrupt as hell.

[@seledar]

I watched this live and will never forget it. Rewatching it again with my son I see one thing. This ref won the fight for Benn in the first round. He kept McClellan off Benn way too much

[@cutthierthroats7463]

Benn bullied the bully. Yes GM could punch, but it showed in the second ,ZERO defense Benn bullied the bully. GM lost end of ,zero excuses

[@arturkopec7876]

Big up 4 G MAN

[@blogintonblakley2708]

The rules are only suggestions to the Brits.

[@Shootskas]

Was that a headbutt around 36:25? It looked like McClellan reacted to a headbutt. Or it could be he was just reacting to previous blows.

[@curly50POW]

Its from all the rabbit punches

[@jamesdonald8458]

This is the most animalistic fights I have ever seen, this changed this life’s of both fighters god bless them both especially Gerald

[@squireseven1937]

I remember watching this on ITV at the time.. I was screaming at the telly for Benn to get back up,I thought He was done in the first round... This was a great fight but a shame about the aftermath.

[@hoosiernative9668]

That ref saved Ben in the first round disgusting display from the Europeans. You can clearly see the ref didn’t let the American finish Ben he kept holding Gerald back

[@jacklawrence6284]

@@hoosiernative9668 your telling me a Don King fighter was treated unfairly, spare me the bullshit.

[@kevoconnor145]

I remember after the 1st McClellan knock down in the 10th that I yelled something like "that's it Benn, go on, knock his brains out".... I always regret that when I see this fight again.

[@danyoutube7491]

@@hoosiernative9668 The ref was strict with both of them, he did the same with both fighters numerous times later in the fight. If McLellan wanted to get back to fighting asap, all he had to do was obey the referee when he wanted them to be properly separated and not McLellan 'bending' the rules by jumping back on top of Benn as soon as the latter was on his feet. McLellan was a bit of an arrogant tosser, he was pushing the referee as if to tell him to move out of the way, it isn't up to him. It was simple, just obey the rules, he created the disadvantage himself.

[@ollybuxton1962]

Seeing frank fired up is awesome