I agree mate it’s sad that benn got abuse over it you can really see it hurts him that he left McClellan like that Nigel has a big heart I wish him all the best
@Gary Taylor I agree completely in terms of what u said about benn.. but I don't agree McClellan deserved what he got he was a talented athlete cut down in his prime and really breaks my heart to see a fighter left in that state. Boxing as a sport lets these athlete's down where is the support for them when they leave the ring a different person.
I agree with you. Boxing isn't fun and games. It's a gladiator sport. The referring helps to stop immediate murder but whaling on a person's organs like that, is really gambling. I remember the fight and I can't put it on Benn in any way shape or form.
Did you seriously ever expect anything else from don king ? Remember his background and if you don’t know it look it up, he’s a criminal always will be it’s just now he’s a rich one and lots of important white men are making huge sums of money buy his tactics so he’s allowed to abuse the “ uneducated or just too trusting boxers “ who believe his bullshit. Then get burned by him. This is why the great boxer and nice human being Roy Jones jr is starting the organization to help boxers who are young and have no clue what they are getting into to make them fair money and a future for themselves, he’s a very smart man God bless him.
This fight happened on my 14th birthday in February 1995 I remember my parents had gone to bed and I sneaked downstairs to watch TV I knew a little about boxing but never watched a full fight but for some reason when flicking channels I decided to leave it on as the noise of the crowd waiting for the fight really got my attention the fight itself was incredible..26 years later I'm a huge boxing fan still because of that fight and I have never seen one like it since everything about it made the hairs on your neck stand up. I spoke to G mans sister a few years ago on twitter we exchanged a few messages I told her I always wonder how hes doin as time passes and that shes an angel for caring her him and I donated what I could afford to help out. Im about to press play on this documentary for the first time and I expect it's going to bring ever memory back thanks for the upload
Should never have left his trainer.He got that camp looking trainer who wasnt any good at all.McClellan had the attributes to win this fight even though it was a bit of a gamble to fight this champion who was accomplished in this weight division.
Benn is a good man. It must haunt him what he said in the aftermath of the fight. This situation was such a tragedy. There’s so many if only’s that could’ve prevented it.
@@jaspervasquez3753 stfu your hella stupid and disrespectful for implying that if theh only prayed this wouldn’t have happened. So god would have changed his entire fate god had for him if he only prayed right before? Gtfoh with that horseshit
It's simple, Gerald is the epitome of pride before the fall. The only real human being with compassion is the sister. His fate was sealed, and I'm not sorry for Gerald, I'm sorry for his sister
This was heartbreaking on so many levels. I remember this fight, I was like 18 or 19 at the time, but never knew about the fallout afterwards....very tragic.
Simon Forrest read my article about this when it comes out. I'm in a wheelchair now most of the time because of a brain injury in a preliminary ABA contest. Coaches are taught far more aware now of signs of developing brain injury. The gum shield problem was the first clear cut sign his brain wasn't receiving oxygen, and the incessant involuntary blinking a sign his brain is no longer controlling the body. A fighter needs to be asked questions like 'tell me where we're fighting? Tell me the name of your opponent? Tell me what round it is?' The referee can't be blamed here. McClellan was clearly showing signs of both brain trauma, and the beginning of atrophy. Yet he's in a vicious fight. Every single punch landed post round 4/5 was increasing that trauma. If he'd made it to hospital after a fifth or sixth round pullout he'd still be all messed up, but not what he is now
The Great Emanuel Stewart is the only person who put this tragedy in the right context. Gerald and his inexperienced corner just phucked up. The mouthpiece. The blinking. Such a tragedy.
You know he still took a fee from this fight even though he wasn't in the corner legally he was fully entitled to it but I dont know if I could take money from a man fighting for his life for doing nothing in my opinion he's one of the worst people in this whole sad story
@@wesbamber152 He played a part on it. I didn't blame the ref for everything. How many times can you allow a fighter to hit behind the head? What's the acceptable number?
The enemy wasn’t Ben, it was MCClellan’s corner that was the real enemy.... It’s the corners responsibility to look after their fighters health ... Unfortunately for MCCellan, his corner only interest was in the money 💰
The corner was incompetent but that's what McClellan decided. He chose to sack Manny Steward. If Steward was there, he would've won the fight or at least avoided any serious injury.
@Sum body you’re right, it had little to do with those punches. More to do with every single punch he’d received throughout his whole career and and the people he had in his corner
@@arybaz6329 Nigel Benn struggled for years with what happened and has both gave the family money and visited them. Benn can't be blamed for doing his job!!! Yes the ref can share some responsibility but I myself blame the boxing promoters as no proper medical staff were at ringside and no ambulance was sitting outside just incase. This fight changed boxing safety rules forever as it was part of changing championship bouts from 15 to 12 rounds and now highly skilled trauma doctors have to be at ringside and ambulances have to be waiting outside just incase.
@@Rocatagliata25 they were both serious dudes who seriously wanted to hurt each other but if there was a competent English speaking ref, then that could have been stopped.
@@badrhaskouri327 McClellan didn't throw rabbit punches at all, he wanted to win, Benn just wanted to hurt him permanently and he did it. You have serious criteria issues if you feel any kind of respect for this type of dirty fighters.
he was damaged before he got into the ring with benn ,the fights with julian jakson was the start of the blinking , jackson had one of the hardest punches in history , it was compounded when he started to take more head shots ,he was a man in serious trouble ANY boxer who got in the ring with him that night would have caused the injury,,,
Agree. Maybe it was hard to notice it since second bout against Julian Jackson lasted just 1 round. Maybe if second bout would have lasted 6,7,8 rounds then the injuries would have come out at that time.
Also one of his sparing partners said he hit Gerald with a really hard head shot he was blinking just like he did towards the end of this fight. He might have come into this fight with unhealed concussions.
@@JayB2 yup, sulmeci or something his name was I think. Sparred him with headgear on and had to stop the session after a few jabs cos McClellan was hurt and blinking like he ended up doing against Benn. I'm sure these days it'd have been picked up on much sooner sadly.
Frank has it right. When boxing was live on British TV, for free, on a Saturday night. Some of the best memories I have is of my grandad letting me stay up late and watch the fight. Great times. I know it sounds silly, but the commentators were great they also made the fight ... and the crowd. Takes a lot of elements to make a great fight. This one had it all.
This is one of those stories where not one entity or person was to blame. It was series of events that led up to. The fighters with Julian Jackson (were right before the Benn fight and Gerald was showing blinking signs and headaches after those fights and before the Benn one). The referee being incompetent as any other fight would've been stopped in round 1. Stan the trainer for being terrible at his job. Gerald himself for leaving Manny Steward who at the time was the best coach on the planet. Benn for throwing rabbit punches more than once. Gerald himself for not telling anyone what he was feeling (apparently he knew something was wrong but kept it to himself). At the end of the day boxing is a dangerous sport. We all know it. Especially the fighters. They know the risks. It's awful when a tragedy happens but for how brutal that fight was, it's a miracle that Benn isn't in the same shape as Gerald.
This is what I've always thought. Seen the fight many times and the referee gets between Gerald a number of times. If he hadn't done that maybe he would've ended it round 1. I've no idea why he does it, I wandered if as it was a big fight he felt it couldn't end in round 1. Not taking anything away from Benn he showed amazing heart but the referring did seem strange @lizxu322
this story is very sad to me, especially cuz he had so much potential to be even greater than he was. the dude with the captain hat should definitely hold himself accountable because the sister said geralds said 3 times he didn’t wanna continue fighting because he felt like something was wrong.
No he wouldn't have. He was winning the fight and winning was so important for his career. He would have only stopped it if gerald mentioned something in the corner not for blinking. He had weird facial expressions for past fights.
Sorry, I think your wrong, Mcclellan wouldn't have been in that situation. The fight wouldn't have gone 9 rounds, if he hadn't been seduced by that diseased vermin King crawling in to separate Steward from Mcclellan, He would have been a sharper fighter in the ring that night, and he would have won the fight much sooner than it continued on for. What this documentary reveals is the mess Mcclellan allowed his situation to get into. A real shame.
@@BeGoodNow5 him splitting with Steward had nothing to do with King and the debate is if Steward would have thrown in the towel if the fight played out exactly the way it did. Nobody was screaming for his coach to end the fight while watching it live.
Don’t type something like that my friend. U have done many wrongs too. If it happened to u and ur family u wouldn’t be saying anything like this. I’m not saying dog fighting is ok or normal but hey not everyone grew up in a healthy environment. These are fighters we’re talking about and when u understand the mind of a fighter you’ll think twice before judging the man the way u did
@@BabyA910 i spent 5 years training under Paul Jones, a world champion shoot fighter whose only loss is against Chuck Liddell.... im literally a fighter and have ZERO sympathy for this monster who got what he deserved 😂
As a life-long Benn fan I can remember the negativity & hatred for McClellan in Britain at the time of this fight. From both sides. But he was a incredible boxer, a warrior & I send nothing but a lot of love to Gerald & his family. Best wishes, champ!
All the millions you all get always vive 1 percent to the injured and the dead boxers family mr money bags and instead of showing off the money give back 1 percent thats all thanks and may your god be with you or what ever is your belief Barry mcguigan your my age and respected in the boxing world you would be trusted to get the money off the biggest boxing fighters and say who says no because you fear no one like me just god if there is one
rubbish,McClellan was pumped up like he was going to blast Benn and earn the quickest ko in boxing history never to be beating,the usa press were laughing at the british fighter while counting their money,which never aged well, i hope eubank jn watches this
Without doubt the greatest fight I’ve ever seen, in front of the one of if not the best atmosphere ever witnessed, two of the best warriors ever to step foot in a ring, should be remembered as an all time classic fight (will be by me) sadly some and rightly so it will be remember it with great sadness. Wonderful documentary, hope the people featured who still struggle with the demons they found that night can find some closure, after all the time that has passed my admiration for those who stepped into the ring that night has not diminished. Champions for ever.
I see what you are saying but I just cannot consider this fight 'great' just because of the outcome and what transpired. Initially first impressions I think may have been were that it was great as Benn seemingly made McClellelan quit which was shocking after all the hype coming in. But when the true picture emerged it just could not be put in that great category. Just my opinion though.
I was stationed in the Falkland Islands when this fight happened, 22 years old. There are certain times in history that stick like glue in your mind, and this fight was one of them. We were gathered around the speaker listening to the commentary in awe of the fight. It was back and fore, real rollercoaster type stuff. The mood was celebratory and proudness until G Man collapsed. Then real sadness and depression. A tragic night, the fighter should have had the protection from all involved - his corner, the ref and the doctors. His family and him paid a price for that night.
This was really moving . two men had life changes after this fight , both damaged in different ways , but in the end seems to have taught them and send them on very different journeys which have brought out the best in them in the end , God bless maclellan family for looking after Gerald
I was recently made aware of McClellan having Headaches after his first Julian Jackson contest, something was happening to him, long before the final punches
allan cook This detail, if true, is very significant. An additional rumour I've heard is that Gerald McClellan had an obsession with keeping his body lean (at all times - even between fights): the rumor suggested he would often choose not to be properly hydrated... possibly in case the liquid caused him to be carrying any excess baggage (around the middle).
I know that the extreme loss in weight and fluid loss is a contributing factor to some previous brain injuries in boxing. Which can cause damage if not monitored properly. He was suffering badly prior to the end of the fight. The blinking particularly was a very worrying sign.
Gerald was clearly having problems before the fight look at him at 20:54 blinking screwing his face undiagnosed Salute to his sister for standing with him and sacrificing her own needs for him. At a time where siblings fight and do bare minimum and get on with their own lives
In '93 McClellan pulled a stunning KO of middleweight champ and vicious puncher Julian "The Hawk" Jackson. It was a 5 round 2-way assault, w/ brutal shots landing cleanly. In the ring postfight, Jackson heard McClellan complaining of a massive headache. These symptoms persisted, but Gerald refused any medical intervention.
The sound cut out for me during the fundraiser portion, did that happen to anyone else?. That's one of the most emotional moments, if not THE most emotional moments, in the whole documentary. Kind sucks I couldn't hear any of it.
When you share animal DNA you form or hold animals equal to humans. When human can treat other humans humane then maybe animal fights will stop being entertainment. At 17, I remember the news 1992 during the LA REVOLT, [Rodney King] stating a man getting 6 mos for kicking a dog for pooping in his yard in Irving, TX. A dog gets more justice. I'll watch a dog fight, never have seen an organized fight. I always found it strange that certain people elevate animals above humans and deem themselves fit to advise, current civilization is in decline from an accumulation of bad decisions and inequality.
McClellan's corner team was absolutely shocking!!! Stan Johnson had no right to call himself a trainer didn't seem to have any game plan whatsoever probably due to the fact that McClellan had been wiping everybody out finally met someone who could stand up to him referee was a shambles great fight but very sad night
This is what became the problem with Tyson too. King moves in, has him fire Rooney and bring in amateur “yes men” to corner him. They are no longer telling Mike he could be beaten and thus making him feel invincible. King low balled Manny to the point that it was disrespectful, so he was “fired”. In walks Stan Johnson, another amateur who only wanted to tell Gerald how unbeatable he was. When you aren’t reminded that losing is a very real possibility no matter who you fight, the motivation to constantly get better slowly goes away.
One of his sparing partners said he hit Gerald with a really hard head shot he was blinking just like he did towards the end of this fight. He might have come into this fight with unhealed concussions. Plus the fight with Julian Jackson. Gerald was already damaged before this fight even happened.
@@UnashamedlyGodSquad Julian hit him with several shots in rnd 2 of their first fight and g man said it hurt him. Say what you want but post interview gman said it himself.
@@UnashamedlyGodSquad apparently you didn't see the fight. He rocked g man with several punches that clearly hurt him at the time. Look I'm over 50 years old. I remember these fights. Before this fight in the 80's duk-koo Kim died fighting Ray Mancini. Literally same type stuff. It was a hot topic after this fight. He had no bussiness getting in the ting without having a more thorough physical and a real trainer in his corner. The referee made mistakes. This was a perfect storm. It didn't all happen in a one hour period. I'll post the link to fight with time stamps. He literally started blinking in that fight when he got rocked. Why OSS that so hard to get with? Does it make you feel better believing it happened because of 2-3 punches in the benn fight? These things happen because of repeated trauma to the brain. In super rare instances it's one punch but those are rare as hell.
The only one to blame her is his stubborn ass coach. Even till this day you know he dont regret anything even tho he is fully responsible for it. Coach who is Inexperienced & clueless, while having a lot of ego will always result to disaster
How can u blame him? I mean seriously?, when I go and buy an alarm for my house I look at my options. Buy a cheap one and hope it works well or pay a little more and have one that will do the job properly. If I go for the cheap option and it doesn't detect s break in and fails to go off and lose all my valuables I'm to blame, I know what both are capable of, I'm smart enough to know what each one is capable of doing. He hired that coach, he had Manny but wanted to save money and it back fired on him. Should have paid that little bit more and had a chance to life a normal life if he'd gone with the more experienced coach
I think we all have that sensation that we think we can fight. But being an actual sports/prizefighter is something that is one of the most difficult jobs. Probably one of the scariest things you can do. ✊
Easily one of the best documentaries period I've seen, let alone sports documentaries. These men are better men without boxing. That's clear as a bell to me. That entire banquet fundraiser sequence is searing. That sequence is as good, and as noble, as boxing gets.
Anyone that wears a sailors hat outside of a boat and shouts unintelligible things is not be taken seriously. Forget that he never stepped outside the hood.
@@psychosneighbor1509 absolutely agree ,Johnstone put him out round after round when it was clear he was finished ,his heart and chin was to good for his own health ,should never have happened
those rabbit punches(back of the head) are lethal, especially from a fighter with power like Benn, this fight is an example as to why so many refs these days are so quick to end fights on their own, some stoppages are premature but alot are undeniably justified
I cannot believe people get a pleasure from watching this. After thos fight boxing was never on British television until Anthony Joshua revived the sport. Terrible day for boxing
2 Men, 1 contract, 1 winner. Anyone can be injured to any extent at anytime. That’s the chance they take. No man should carry the burden of the results. God Bless Gerald’s family for having his back.
"NOTHING BUT LOVE FOR GERALD A TRUE WARRIOR" GREATER LOVE TO HIS BEAUTIFUL SISTER WHO NEVER LEFT HIS SIDE. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE HER IN MY CORNER OF LIFE. "THEIR WAS NO LOSER THAT NIGHT"
Boxers go into the sport knowing full well the consequences should it go wrong. No different from Soldiers,Police Officers or other walks of life where facing death is a very real part of what you do. Be it your own death of those in front of you. An ex soldier who thankfully ( and mercifully)never killed another human being let alone leave them in a worse state than I found them. Respect to both these warriors. For that is what they are. 🙏🏼❤️🙏🏼
There however is a big difference between police, soldiers, firefighters and others whose jobs are rift with danger. They do the job because there is a need. They do it to protect others against an evil. Boxer or anyone else that endangers their health and life for fame, to entertain, to get rich are every different than those who have dangerous jobs because there is a need in this world to protect the innocent.
Idk if it’s comparable. I do know that there was a whole bunch of shit that happened in that fight that shouldn’t have happened. Including intentional rabbit punches that should’ve been warnings by the ref, the ref getting in between them when gm was putting in work, punches after the bell, and the worst one, McClellan won by ko in the 1st.. fight should’ve been over then
Ben didnt do this to him it was Jackson look after they fought he had the symptoms right after he even said his head was pounding and a massive headache and as well look at his face and all the squinting and pain he showed in the interview Ben or any other fighter would have done this to him because he had damage in the brain a blood clot and all it took was a punch doesnt matter who
@Sleepless Addiction Exactly bud, somethings got to give, it came down to soft brain tissue, though fixed by the surgeon, G-Mans family should've let him rest in hospital to heal. He would've made a full recovery according to experts.
I was watching it on tv with my mates. We all said McClellan wasn't right when he couldn't keep his gum shield in. Then he was blinking heavy, we said he might be suffering internal damage, so someone should've stepped in
So I've watched and studied this fight second by second. The count of Ben when he is knocked through the ropes was clearly incorrect. The fight should have been over at that moment...that responsibility falls squarely on the ringside official who starts that count and of course the referee who follows that lead. But this is boxing...they where fighting in Ben's backyard and boxing has always and will always have a bias governing factor. Second...McClellan was not ready for the fight. He starting pushing his mouthpiece out in the 3rd round. As a boxer when I became winded the first thing I would do was push my mouthpiece forward. The force of you exhaling so hard that if forces your tongue forward from the back of your throat is a no mistake indicator that you are out of wind. Normally a fighter will take a brake during the round to regain his stamina. Unfortunately for Gerald...Ben's style and preparation was to press...constantly. The only time you could get Ben to stop was through repeated punches until he yielded. Gerald because he wasn't ready could not stop him. 3rd when Ben lunged and head butted Gerald causing a severe concussion that was the beginning of the end. Yes we can say the corner or the referee should have stopped the fight is unfair. If Gerald would have taken a knee and then later told the referee he did not wish to go on the fight would have been stopped, and his life as we know it would have been saved. Possibly through review they would have called the fight a draw or someone would have been ruled the winner based on scorecard. You see at this time the only time a head butt or elbow creating a cut/lesion that may disfigure or cause nerve damage or excessive bleeding rendering the fighter unable to see is cause to stop the fight. A head but or elbow that causes a concussion does not qualify as a fight stopping moment. The continuous blinking was probably Gerald seeing the lights popping in his peripheral vision. This often occurs shortly after a severe concussion that does not render the victim unconscious. Its happened to me in the ring and in football games after intense helmet to helmet collisions. This concussion in combination with the hundreds of punches during the fight caused the bleeding in Gerald's brain or the swelling causing brain damage leaving him permanently impaired. So in conclusion the to me the only way to prevent this from happening again would be to change the rules associated with head butts. And most importantly it should be the responsibility of the Boxing Association in conjunction with the promoter associated with the fighter to have an insurance policy protecting the expected income of a fighter through the course of his carrier. A minimum of $1million dollars, also the investigators digging into his personal life and degrading his character to cause people to think less of him...or what happened to him to be deserved should be outlawed. His association with dogs and or dog fighting to be mentioned in the documentary is a slap in the face to what he sacrificed through out his carrier and in the end.
100% disagree with all points. Styles make fights. Mcclellan wasn't mentally or physically tough enough for benn. Mcclellan was a skilled fighter just not tough enough- he was a bully - only strong when they have the upper hand. Other fighters in history faced more adversity and won. Dont make excuses for mcclellan- he lost fair and square!!
I watched Nigel Benn been asked by an interviewer what he wanted the fans to remember him for when his carrer was over ? And Nigel modestly said i hope i was good value !!!! What an understatement ?? To me and it hurts me to say it but Benn vs Mclellan was the most edge of the seat brutal fight that ive ever seen !!!! Everybody except myself had written Benn off even all the Brits i knew ! Nobody gave Benn a chance anywhere ! But its the nature of the kill or be killed mentality that was for all to see on that night when 2 men literally with there gloved hands try and kill each other ! This is a very emotional documentary to watch as i remember watching the fight on the night back in the 90s ! There are no winners here for sure !!
Does nobody else notice how he is very careful to say he didn't use steroids during that fight. He was CLEARLY using them, he says it without saying it. He just didn't use them that day. So he used them to gain his muscle etc so they still helped him win the fight. He is so specific about when he did not use them it makes it obvious he used them the rest of the time. He says "steroids was never in my body when I fought Gerald" So what the day before they were in your body? He does it several times during this video where he specifies.
@@acecolnaco6587 wtf you tripping man, why do you think I brought up the fight with Jackson, cause I WATCHED IT... I got my opinion just like how you got yours. but to blame the whole thing on Nigel is ridiculous, when he told his sister “ he almost took my life “ that hurt dude. He fought Jackson and after he won did you not see his face? He was twitching, blinking hard af, it’s a sign of brain damage. He was already showing signs way before the fight with Nigel.
@Gary Taylor I get that you hate the guy for the dog fighting thing, and no defending that. It's fucked up. But to wish disability upon anyone is quite something. It doesn't just affect the person who is disabled. Also, you blame the Mcclelland family for Benn's marital problems and not the man himself who cheated on his wife for over a decade? Let's be real, Benn was a piece of shit back in the day too. Good to see he managed to sort his life out now though.
He did the same for his other fights. It's easy to say his corner should have pulled him out but he was in the prime of his career, winning the biggest fight of his career. Only way his corner could have stopped it is if he mentioned something about his state during or before the fight
Bro once they said he was doing fog fighting even when he had good money from boxing, just doing it because he liked it, I lost all respect and pity. He didn’t even suffer as much as those poor dogs
I was 4 years old when the fight happened, so I have no recollection of this. I'm just glad that we live in a world now where we are more conscious about brain trauma and safety precautions to protect these warriors from themselves.
This shit seriously tears my heart up man something fierce. Hard to hold back emotions.. Edit: Something to behold the way they reunited to raise money for G-man, and her bravery clearing the air on the dog fighting. We are all so full of piss and vinegar when we're young. Such a heartbreaking story though.
Yeah anyone who taped an innocent dog's mouth shut and let his dog kill the poor thing deserved what was coming to him. He chose the hard life, the hard end came for him
It’s so funny how their memories are warped The coach - “missed with the left hook by a country mile and then headbutted” Reality - “hit with the right hook and then headbutted”
A very good boxing documentary that highlights the dangers of the sport. It has been documented that Gerald was already injured from a previously punishing title fight with hard punching Julian Jackson and at the end of that fight he was blinking a lot and stated afterwards that his head hurt. This situation should have been picked up by a brain scan. Gerald had a very poor corner, the fight was effectively over in the first round after Been had a long count after being punched out of the ring. The referee was inexperienced and the combined mixture of inexplicable factors was the cause of the tragedy that night. Jim Watts commentary mentioning that Gerald was basically a coward and that there was nothing wrong with him when the fight was stopped was misguided, he did not realise how injured he was. When a fighter goes down in the ring like that he knows that there is something wrong and knew he could not continue
He goes in nursing home. He used to tape dogs mouth shut so his dog could taste it’s blood and kill it. Putting them in unfair fight. Karma when you hurt innocent creatures. He was evil