Nigel Benn facts for kids

Nigel Gregory Benn (born January 22, 1964) is a famous British former professional boxer. He competed from 1987 to 1996. Nigel was known for his exciting fights and powerful punches. He won world titles in two different weight classes. These included the WBO middleweight title in 1990 and the WBC super-middleweight title from 1992 to 1996. He also held the Commonwealth middleweight title from 1988 to 1989.

Nigel Benn was nicknamed "The Dark Destroyer" because of his strong knockout power. He won 83.3% of his fights by knockout. Some of his most famous fights were against Iran Barkley in 1990, and his two big matches against fellow British boxer Chris Eubank in 1990 and 1993. Another very important fight was his defense of the super-middleweight title against Gerald McClellan in 1995. Before his fights, you could often hear the chimes of Big Ben playing as he walked to the boxing ring!

Early Life and Amateur Boxing

Nigel Benn was born in Ilford, East London, England, on January 22, 1964. When he was 18, he joined the British Army's Royal Regiment of Fusiliers. He spent three years stationed in West Germany and then eighteen months in Northern Ireland. After leaving the army, Benn joined the West Ham Amateur Boxing Club to start his boxing journey.

Amateur Achievements

• In 1986, Nigel Benn became the Amateur Boxing Association Middleweight Champion.

Professional Boxing Career

Nigel Benn became a professional boxer in 1987. He started his career with an amazing streak of 22 wins, all by knockout! During this time, he won the Commonwealth middleweight title. He beat Abdul Umaru in the second round on April 20, 1988.

In May 1989, Nigel Benn (who had won all 22 of his fights by knockout) lost his Commonwealth title. He fought Michael Watson in a highly anticipated match in Finsbury Park, London. This fight was even shown on TV in the US. In the sixth round, Watson knocked Benn down. Benn tried to get up, but the referee counted him out.

His next fight was against Jorge Amparo in Atlantic City, U.S.. This was his first fight outside the UK and his first fight that went the full distance. Benn won by a decision after 10 rounds.

Becoming WBO Middleweight Champion

After two more wins, Benn got a chance to fight for the WBO middleweight title. He faced Doug DeWitt of the US in Atlantic City. Benn was knocked down in the second round, but he fought back strongly. He knocked DeWitt down three times in the eighth round to win the world title!

His first defense of the WBO title was in August 1990 against former WBC champion Iran Barkley. Benn won this fight very quickly, by the three-knockdown rule, at the end of the first round. Just three months later, Benn returned to the UK to face his British rival, Chris Eubank. They fought in Birmingham on November 18, 1990. Benn lost his title to Eubank in the ninth round when the referee stopped the fight.

Becoming WBC Super-Middleweight Champion

After losing his middleweight title, Nigel Benn moved up to the super-middleweight division. He started a new winning streak in 1991, which included a knockout win over Robbie Sims. He also had a close win against Thulani Malinga and a powerful one-punch knockout against Dan Sherry.

On October 10, 1992, Benn challenged Mauro Galvano for the WBC super-middleweight title in Italy. Galvano got a bad cut and couldn't continue the fight. After some discussion, Benn was declared the winner and became a two-weight world champion!

As Benn moved to a heavier weight, he changed his fighting style to be more careful and strategic. He defended his new title against British boxers Nicky Piper and Lou Gent. He also had a rematch win against Mauro Galvano. Then, on October 9, 1993, he faced Chris Eubank again. Eubank was now the WBO super-middleweight champion, and this fight was to unify (combine) the titles. The fight ended in a draw, so both fighters kept their own titles. Benn defended his WBC title two more times in 1994, winning by unanimous decisions against Henry Wharton and Juan Carlos Giminez Ferreyra.

Benn vs. McClellan: A Tough Fight

In February 1995, Nigel Benn defended his super-middleweight title against Gerald McClellan. McClellan was the WBC middleweight champion and was known for his incredible knockout power. He had won his last 21 fights, with 14 of those by knockout, often very early in the fight.

In the first round, McClellan knocked Benn out of the ring! Benn had to fight hard to survive the early rounds. From rounds four to six, Benn started to gain control. McClellan seemed tired and kept losing his mouthguard. McClellan fought back in rounds seven and eight, even knocking Benn down again in the eighth. However, McClellan was very tired. Benn came back strong and won the fight by knockout in the tenth round.

Sadly, Gerald McClellan was seriously injured in the fight. He collapsed after the match and was taken to the hospital. He had a blood clot on his brain. Today, McClellan has problems with his memory, is almost completely blind, and uses a wheelchair. Nigel Benn has organized events to help raise money for McClellan's medical care, showing his support for his former opponent.

After the McClellan fight, Benn successfully defended his title two more times. He beat Vincenzo Nardiello and Danny Perez. Then, in March 1996, he lost his WBC title to Thulani Malinga in a close fight that went all 12 rounds.

Fights Against Steve Collins

In 1996, Nigel Benn tried to win the WBO super-middleweight title from Steve Collins twice. Collins had previously beaten Chris Eubank. In their first fight, Benn lost in the fourth round due to an ankle injury. In the rematch four months later, Benn's corner stopped the fight at the end of the sixth round. Nigel Benn retired from professional boxing shortly after this second loss to Collins.

Life After Boxing

Nigel Benn was honored and entered into the World Boxing Council (WBC) Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013. His image is now on the sixth version of the WBC super-middleweight belt.

After boxing, Benn has dedicated his life to helping others. He works with young people in Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia, and does a lot of charity work. He is an ambassador for the New South Wales Police Citizens Youth Club's (PCYC), promoting healthy living. He also supports the Shannon Bradshaw Trust, a UK children's charity that helps children with serious health conditions.

Benn has run races to raise money for PCYC gyms in poorer areas of Sydney, improving boxing facilities for kids. He also helps Christian groups, giving advice to people with addictions and counseling couples facing marriage problems.

Nigel Benn has two sons who have also become professional boxers. His son, Conor Benn, started boxing professionally in 2016 and fights at welterweight. Another son, Harley, turned professional in 2017.