37 Facts About Nigel Benn

Nigel Gregory Benn was born on 22 January 1964 and is a former British professional boxer who competed from 1987 to 1996.

Nigel Benn defeated several world champions, including Doug DeWitt, Iran Barkley, Thulani Malinga, Mauro Galvano, and Gerald McClellan.

Nigel Benn has successfully defended his world super-middleweight title in 1995.

Nigel Benn was born in Ilford, East London, on 22 January 1964.

Aged 18, Nigel Benn joined the Royal Fusiliers and was stationed in West Germany for three years and in Northern Ireland for eighteen months.

Nigel Benn became the Amateur Boxing Association Middleweight Champion in 1986.

Nigel Benn began his professional boxing career in 1987, achieving 22 consecutive knockout victories.

In May 1989, Nigel Benn lost the Commonwealth middleweight title to Michael Watson in a nationally televised bout at Finsbury Park, London.

Nigel Benn's next fight, against Jorge Amparo in Atlantic City, US, marked his first fight outside of the UK and the first to go the full distance.

Nigel Benn won via the three-knockdown rule at the end of the first round.

Nigel Benn returned to the UK and met British rival Chris Eubank three months later.

On 10 October 1992, Nigel Benn successfully challenged Mauro Galvano for the WBC super-middleweight title in Palaghiaccio de Marino, Marino, Lazio, Italy.

Galvano was unable to continue in the third round due to a severe cut, so Nigel Benn was declared the winner by default.

Nigel Benn's move to the higher weight limit led him to refine his fight strategy and adopt a more considered approach.

Nigel Benn successfully defended his title three times, defeating fellow Britons Nicky Piper and Lou Gent as well as winning a rematch with Galvano, before facing Chris Eubank, now WBO super-middleweight champion in a unification bout on 9 October 1993.

Nigel Benn defended his title twice in 1994 with unanimous decisions against Henry Wharton and Juan Carlos Giminez Ferreyra.

In February 1995, Nigel Benn successfully defended his 168 lb title against WBC middleweight champion Gerald McClellan in a highly anticipated bout billed as Sudden Impact.

In Round 1, Nigel Benn was knocked through the ropes as McClellan dominated early.

Nigel Benn was forced to endure the early rounds, battling to survive the brutal contest.

From Rounds 4 to 6, Nigel Benn began to shift the momentum, as McClellan showed signs of distress, repeatedly losing his gumshield, backing off for extended periods, and blinking continuously.

Nigel Benn mounted a comeback and ultimately stopped McClellan by knockout in Round 10, with McClellan unable to rise from his knee.

At the time of the stoppage, two judges had McClellan ahead, while the third scored the fight as even, although these scores did not account for the two knockdowns Nigel Benn delivered in the final round.

In 2007, McClellan, his sister, and his children attended a benefit dinner organized and hosted by Nigel Benn to help McClellan with his ongoing medical expenses.

Nigel Benn then lost his title to Malinga in 1996 in a fight that saw Nigel Benn knock Malinga down in the fifth round, but he met the canvas in the twelfth.

Nigel Benn retired from professional boxing altogether shortly after the second fight.

On 24 September 2019, Nigel Benn announced his intention to return to boxing at 55, after a 23-year absence from the ring.

Nigel Benn explained that he wanted "closure" after the unsatisfactory end to his boxing career in 1996.

Nigel Benn revealed plans for a bout against former WBC super-middleweight world champion Sakio Bika, scheduled for 23 November 2019.

However, the fight was called off after Nigel Benn suffered a shoulder injury in sparring.

Nigel Benn was inducted into the World Boxing Council Boxing Hall of Fame in 2013 and was honoured alongside fellow Brit Joe Calzaghe as WBC middleweight champions.

Nigel Benn's image is on the sixth-generation WBC super middleweight belt.

Nigel Benn is an ambassador to the New South Wales Police Citizens Youth Club and an advocate for healthy living.

Nigel Benn is a Patron of the Shannon Bradshaw Trust, a UK children's charity based in the North West of England, helping children with life-threatening conditions and their families.

Nigel Benn ran the 2013 City to Surf to raise funds for the most underfunded PCYC gym in Redfern, Sydney and has undertaken many fundraisers for the charity since improving the boxing facilities in the most impoverished areas of Sydney.

Nigel Benn was aware of his unresolved PTSD due to circumstances surrounding his older brother's death.

Nigel Benn survived partly due to the hosepipe he used to recycle exhaust fumes back into his car, repeatedly disconnecting.

Nigel Benn considers his suicide attempt as a turning point in his life, becoming Christian shortly after and committing to remaining faithful to his wife.