The battle with Nigel Benn in 1995, after which this talented boxer was never able to become the same, brought sad fame in boxing to Gerald McClellan.
He was a two-time world champion who was defeated only three times as a professional. He won his first title, the WBO middleweight belt, in 1991, when he faced John Mugaby at the Royal Albert Hall. Mugabi had not yet brought a single fight to the final gong, including his three defeats. However, McClellan knocked him down three times in the first round and was able to win his first league title.
Gerald McClellan in the photo below.
A family
Born in Freeport, Illinois, McClellan had three sisters and five brothers. He started boxing at the age of 8 when his father, Emmit, gave him and his brother Todd a pair of boxing gloves for Christmas. The brother immediately began to play sports, but Gerald hesitated for a while. However, he succumbed to his father's call and spent countless hours in training.
Todd was a little older and stronger than Gerald, but despite this, his father considered his younger brother gifted.
The family moved to Erie, Pennsylvania when Gerald was about 12 years old, and then to Milwaukee, where the father of the future boxer was born. Despite the fact that the city had many gyms and great training opportunities, Gerald was not as keen on boxing as Todd was. It should be noted that the boxer was quite tall and light: with a height of 183 cm, the weight of Gerald McClellan was 70 kg. At the same time, he possessed incredible strength.
Training
In one of his interviews, McClellan told how his father made him run, push up, spar with his brother, and go to the gym every day. After a while, it became a habit.
In Milwaukee, Gerald fell under the tutelage of Stan Johnson, who raised seven champions of the Golden Gloves tournament in Wisconsin (Wisconsin Golden Gloves). It was a difficult school, but quite suitable for a champion.
Another man who had a great influence on McClellan was Al Morland, a former boxer. Morland recognized McClellan as an intelligent, punchy, confident fighter.
Boxer Gerald McKellan as a fighter developed, being engaged in the combined, but still diverse styles that Johnson and Morland dictated to him. He won four consecutive Wisconsin Golden Gloves championships (1984-87), as a result, people famous in boxing began to notice him.
From amateur to professional
This outstanding boxer, born on October 23, 1967, only won points fights four times, he never fought during all the allotted rounds. Of the 34 fights he had knocked out, Gerald McClellan finished 29. Until 1993, he remained the only belt and title champion of the WBO (World Boxing Organization). This year, he first defended his title in a fight with Jay Bell. The fight ended with a knockout in the first round.
After enjoying a stellar amateur career that included a stunning victory over Roy Jones Jr., Gerald became a professional that year. His debut took place in Milwaukee and ended with a victorious knockout in the first round over Roy Hundley. In fact, Gerald won the first four fights of his professional career without seeing the second round.
After ten victorious knockouts at the start of his professional career, Gerald was defeated in Atlantic City, New Jersey in mid-1989. This was, in fact, McClellan's last loss. In the early 1990s, he became an outstanding puncher boxer, working primarily in the middle distance and ending his fights with a knockout. His “quick” knockouts were a kind of record.
Sunderline Williams and Charles Hollis were unable to interrupt Gerald's succession of victories in mid-1990. After that, defeat from McClellan suffered Jose Carlos Da Silva.
In May 1993, on the undercard before the fight of Lennox Lewis and Tony Tarker, a fight took place between the strongest middleweight knockouts - challenger McClellan and WBC (World Boxing Council) world champion Jackson. In the fifth round, Jackson stabbed Gerald in the groin, which gave him the opportunity to take a break. Already at the end of the round, McClellan, inflicting a powerful left side blow to the jaw, sent the champion flying through the paired. Despite a hard knockdown, Jackson tried to continue the fight, but the contender for the title drove him into a corner and literally started beating. Although Jackson was able to rise during the countdown, the referee stopped the fight and victory was awarded to McClellan. In addition to winning, he also received the title of “Knockout of the Year”.
Three months later, boxer Gerald McClellan went to Puerto Rico for his first title defense against Jay Bell. Thirty seconds after the bell, the champion added another feat to his already impressive resume - the fastest knockout in the history of the middleweight championship. However, a small remark should be made here: Bell sprained his ankle, falling into the ring, and could not continue the fight.
Seven months later, Gerald was supposed to meet with the best possible rivals - Lamar Parks. Unfortunately, the fight did not take place, since Parks was diagnosed with HIV, and he was forced to quit his sports career.
Carier start
After a few early losses in his career, McClellan began to win again when he ended up in Detroit at the Kronk gym, where he trained with the legendary Hall of Fame trainer Emmanuel Steward.
The steward called him the best fighter he trained. After another series of victories in 12 battles, McClellan first traveled outside America to meet with former world champion John Mugaby, nicknamed the Beast. The victory brought Gerald the title of champion of the World Boxing Organization.
After returning to the United States, Gerald became the main contender for the World Boxing Council championship title. Its owner at that time was Julian "Hawk" Jackson, considered the most dangerous puncher in boxing.
McClellan knocked out Jackson in five rounds and went on to defend his title three more times before deciding to increase weight to challenge champion Nigel Benn.
Fatal confrontation Gerald McClellan vs Nigel Benn
According to experts, the fight with Benn, which was scheduled for February 25, 1995, for McClellan was supposed to be a passing one, everyone was counting on one more of his title in the weight category up to 76.2 kg according to the WBC. At that time, this title since 1992 has invariably belonged to the British Nigel Benn, nicknamed "Dark Destroyer". In addition, he was still the world champion in the same category for WBO.
The battle began as McClellan had suggested. In the first round of the fight, Nigel Benn against Gerald McClellan Benn, after a powerful blow, flew out of the ring, falling to the table of journalists. Despite this, he was able to return to the ring and finish the round. In the second round, he seemed to be replaced. He violently, sportingly aggressively began to attack his opponent. In the eighth round, McClellan knocked him down, but Benna did not stop it. In the tenth round, he was able to knock down Gerald twice, after which he simply could not continue the fight. Benn won by TKO.
Health status
McClellan, having received a subdural hematoma, fell into a coma for two months. The operation and intensive treatment ultimately helped the boxer regain consciousness. However, after a severe brain injury, the consequences were irreversible. He was blind, almost completely deaf, unable to move on his own and hardly served himself. His sisters look after him. None of his three wives, each of whom has one child from him, helped care for his ex-husband.
Currently, his sister Lisa lives with Gerald Maclellan. A former champion can only move in a wheelchair. He hardly understands what he is being told. Talking very slowly.
In the photo - Gerald McClellan now.
Support
A few months after the last fight, the boxer's medical insurance ended, he had no pension or savings. Being seriously ill, in need of round-the-clock medical care, he was left without a livelihood. By the way, Benn hard suffered what happened, he was able to win only in two of the next five fights, lost all his titles and a year and a half after the fight with Gerald ended his career.
In 1998, American journalist Thomas Gerbashi talked about the fate of McClellan. This helped to correct the situation. From that time to the present, Roy Jones, the duel with which did not take place, helps his friend in every possible way. He and Steward created the Gerald McClellan Foundation, which annually transfers $ 70,000 for medical expenses.
The administration of McClellan’s hometown, Freeport, provided everything needed to repair the house where he lives, and donated money for medical care.
Nigel Benn also contributed by conducting a fundraising auction that brought in £ 200,000.
Who's guilty
Many believe that Gerald himself is to blame for the misfortune that did not give up on time, which led to such sad consequences. However, one must take into account the mental state of the boxer in the ring during the fight. The fighter simply could not finish the fateful fight. Yes, he remained on one knee until the referee stopped counting, but that no longer mattered.
Guilty of the tragedy can be called coach Stan Johnson, who forced the fighter to risk his life. Responsibility also lies with the referee, Alfred Asaro, who made gross errors in refereeing during the fight. The audience also played a role, heating the fighters throughout the fight.
This tragic event could have serious consequences for the further development of professional boxing in Europe. Immediately after him, the question was raised of banning professional fights on the continent. An example was Sweden and Norway, where only amateur fights are allowed.
However, the draft ban did not pass, and after some time everyone simply forgot about the tragic duel.
Best wins
In March 1994, a fight was held with Gilbert Baptist, who claimed the championship belt. However, Gerald McClellan and he knocked out in the first round. In May of that year, Julian Jackson, who lost his championship title to McClelan in 1993, tried to regain his belt. And he, too, was knocked out in the first round. It is worth noting that Jackson in 51 battles suffered only two defeats, one of which was from McClellan.
A serious confrontation was expected between Gerald McClellan and Roy Johnson, who successfully performed in two weight categories - middle and second middle weight, both of them being the champion according to IBF (International Boxing Federation). Their fight was supposed to be held in early 1996. Boxers had already met as amateurs, but at the same time maintained friendly relations, which further fueled interest in the fight.
However, before that, Gerald G-Man McClellan agreed to a fight with British boxer Nigel Benn.
Career overview
He defeated Roy Jones Jr. in the first middleweight title in the semifinals of the Golden Gloves National Tournament in 1988. Ray McElroy won the finals in the same competition.
After winning the first ten professional fights by knockout, McClellan lost the return fights to Dennis Milton and Ralph Ward.
Defeated John Mugaby in the first round of the WBO Middleweight Championship on November 20, 1991. Refused the title without defending it.
He defeated Julian Jackson in five rounds in the WBC Middleweight Championship on May 8, 1993. He received the title of “Knockout of the Year”, according to the magazine “Ring”.
In 1994, he fired coach Emanuel Steward. According to one version, McClellan was angry because he believed that the Steward spent too much time with his other fighters. However, a large role was played by Don King, to whom the leadership of Gerald's team passed. It was he who first of all decided to get rid of the only person who could resist him - Emmanuel Steward. The famous coach was offered so unacceptable terms of the contract that he was forced to refuse to work with one of the most talented boxers of that time and leave the team. McClelland said nothing in defense of his coach. In this post, Steward was replaced by Stan Johnson.
In addition to boxing, he had another serious hobby - dog fights, and he was very cruel to dogs.
He defended his WBC middleweight title three times before giving up on him to advance to second middleweight. McClellan won all three knockout title defenses in the first round.
In total, he won 20 knockout fights in the first round.
Of his 29 career knockouts, 28 ended in the first three rounds. The only knockout he scored after the third round was the fifth round knockout in a fight with Julian Jackson. The longest fight in his career, except for the fight with Nigel Benn, was a duel with Ralph Ward, which lasted eight rounds, during which the victory was awarded by a decision of the judges.
In 2007 he was included in the International Boxing Hall of Fame.