Nigel Benn vs David Noel Commonwealth middleweight title official on-site poster, 10th December 1998, Crystal Palace, London. Measuring 40" x 30"

Condition fair (has fold lines, splashes of white paste in some areas, some slight loss to corners where the poster had previously been pinned up in a gym and carelessly removed, two longish tears at bottom edge.

Benn W TKO 1

Price: £30

Perhaps, one of the most exciting fighters ever, Nigel Benn knocked out his first 21 opponents, most of them in the early stages. Benn brought undoubted excitement to his fights, his punches pole axing a succession of challengers. Lethal left hooks, robust right uppercuts, swinging right crosses; they all were capable of rendering an opponent senseless. Also, a brutal body puncher when he had the patience to not headhunt, which is an area he had problems with. He was careless, though, fighting sometimes with such wreck-less abandon that led to some of his opponents to landing a lot of shots on him, and coming close to stopping him. This happened during a fight in October 1988, with Anthony Logan. Be that as it may, what heightened Benn’s appeal was that he appeared to be most dangerous when hurt. Logan, for all the inconvenience caused, ended up unconscious on the ring canvas. Benn had Nunn and Graham screaming to the hills.

Benn's power was proven beyond doubt against Doug DeWitt and Iran Barkley in America in world middle weight title fights, Thomas Hearns' right cross had failed to floor DeWitt or Barkley once in 15 rounds total yet Benn's bombs floored DeWitt and Barkley six times in under four minutes in total. Benn also knocked out Robbie Sims for the first time in his career before moving up in weight and maturing into more of a counter punching style that often saw some beautiful feinting and nice defensive moves as well as the discipline to punch to the body and pace himself. Benn proved his versatility by often out boxing opponents after his losses to Michael Watson and Chris Eubank; those losses taught him that being a forward marching barbarian could be capitalized on by good defense. So Benn brought out his boxing skills later in his career until bumping into Gerald McClellan, who Benn decided to slug with to stand a chance of beating. McClellan was the WBC world middle weight champ and a power hitter boxer coming off a chilling 93-second rematch demolition of Jackson, but Benn out fought him and out punched him by bringing back the old Dark Destroyer from his fighting days in what was his career defining win. McClellan was tragically left wheel chair bound at the hands of Benn, and that combined with it being one war too many, meant that Benn never was the same again. Every inch the Dark Destroyer, and his overhand right smash took Iran Barkley and Gerald McClellan to their knees in title defenses.

Personally, I don't think Bernard Hopkins or Jermain Taylor could beat an undefeated Mike McCallum, nor an undefeated Herol Graham. In my opinion, A young Michael Nunn, had the boxing ability in him to blow away Hopkins and Taylor, on the same night. Moreover, the monstrous punching Julian Jackson would have likely also knocked them out, and Nigel Benn would have given them fits. Personally, I don't think Hopkins or Taylor are as good as these multi weight greats of the 1980's and 1990's.



.