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Nigel Benn (born January 22, 1964) is a United
Kingdom|British citizen who was a world champion
Boxing|boxer. Benn's nickname was The Dark
Destroyer, a nickname that would, ironically,
later come back to haunt him.

A very eccentric personality who is known to have
enjoyed the nightlife, Benn had a record of 41
wins and 1 loss as an amateur boxer. He turned
professional in 1987 with a win over Graeme Ahmed
in Croydon. This win opened a streak of 22
consecutive knockout wins for The Dark Destroyer.
The streak extended until 1989. Among the
achievements reached by Benn during the knockout
win streak were beating Fermin Chirino, winning
the British commonwealth's Middleweight title with
a win over Abdul Umaru, and retaining it against
David Noel, brother of former world Lightweight
champion Claude Noel. But then, he lost the title
to Michael Watson, by a knockout in round six.
With that, he also lost his record as an
undefeated fighter.

His next fight, against Jorge Amparo, was the
first fight abroad for Benn and also the first
Nigel Benn bout to last the full distance, when he
won a 10 round decision over Amparo in Atlantic
City, New Jersey, United States. After two more
wins, he got his first opportunity at a world
championship, when he faced WBO world Middleweight
champion Doug DeWitt in Atlantic City. Benn
crowned himself world champion by knocking out
DeWitt (who had lasted 12 rounds against Thomas
Hearns) in round eight. His next defense came
against former World Boxing Council|WBC world
champion Iran Barkley (who beat Hearns twice). He
knocked Barkley out in round one. Then, he lost
the world title, when he got knocked out in round
nine by countryman Chris Eubank. 

In 1991, he beat Marvin Hagler's half brother,
Robbie Sims, by a knockout in round seven, and
then he embarked in another winning streak, which
would reach ten wins in a row. He won the World
Boxing Council|WBC's world Super Middleweight
title with a knockout in round four of defending
world champion Mauro Galvano, after having beaten
his future conqueror and world champion
Thulane_Malinga|"Sugar Boy" Malinga by a decision
in ten. He retained his title against Nick Piper,
Galvano and Lou Gent before engaging in a rematch
with Eubank. While Benn's second longest winning
streak came to a halt, he retained the world title
with a twelve round draw against Eubank. Next came
Henry Wharton and Juan Carlos Gimenez, both of
whom lost on points to Benn for the world title.

Benn's next fight would change his life forever:
World Middleweight champion Gerald McClellan,
eager to move up in weight and become a two time
world champion just like Benn had done years
before, challenged Benn. The fight was shown to
many countries worldwide, and in the United States
it was carried by Showtime. It was an eagerly
anticipated match-up with many boxing fans tuning
in, and McClellan dropped Benn out of the ring in
round one. In round eight, Benn was dropped again.
Seemingly on the verge of losing his title, Benn
kept on charging, however, making for what several
magazines called one of the fights of the year. In
round ten, McClellan suddenly went down on one
knee and the referee counted him the ten seconds
to end the bout while he was still on one knee.
McClellan collapsed when he went back to his
corner and the scene inside the ring went berzerk,
so much that Benn did not know what was happening
until he was being interviewed by Showtime's
commentator Dr. Ferdie Pacheco. McClellan was
taken out on a stretcher and with an oxygen mask
out of the ring, and he lost consciousness on his
way to the hospital. He wouldn't recover
consciousness for a very long time. 

Benn spent the night at the emergency room waiting
for news from his ring foe. The following morning,
the McClellan family arrived in London and Benn
was by their side. McClellan survived, but he has
been blind ever since, and he was paralyzed for a
very long period of time. Recently, he began to
walk with the help of a cane. The following week
after the fight, an article about it was published
by Sports Illustrated.

According to Benn's trainer, this fight took out
all the fighting spirit from Benn. As it happens
many times when a tragedy of this type happens to
a boxer, Benn had an ordinary record after that
bout. He retained the title by knocking out future
world champion Vincenzo Niardiello, and then he
won a non-title bout, but that turned out to be
his last career win. He lost to Malinga by a 12
round decision to lose the WBC world title, and
then he was given a chance at the WBO's world
title, but he lost to Steve Collins by a knockout
in round four, after breaking his ankle during
their fight in Manchester, England|Manchester. An
immediate rematch was ordered, also in Manchester,
and that time around, Benn lost by a knockout in
round seven.

Benn, who is still quite a celebrity in England
and who has been invited to many London nightclubs
as a DJ, had a record of 42 wins, 5 losses and 1
draw, with 35 wins by knockout, in professional
boxing. He now lives with his family on Mallorca,
Spain.