The Dark Destroyer comes into the Light
W as any fighter more dangerous when hurt? Nigel Benn would be having everything his own way, smashing opponents to head and body in a savage and frenzied attack. And then it would happen. The opponent would find a gap, land flush, and Benn would go from hunter to hunted in a split second. Dazed, equilibrium all but gone, Britain’s bad boy would struggle through a torrent of blows and concussive fog. But just as he was on the verge of being taken out, Benn would activate wounded lion mode, unleash hell and turn things around in dramatic fashion. His instinct to strike back was visceral. In December 1987, in his 12th fight of that calendar year, Benn was shaken up by American middleweight Reggie Miller in Round 7. A multi-punch combination froze the Englishman in his tracks and hurt him for the first time in his young career. BOOM! Benn instantly responded with a massive left hook and followed with a series of rights that ended the fight. Miller didn’t know what hit him. Ten months later, Benn was decked by Jamaican puncher Anthony Logan in a wild first round. Instead of going on the defensive, “The Dark Destroyer” engaged forward gear and was hurt again in the second. Logan followed up with a furious assault and was on the verge of forcing a stoppage. With his legs disobeying him, Benn released a wild overhand right that missed the target. However, by missing the right and stumbling forward, Benn put himself in position to launch a brutal left hook. Logan went out like a candle in the wind. “I can’t put my finger on it,” said Benn when asked where that incredible survival
IT’S BEEN 30 YEARS SINCE NIGEL BENN FOUGHT AS A PROFESSIONAL. FINALLY, THE BRITISH WARRIOR’S SENSATIONAL CAREER WILL BE RECOGNIZED WHEN HE’S INDUCTED INTO THE HALL OF FAME. By Tom Gray
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