Boxing: The night Michael Watson's career was ended | The Independent Others Boxing: The night Michael Watson's career was ended Twenty years ago today he was on the verge of a world title &ndash; then it all went horribly wrong. Steve Bunce was ringside on a brutal night that changed boxing for ever Tuesday 20 September 2011 23:00 BST Click to follow Boxing: The night Michael Watson's career was ended 1/3 3/3 GETTY IMAGES We all know when Michael Watson's boxing life ended: it was 10.54pm on Saturday, 21 September, 1991, in a corner of a boxing ring in the middle of the White Hart Lane pitch. That was when it ended. Watson was 26 that night when he was led from one corner of the ring to his own corner after taking the final punches. He was gazing over the shoulder of the referee, Roy Francis, looking at his opponent. Francis had a hand on Watson's elbow and was having a screaming match with trainer Jimmy Tibbs, who had jumped up into the ring yelling abuse at the referee for stopping the fight early.

"He's gone, Jim, and you know he's gone," Francis roared back. We all knew Francis was right; it was very noisy high up in the ring but it was going very quiet, very quickly inside Watson's head. Tibbs finally took charge of his boxer and then it all changed. "He just slumped. I felt him go, he was on my chest and I knew he was gone," remembers Tibbs. In a neutral corner Chris Eubank, his own features smeared with swellings, was having his gloves removed and trying to smile as people screamed in joy at him from ringside. There was blood on his teeth. In other areas, not far from ringside, fights broke out in sections of the 22,000 crowd. The television images were still going out live on ITV and an audience of 13 million tuned in. They watched as the people in Watson's corner started to panic, they watched as desperate cameras tried to find Watson somewhere under the track-suited horde that guarded the boxer's corner. There was a glimpse of his boot; it was a recurring image during the next hour.

I was at ringside, resting a hand on the second rope about three feet from Watson's head. His head was resting on a briefcase belonging to the British Boxing Board of Control's doctor. It was 10.56pm and the fighter was slipping away. The rope I was holding, and the place where I was gripping it, was just about exactly where the back of Watson's head had hit with such fury in the very last second of the 11th round. The 11th round is unforgettable. Eubank was sent reeling and exhausted to the canvas with about 20 seconds left in the round. He was finished, his eyes a blur as he took some of the count on his knee. The noise was incredible. Nobody was sitting. "I know that I was thinking about my daughters, thinking about my family. Thinking that life would be easy from now on; I would be world champion. What else would I have been thinking?" Watson told me. Eubank stood, wiped his gloves on the referee's shirt, stepped forward and threw one punch. It was all it took.

Watson also walked forward, his chin neatly hidden between his blood and sweat-coated gloves, but Eubank's punch, a simple right-uppercut, picked the direct route and slid between the gloves to connect cleanly with the point of Watson's chin. He went over, his legs stiff and his head snapped off the second rope. The bell sounded. It remains, even after all these years, a moment that never fades. Tibbs and Dean Powell, his assistant on the night, were quick to assist their boxer back to his corner. It's the hurt business, a brutal game so don't ask questions of men that act and fight with their hearts in truly desperate moments. Watson replied to Tibbs in the corner, he was alert. Big Roy Francis stood in the middle of the ring and called the boxers out to touch gloves after the 60-second break. It was the last round of a rematch that had dominated the back pages and was only taking place because of public demand. Watson faltered but that was because Tibbs had hold of his heels to gain a few extra seconds of rest. Everybody wanted to fight some more. Watson was leading the fight on all three scorecards by three rounds, six rounds and one round.

He only had to survive three minutes and the World Boxing Organisation's super-middleweight title would be his. It would also be sweet revenge for the injustice of his loss on points to Eubank in June of the same year. The bell sounded and 29 seconds later it was over. Watson was not throwing punches and Eubank was throwing too many. Francis, his hair flying in the outdoor breeze of a cooling autumn night, jumped between them. "He's gone, Jim, and you know he's gone." In Watson's corner it is now 11.08pm and he has been placed on a stretcher. The doctor has a tube in Watson's mouth to help him breathe. He is, let's not hide from it, slowly dying. There is no emergency resuscitation equipment available at ringside. That all changes in the months to come. Tibbs, the DJ Tim Westwood, a nice guy called Kamel and a scared-looking medic each has a corner of Watson's stretcher. He is carried at pace from the ring, from the ringside area and to a waiting, but ill-equipped, ambulance.

The police have restored order inside the football ground and as Watson leaves the pitch an announcement comes over the Tannoy thanking people for coming, and giving details of the next Spurs home game. Watson is taken to the North Middlesex hospital, arriving there at 23.22pm. It is the wrong place. There is inadequate resuscitation equipment and no specialist head trauma staff. That all changes after the fight. He is placed alongside other Saturday night specials and his boxing boots are glowing in the gloom. His pupils were fixed and dilated; his brain stem had suffered an injury. (If this is grim reading, try and listen as Watson tells the story in his faltering and often haunting voice.) Thankfully, he is resuscitated and one pupil becomes unfixed. It is 23.55pm when he leaves North Middlesex for Barts Hospital. That is one minute outside the Golden Hour of essential rescue that all neurosurgeons preach. But, this is Michael Watson and he doesn't want to die. Meanwhile, in another part of town Dr Peter Hamlyn is having a night away from surgery. Hamlyn receives the call shortly after Watson arrives at Barts and has been assessed by experts.

He has a massive bleed on the surface of his brain. The fighter is prepared for surgery and goes down just before 1am. Hamlyn has reached the hospital but is unable to enter because of a gathering crowd of friends, fans, the curious and media outside the main entrance. He walks to the back of the Victorian building, searching for an open door. He knows time is crucial. He is standing in despair and looking up when a darkened door in front of him, and immediately below where he needs to be, suddenly opens. It is the bag lady of Barts, a legendary woman who has been living inside the hospital for years. Hamlyn races through. The surgery, the first of five procedures, is over by 4.20am and Watson is placed in the eerie world of intensive care. His mother goes to his bed. At 5.10am Tibbs, who had been on his knees praying with Watson's mother and all the sisters from the church, was sent in to see his boxer. I know it was a final look. But, the other fight is on and the hospital years have started. "Michael was closer to death than anybody that I have ever operated on," Hamlyn said.

The pair are now great friends. "Michael has done more for me spiritually than I've done for him physically." And, yes, Hamlyn does call it a miracle. And so it goes. In 1993 a few weeks before the Eubank and Nigel Benn rematch I went to see Watson. He was finally living back at his home. He had a series of carers. I sat with him as he ate chicken and rice. It was messy. He was struggling with words. There was a gaudy boxing belt on one wall, a gift from Benn, and the house was horribly sterile. It all seems so remote looking back now. Ten years later I went back to the house. There was a lot of laughter this time. Watson made me a cup of tea, taking stick from Lennard Ballack, the gentle hero in the story. He has been at Watson's side from coma to marathon to the hundreds of dull days that require Watson to defy boundaries in pursuit of ordinary pleasures. Ten minutes in their company can be shattering – in 2003 I spent months with the pair eating, talking, laughing and walking. I was helping Watson with his autobiography.

We all know where his boxing life ended but that was only part of Brother Michael's story. An era of brutal rivalries Benn vs Watson Nigel Benn's abrasive character clashed with Michael Watson's relatively reserved persona, and things climaxed before their 1989 fight. Benn's relentless bragging grated, so Watson told the press of a stare-out between them when Benn blinked first – a sign of fear. "I'll hit him with so many lefts, he'll be crying for a right," exclaimed Benn, but Watson won convincingly, causing Benn to fly to America to resurrect his career. Despite this, Benn supported Watson in his ill-fated rematch with Chris Eubank. Eubank vs Benn "I do detest him, I really do. It's no joke, I can't stand him," simmered Benn, fuelling the fire ahead of a brutal classic clash in 1990. The rivalry was the greatest in middleweight boxing, as Eubank's flamboyant posturing drove Benn crazy. Benn's entourage sabotaged Eubank's entrance music before their bout by causing it to stop abruptly, but Eubank emerged victorious on the night.

Three years later their drawn rematch was watched by half a billion people, and the two have since become friends, a recognition that each man helped to define the other. Eubank vs Watson Animosity filled the air prior to their first 1991 bout as Watson insisted Eubank was "foolish to take this fight", before instructing him to remove his "silly glasses". The rivalry was enhanced by Eubank's hate-figure status which generated Watson widespread support. Eubank regarded Watson as "strictly an obstacle which I must get past in order to enhance my standard of living", but despite winning both the fight and the infamous rematch later that year, his standard of living suffered when he was declared bankrupt in 2005. Benn vs McClellan Benn had his own Eubank vs Watson moment in an encounter with American Gerald McClellan in 1995. During one of the most savage fights in boxing history, McClellan sustained a blood clot in his brain, leaving him blind, almost deaf, and with permanent short-term memory loss, while 17 million watched.

Benn, now an ordained minister living in Majorca, has helped raise funds for his opponent's treatment and met him for the first time since their clash, in February 2007. And Watson's road to recovery... After six brain operations, no one thought Watson would walk, write or talk again but he has defied those expectations. After partially recovering from his injuries, Watson sued the British Boxing Board of Control for negligence and was awarded around £1m. It was ruled that the Board should have been responsible for medical provision at the fight. In 2003, he completed the London Marathon. With each mile taking an hour, Watson walked two miles in the morning and two in the afternoon, completing the course in just over six days. In 2004, he was awarded an MBE for his continued services to disabled sport, a moment he described as "the pinnacle of my life".

Rik Sharma and Matt Bodimeade BBC News | Sport | Watson's day of judgment Friday, September 24, 1999 Published at 00:48 GMT 01:48 UK Sport Watson's day of judgment The second Eubank-Watson fight was a brutal affair Former world title challenger Michael Watson will discover on Friday whether he has won damages of �1m from the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBC). Watson suffered irreparable brain damage in the 12th and final round of his contest against world champion and fellow Briton Chris Eubank at White Hart Lane in north London in 1991. Fight experts say victory for Watson could force the BBBC into liquidation. On Friday in the High Court in London, Mr Justice Ian Kennedy will give judgment in a civil lawsuit brought by Watson with the backing of the Professional Boxers' Association (PBA). The judge will decide if the BBBC is liable for Watson's injuries. If he finds in the boxer's favour the board may appeal. The PBA's founder and president, former world champion Barry McGuigan, told BBC News Online he hoped Watson would win but he feared for the sport.

Duty of care He said: "Michael is saying the facilities weren't there and it took him too long to get him under the surgeon's knife and as a result he has suffered irreparable brain damage and he has a very strong case." Barry McGuigan: "Michael says he suffered irreparable damage because they didn't get him under the surgeon's knife in time." Watson's lawyers claim the board, as the organisers of the Eubank fight, owed him a duty of care and failed him miserably. They say if he had received "proper attention" in the ring in the minutes following his collapse and during his transfer to hospital, he would not have suffered brain damage. They said medical specialists were not at the ringside on the night of the fight and the organisers took too long getting Watson to a hospital. As a result he slipped into a coma and had to undergo emergency surgery for a blood clot. He suffered permanent brain damage, they claim. Lost half his brain function Watson, 34, has made a partial recovery - he can talk and can walk a little but will never be able to work again.

Watson had emergency surgery to remove blood clot from his brain He has lost about half his brain function, is paralysed down his left side and will never work again. Watson's camp believe he would have made a complete recovery if the right facilities were available, although he would not have been able to continue as a professional boxer. Trainer Jimmy Tibbs told the hearing "massive improvements" had been made to the sport since 1991 but only after Watson's near death. Four years after Eubank v Watson, Gerald McClellan suffered brain damage in a fight He said: "We now have anaesthetists and paramedics at ring-side. You are not allowed to start a contest until two emergency ambulances are at the venue. "None of these measures were in place on the night of Michael's fight. It's a shame that it took the near death of Michael to bring these changes about." Lawyers for the BBBC say the damage was caused in the fight and no amount of medical attention afterwards, in or out of the ring, could have prevented Watson's injuries. The judge is only being asked to decide the issue of liability at this stage.

If he decides the BBBC are liable, he will go on to attribute damages. Watson is claiming compensation for his injury and losses, including his career. Eubank, who drew an earlier bout with Watson, retained the WBO title for several years after the tragic second fight, earning hundreds of thousands of pounds. Watson was ahead on points and knocked Eubank down in the 11th round. But the Brighton fighter got up and fought back, knocking Watson down with a vicious uppercut. Eubank's onslaught continued in the next round and the bout was called off after about 30 seconds. Watson lost consciousness within minutes. Chris Eubank: ‘My son is the most dangerous young man on the planet’ | Sport | The Guardian Boxing Chris Eubank: ‘My son is the most dangerous young man on the planet’ The eccentric former middleweight says Eubank Jr could seriously hurt Billy Joe Saunders when they meet in London Chris Eubank, left, and his son Chris Eubank Jr at Hove Boxing Club.

Photograph: Graeme Robertson for the Guardian Friday 28 November 2014 05.55 EST Last modified on Monday 4 April 2016 10.12 EDT Share on Messenger Close “This is the most dangerous young man on the planet,” Chris Eubank says in a typically grand way as he gestures towards his son, Chris Jr, who is about to face his first real test in the ring against the unbeaten Billy Joe Saunders at London’s ExCeL Arena on Saturday night. It is a fight between the regal Eubank Jr, who has won all his 18 bouts, and a former Olympian and self-proclaimed hard man of the travelling community who holds the Commonwealth, European and British middleweight titles. They are both 25 and the animosity between them dredges up memories of Eubank Sr’s most bitter and tragic nights against Nigel Benn and Michael Watson in the early 1990s . Eubank Sr and I go back a long way, for I interviewed him and Watson before their two fights in 1991. Watson had outboxed Eubank in their rematch at White Hart Lane when catastrophe struck.

Eubank was knocked down in the 11th round but he hauled himself off the canvas and, somehow, landed a punch of such devastation it resulted in Watson slipping away into a coma that lasted for months. Even today the admirable Watson remains disabled by the consequences. “That’s why I am telling the referee this week to be vigilant,” Eubank says. “Christopher won’t hesitate and he is the most dangerous man in boxing today. I’ve met all the most dangerous fighters. I fought some of them. As a fighter you can sense and smell it when a person is a certain way. For Saunders and all Christopher’s future opponents the truth is ominous. They are in danger and referees have to be mindful. Christopher has been brought up in the purest form as a fighter. Eccentric, you may call it. Odd, unique, peculiar you may deem it to be. But you have seen nothing like it before.” Eubank Sr is in rollicking form and it feels like the old days as he regales me with tales of darkness and destruction – in the tortuously modulated manner of a fighter once famous for wearing jodhpurs and a monocle.

As always with Eubank it feels best to regard his pronouncements with amused affection, even as he strives to make a serious point. “I’ve looked at Mike Tyson, Nigel Benn, Gerald McClellan and James Toney. They were all dark and they were all great fighters. But they were all were unhinged. You know this. You wrote about me and all of them in Dark Trade . Christopher’s darkness is different. He’s stoic. He’s still. There is a darkness in him I cannot measure.” Pinterest Chris Eubank Jr works on the bag. Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Guardian I look doubtfully at father and son in the crumbling Hove Boxing Club on the seafront. Eubank Jr and I have just completed an intriguing 45-minute interview in which he has been friendly and engaging. “You’re not wearing boxing gloves,” Eubank Jr says wryly. “In the ring I’m a different animal. You only come out of the dark zone once your hand is raised. I don’t think about the consequences for me or my opponent. It’s one of the reasons I don’t let my mother [Eubank Sr’s ex-wife Karron] come to my fights.

I don’t want her in that environment. It’s tunnel vision. If you saw your mum’s face in the crowd, you start thinking: ‘Is she OK?’ I don’t want that. When I’m fighting it’s just search and destroy.” His father nods sagely. “I am benevolent. I don’t see that in Junior.” Is he really saying his son is cold and forbidding? “Absolutely. He is charming to interview but they call him arrogant because he fights with an air of majesty, stealth, pizzazz and substance. That’s how I was and people didn’t like it. But I was behaving as a fighter should. I’m supposed to act like a warrior – and that’s what Junior does. But, still, I want to apologise for Christopher’s demeanour in the ring because he cannot be the smiling celebrity type. He is a pure warrior.” Eubank Jr, like every fighter courageous enough to step inside a ring, is also human and vulnerable. A night will come, possibly even against Saunders, when he is badly hurt. Surely his father will find that hard to bear?

“That ought to be the case,” Eubank Sr says, “but I have not seen anyone who has his irrepressibility, relentlessness, speed, power, spite and control. In sparring the other day he hit the guy with 10 uppercuts. And then he changes the angle and lands another six. Then there was a third volley of eight rolling uppercuts. Who does this? I went in the ring with a body protector. He had finished sparring so, effectively, he was spent. But after the first 10 shots he hit me to the body, covered in this bullet‑proof contraption, I walked away and laughed from deep within my stomach – without noise. That’s how hurtful the punches were. “I don’t know what to make of it. All I can say is that he has been parented in a very peculiar way. I am not a conventional man. I have made citizen arrests in front of him. I have commandeered heavy goods vehicles which were illegally parked in front of him.” Pinterest ‘Chris is different. He’s stoic. He’s still.

There is a darkness in him I cannot measure.’ Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Guardian Junior must have often sighed, despairingly: “Oh Dad …” Eubank Sr shakes his head. “No. He regarded that as normal behaviour. I am a strong father. The punishments I gave him over the years formed him. Who has inspired that incandescent rage that lives within him? He is shaped by his upbringing and my parenting. It has turned him into a predator.” I’m more interested in the way in which father and son were cleaved apart when Chris Jr was sent to live in Las Vegas at the age of 16. He did not see his dad much for the next two years. I ask Eubank Jr about those difficult years. “I’ve had the hardest upbringing of any fighter in England,” he says. “I don’t know any other fighter who has gone to a different country on their own and been thrown into the lions’ den. It was do or die. Either go there and flourish or get chewed up and spat back out. I went over there and started to become the fighter I am today in very tough gyms.

“I was being distracted here by silly things – hanging around with the wrong crowd – so I had to get away. Having the Eubank name in England brings lots of pressure. I went to America and flew under the radar. I went to school over there and graduated, but I was the outsider. They hear this accent and they think: ‘What the hell is this guy about?’” The girls in Vegas probably liked his accent. “Oh, the girls loved it,” Junior says with a grin. “But, at first, people looked at me like I was an alien when I asked: ‘Where’s the bin?’ They’d say: ‘What’s a bin? Oh, a trash can.’ I had to adjust and prove myself.” Was he lonely? “I’m not that sort of guy,” Eubank Jr says. “I don’t get lonely. Boxing taught me to be on my own. I was only lonely when I lost my first amateur fight at the National Golden Gloves in Detroit. It was my 10th fight and I was beaten by a guy who’d had 100 fights. I was hurt because I’m not a loser. An official had told me the judges were looking for come-forward fighters.

So I listened to him and forgot about boxing. I just steamed in, but he was too experienced. I learnt not to listen to anyone after that.” If the Eubank Sr stamp is all over his son’s career it’s also obvious that Junior has his own mind. During our interview he only looks distant when his dad interrupts to deliver a monologue. Eubank Jr has heard it all before, which is why I’m surprised he allowed his dad to dictate his nonappearance at various press conferences with Saunders. Eubank Sr tells me that, wary of Saunders’ threat to slap Junior, he kept his son away because “he would not be safe from reputational jeopardy …” Pinterest ‘I am a strong father. The punishments I gave him over the years formed him. Who has inspired that incandescent rage that lives within him? He is shaped by his upbringing and my parenting. It has turned him into a predator’ Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Guardian Eubank Jr speaks more plainly. “We haven’t done any press conferences because this guy disgraces boxing. We don’t want to be associated with him. He doesn’t act like a champion so we’re not treating him like one.” “Exactly!” his father says.

“He may have the belts but he swears in front of his six‑year‑old son.” Does Eubank Jr respect Saunders as a fighter? “I respect every man who climbs through those ropes. But as a person he’s a disgrace. He has a genuine dislike for me – whether it’s because of the kind of fighter I am, who puts on a show, or because I’m one of the most recognised names in British boxing. Maybe he feels he should be in my position. But he’s a basic fighter, which is why I call him Average Joe.” Saunders, however, is much skilful than any of the journeymen and no-hopers who feature on Eubank’s record . “He’s definitely at a higher level than anyone else I’ve faced as a professional,” Eubank Jr agrees. “But in terms of those I’ve sparred with he doesn’t come close. I’ve shared the ring with world champions and held my own. Carl Froch, Nathan Cleverly, George Groves, David Haye, [James] DeGale and, in the States, Chad Dawson, Montell Griffin and Zab Judah. These are serious fighters and countless levels above Average Joe.

He says he wants to kill me. But he knows he can’t beat me.” Eubank Jr has watched many of his father’s fights over and over again – “to see what you need to become a world champion”. He admires his dad most in his ferocious first battle against Nigel Benn – which happened 24 years ago this month. “Everyone doubted him. But he knew he would beat Benn. It’s similar to now. Saunders is the undefeated champion and I’ve not fought at his level. I’ve not gone 12 rounds. I’ve only ever gone eight rounds. So people don’t know what to expect – which is why it will be even more special when I take him out.” It’s unlikely to be as brutal as his father’s encounter with Benn. “No. I don’t think he has the heart or resolve to trade with me. If I’m wrong it could be a Fight of the Year – if he’s willing to take his punishment and try to give some back. But he’s got amateur pedigree and he punches to score points. I punch to break my opponent’s will and take him out.” Eubank Sr exclaims his approval with a wordless roar. “You see?” he says.

“I told you. He is a pure warrior. If he was not a boxer I could have given him fatherly love.” The 48-year-old smiles enigmatically. “Perhaps I can’t really offer that love because I am a warrior. I am tough. I am relentless. It suits me that he is a fighter – because I can teach him to stand alone.” I ask Eubank Jr if he wishes his father could just be his dad – instead of a “pure warrior” and pontificating philosopher? “He’s always my dad,” Junior says simply; Eubank Sr positively beams. “Once you become a fighter, if you are pure, you don’t change. Outside the ring [in retirement] you use your force only by intellect – never physicality. No matter how intelligent you may be you are subtle and transparent. You do not use machiavellian skills. You remain noble. People today may have an obscure view of boxing but it taught me to be calm, gentle and true.” An afternoon with Eubank Sr is still like nothing else in boxing – and a strange silence settles over the gym when he finally departs. Four of us are left to soak up the quiet.

Eubank Jr pummels a heavy bag while his sister, Emily, crouches down and photographs him at work. At the opposite end of the gym I sit with Ronnie Davies, the craggy-faced 68-year-old who trained Eubank Sr and now Eubank Jr. Davies and I are back where we were before those fights against Benn and Watson. Pinterest ‘An afternoon with Eubank Sr is still like nothing else in boxing – and a strange silence settles over the gym when he finally departs.’ Photograph: Graeme Robertson/Guardian I still don’t know how good Eubank Jr may be amid his father’s rhetoric. The most dangerous man in the middleweight division, and all of boxing, is Gennady Golovkin . But I listen closely while Davies describes, in stark language, how Eubank Jr thrived in gym wars against Froch, Groves and DeGale. “He’s seriously good,” Davies says. “But just a little hard to reach.

He’s got something different.” It is the closest Davies comes to echoing the “spiteful darkness” that Eubank Sr hails in his son – but as we watch the sweat fly from him it’s possible to imagine a new champion might emerge on Saturday night. Saunders has much more experience but, as Davies says quietly: “He’s fighting a Eubank. He’ll discover something I’ve known for over 25 years. There ain’t nothing like a Eubank in the ring. Billy Joe could be in for one hell of a shock.” Eubank Jr v Saunders is live on BoxNation this Saturday (Sky 437/490HD, Virgin 546, TalkTalk 525). Subscribe at boxnation.com Our Unseen Heritage: Chris Eubank vs Michael Watson - Boxing News Read More By : Terence Dooley Our Unseen Heritage: Chris Eubank vs Michael Watson By Terence Dooley I was itemising my collection of fights when I came across the brace of fights between Chris Eubank and Michael Watson. Upon seeing the tragic second bout between the two appear on the screen my girlfriend mentioned that she could not recall watching the fight since its first TV showing.

I then tried to remember the last time I had watched the fight, eventually having to concede that it had been so long I could not recall my last viewing of the rematch between the two men. Strange given that I have watched many lesser contests a number of times during that period. It is strange, also, that the fight is not shown as part of the British boxing repeats shown on TV. ESPN Classic, also, often show the first, lesser, fight between the two men without revisiting the compellingly brutal rematch. Chris Eubank caused last year when making the fight available on the Internet, the fact he charged a fee for people to view the bout should not distract from the fact that Eubank put an excellent boxing match back into the public domain. The reason for the blackout in relation to this fight is obvious, it ended tragically for Watson, Eubank settled the rematch, and the rivalry, with an improbable off-the-canvas stoppage of his game foe, in the process ensuring that Watson sustained brain injuries that sent him into a coma and almost killed him, injuries that required six operations and took a superhuman effort to recover from.

However, other tragic fights, such as Emile Griffith-Benny Paret and Nigel Benn-Gerald McClellan, have appeared on our TV screens, this despite one fight featuring a fatality and the other sending McClellan hurtling into a silent world of brain injury and physical hardship. Why, then, the reticence to air the second match between Chris Eubank and Michael Watson? An omission made even more surprising by the fact it is one of the best British contests ever fought, far better than the overrated first fight between Nigel Benn and Eubank, in which Eubank announced himself by stopping Benn in nine excellent, if not great, rounds. Hopefully an analysis of both Eubank-Watson contests will give an insight into why this particular couplet is hidden away from sight, to the extent that many of us may be surprised at how long it has been since we last took in a fight, and aftermath, that represents, for this writer, the epitome of Michael Watson’s superhuman desire to win a world title. Going into the first Watson fight Chris Eubank was treading a fine line.

Mentally and physically strong in the Benn fight Eubank next fought a bizarre fight with Canadian Dan Sherry, a fight that saw Eubank, behind on points in the eyes of some observers, win a tenth round split technical-decision after clipping his opponent with an ‘head butt’ that would raise a laugh from your average Glaswegian hard man. This, in turn, was followed by a messy win over pretty boy Gary Stretch, the expectations taken from the Benn fight were quickly fading, and people were again leaning towards the view that Eubank was an enigmatic showman who used smoke and mirrors to cover for dodgy stamina and errant skill. In reality Eubank needed a fighter to come into him, thereby allowing him to land his counters. Michael Watson, who was so aggressive, albeit unsuccessfully, in his first world title tilt against Mike McCallum, was brought in as the next challenger for Eubank’s WBO middleweight title – McCallum himself dismissed the bout as a ‘good fight between the third division fighters’.

In many ways it was a canny piece of matchmaking, prior to the Benn win Eubank’s mentor Barry Hearn had talked about making fights with the likes of McCallum, Nunn and Roberto Duran, once they grabbed the title the talk changed, turning now to a ‘Best of British’ showdown with Watson. They must have felt that Watson was a fine fighter who was damaged by that hammering at the hands of McCallum, a hammering that was glossed over with comeback a win over the fatally flawed Error Christie, which took place on the undercard of Benn-Eubank 1 and was one of Watson’s most destructive performances, although with the above caveat. Indeed, Hearn was so confident, prior to Eubank’s win over Benn, that Watson would be overmatched he told The Times that ‘Watson is well advised, and will, I am sure, be well advised to stay clear of Eubank’. Eubank himself was even more dismissive of Watson at that point, although to be fair he had been dismissive of Benn also, a man he then went onto defeat.

Chris had decreed that only Herol Graham, ‘a master, a genius’, had the skills to beat him, Michael Nunn also, at a push. Still, the all-British showdown captured the imagination of the British public. As shown by Haye-Maccarinelli the British public will happily bump up one fighter a few rungs in order to talk the contest up as a tussle between the two best boxers in the world at the given poundage. Watson’s tangible pre-fight desire to win a title, plus the fact the McCallum fight could be spun as a schooling experience, rather than the beating it so clearly was, contributed to the feeling that case Eubank may have bitten off more than he could chew. However, Watson had, in 1989, hammered Benn in a more comprehensive manner than Eubank had managed; all this led to a feeling that the hard-working boxer from Islington would overcome the Brighton braggart. In the event the first fight, held at Earl’s Court in 1991, was a bit of a damp squid. Eubank was all preening confidence and strutting lethargy.

Watson, in turn, went for the body of Eubank, seen as Chris’s weak-point going into the bout. The body punching caused Eubank to drop his gloves as the fight wore-on, although as we would find out Eubank could do this and get away with it, his chin looked after itself. Throughout the bout an incessant Watson harried Eubank, who, as ever, was looking to counter with sparing shots. Once the pace dropped Eubank countered his way back into the fight, in particular the right hand was piling up points for Chris, and piling punishment on Watson. Watson, as he would do in both the fights, was able to again up the pace, reaping the dividends of his early round body assaults. By the eighth round Eubank was urgent in his work, however Watson was blocking the rights of Eubank, Chris would let go with the odd burst of quality shots but his world title seemed to be slipping from his grasp. Eubank tried to change tack; however all he could produce was fatigued boxing mixed with profligate movement.

By the tenth Eubank was throwing away his chances of victory with each missed swing, Watson scored with a body shot that backed Eubank up, it also seemed to travel the length of Chris’s body, robbing him of his legs and senses, enabling Watson to finish the round in control. Despite some quality shots in the last two rounds – including a big left hook counter to the head in the eleventh – Eubank was feigning confidence when the final bell went, as he would do often in the future Chris had tried to nick a decision with quality pot-shotting, whereas Watson had, with less accuracy, taken the fight with his workrate. In many ways the fight was a lower-level replication of the first fight between James Toney and Mike McCallum, a draw that had seen Toney throw the better shots, only for Mike to out-work him – McCallum’s pre-fight prediction had certainly come true, it was a decent enough fight between two well-matched boxers.

I had it 113-115 for Watson, official scores of 115-113, 116-113 and 114-114 meant Eubank kept his title via a majority decision, it also left many people demanding a rematch, one that was signed, sealed and delivered fast enough to ensure that the two men would square-off again just over three months later, this time at White Hart Lane. Far from being chastened by his near-defeat experience in the first bout with Watson Eubank approached the second fight with a strange sense of entitlement not fitting with his previous performance. Weight-making battles had wearied both men going into that first fight. Fortunately the WBO decided to take a strange approach to their super-middleweight rankings. A magic trick was performed. Keep your eyes on the number one and two contenders – Juan Gimenez and Michele Mastrodonate. Keeping watching them and, ‘abracadabra!’, they are replaced by Eubank and Watson respectively; plus, the prior occupants disappeared from the Top Ten entirely, it is magic ladies and gentlemen, magic of the black variety. The secret to the trick?

The BBBoC approval of the change in rankings, Gimenez had spent two years waiting in vain for his shot only for Ed Levine to come out and reveal that the Argentinean had been ‘punished’ for failing to arrange a fight with Mastrodonate. Gimenez’s camp differed with this view, saying circumstance had prevented the fight from being made. To be fair to the WBO it makes sense that Gimenez would want a two-year #1 contender reign. Still, Eubank-Watson II was a great fight, especially at 168 lb, so what does it matter that it stank to high heavens? There was an edge to the pre-fight ballyhoo also, on one side of the edge there was the usual pre-fight ticket selling banter, on the other side of the edge lay a steep drop into mutual disrespect and loathing of what the other stood for. For Watson, Eubank must have seen such a strange enigma, a world title holder who did not put his heart and soul into his fights. Despite putting in a better performance versus Benn, Watson had not hit the heights scaled by Eubank, nor had he caught the public eye.

Also, his sole title tilt prior to meeting Eubank, versus McCallum, was the type of high mountain peak tilt that Eubank had talked about, yet was not taking. Watson, unlike Eubank, had done everything in the right way, yet he had not won a world title, this must have rankled with Michael. Michael Watson had faced a Hobson’s choice after the first bout. A Nigel Benn type of performance would not win him the fight on the cards, Eubank would be able to thread counters through and drop the pace. Watson would have to bring out that aggressive performance he had used against McCallum, even though it was a losing one, in the belief that Eubank, being no McCallum, would be overwhelmed, the pace drop late in fight one was behoving for Watson, he would have to crank it right up in the rematch. Indeed, prior to the fight McCallum himself had said that Eubank would lose against pressure, advice Watson heeded to the letter in fight two, which we shall visit in part two. Tags: SecondsOut Boxing News - Main News - ATE: 100% Collins vs. Eubank vs.

Benn ATE: 100% Collins vs. Eubank vs. Benn Retired, Chris Eubank & Nigel Benn: HoganPhotos.com In this week’s special edition of ‘Ask the Editor’ (ATE), we tackle one of the fiercest debates on the UK boxing scene – who was the best boxer between Steve Collins, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn? All three won world titles and public acclaim. Nigel Benn 42-5-1 (35) WBO middleweight world title 1990 WBC super middleweight title 1992-1996 Chris Eubank 45-5-2 (23) WBO middleweight world title 1990-1991 WBO super middleweight world title 1991-1995 Steve Collins 36-3 (21) WBO middleweight world title 1994-1995 WBO super middleweight world title 1995-1997 The SecondsOut editing team and readers from around the globe have considered this tricky question.

If you simply look at their results against each other, Steve Collins appears to reign supreme. But it is important to consider the entire career of a boxer when considering who truly was the best. There were six matches between the three boxers from 1990 to 1996. 1. 18th November 1990: Chris Eubank TKO9 Nigel Benn 2. 9th October 1993: Nigel Benn D12 Chris Eubank 3. 18th March 1995: Steve Collins W12 Chris Eubank 4. 9th September 1995: Steve Collins W12 Chris Eubank 5. 6th July 1996: Steve Collins TKO4 Nigel Benn 6. 9th November 1996: Steve Collins TKO6 Nigel Benn Let the debate begin. Country : Germany Your Question : The difficulty with a black and white answer on Benn, Eubank and Collins, is possibly leaving out important factors, such as the fighters being in their peak, styles, post McClellan and Watson etc. It’s always going to be a subjective answer.

As in other ’who’s best?’ debates, it probably comes down to the personality of the one choosing - does he/she prefer bravery over skill, or ferocity over tactics etc. In my own opinion, I loved the fear-turned-into-ferocity of Nigel Benn, the tactical mind of Eubank and the joining of mind and ruggedness in Collins. If I’m pushed though, I’ve got to pick Collins above the other two. He may have beaten them towards the end of their best years, but I feel he would have had the ability and strength of character to do it at any point in their careers. CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Good question, William. I agree. Steve Collins would have had the edge over both Benn and Eubank, regardless of which stage of their careers they fought in. I truly believe what gave Collins the edge over the other two was his early years experience of training and fighting in the tough Boston gyms. Collins was naturally tough anyway just like Benn, but Collins developed the inner steel and boxing skills in those early days. GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: William, You have to pick Collins over Eubank and Benn.

Results count and Collins was 4-0 against these two not-so-gentlemen. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: I’ve always thought Eubank was the most complete fighter of the three. I mean, they were all great, and all had elements of elite fighters, but I think that Chris was that little bit smarter than the others. Collins beat both men, but he didn’t face them in their primes. I think the Irishman would have always beaten Benn, but Eubank would have edged him in his prime. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: We comparing these three boxers, firstly we have to say they were all world class fighters and deserving world champions. The more I think of it, the more I think UK boxing fans were blessed to have all three around at the same time. But you have to look at their complete body of career work and all had great triumphs. Yes, Collins beat Eubank and Benn twice, but I think you can make an argument that both were past their best then. Benn clearly was, Eubank marginally so. Not to say that Collins was a genuine world champion either.

Eubank deserves credit for his first win over Benn, but the ‘Dark Destroyer’ appeared to win their rematch even though it was scored a draw. Name : Johnny.H Country : United Kingdom Your Question : With regards to the debate about who was the best fighter out of Benn, Eubank, Collins, I challenge anybody to watch the Benn vs. McClellan fight and then dispute that Benn wasn’t the best. You could have put King Kong in the ring with Benn that night - he wasn’t getting beaten by anybody....not Collins, not Eubank, nor (in my opinion) Roy Jones Jr. CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Johnny, I agree Nigel Benn was fired up that night but for me styles make fights and Collins had the edge over both Benn and Eubank. Having said that, one could argue that Michael Watson was the best of all the British of that era. And don’t forget Herol Graham either. GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Johnny, the question as to who was the best fighter and who could have beaten Nigel Benn on the night Benn fought Gerald McClellan are separate issues. You judge the quality of a boxer on his body of work.

Not many heavyweights could have beat Buster Douglas on the night Douglas knocked out Mike Tyson, but nobody will make the claim Douglas was a great fighter. Also, Benn would not have beaten a prime Roy Jones on ANY night. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: Taking nothing away from Benn’s performance, he was very lucky to get out of the first with McClellan. He was knocked through the ropes and given far too much time to recover by the referee. I agree that post-McClellan, Benn was not the same fighter, but Collins and Eubank were just that little bit better in my opinion, regardless of where they were in their career. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Benn’s win over McClellan was one of the greatest in-fight comebacks ever seen. He had no right to get out of the first round, but he did on sheer will, determination and fighting heart. He landed hard on McClellan in the next two rounds to the point where the American was forced away from his normal aggressive mode and was even boxing on the outside as a southpaw at times! Both boxers took tremendous punishment in that fight and no one can ever doubt their fighting heart.

That was a fight in ever sense of the word. Sadly, neither man was ever the same again. But I also agree with Greg, a prime Roy Jones Jr would have beaten Benn that night. That’s no disrespect to Nigel, because Roy at his best was a master boxer. Name : Ian Benson Country : Canada Your Question : Having been blessed enough to see Benn, Watson, Eubank and Collins all at their respective best, I find it difficult to make an easy call too, as who is the best. I think the best way to sum it up would be, all were in their own styles what boxing to the pure fan is all about. They were warriors, gentlemen and a pleasure to watch. I think to try and separate them does them a disservice because we would be better served at being privileged to have seen them all. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: Great email Ian, I can see where you are coming from. It’s a pain having to dissect great fighters and definitively say ’who was the best’. Often it’s like apples and oranges. They are all different, and were great for their own unique style.

GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Ian, there’s nothing wrong with a healthy debate on who was the better fighter - it shows the interest fans had in these three boxers. CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Very well put Ian, you would make a great politician. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Good point Ian. All three were world class fighters. Part of the fun of following boxing is debating the ‘what if’ and ‘who was the best’. One of the best aspects that Collins, Eubank and Benn must be credited with is that they were prepared to fight each other and make the big fights. Name : Owen.B Country : United Kingdom Your Question : In relation to who was better Eubank, Collins or Benn? I think Eubank comes out on top, after all he twice beat Watson who knocked out Benn, as well as stopping Benn himself. I then pick Benn as he notched up great results against hard-hitting opponents like Barkley and McClellan. Collins was excellent but he fought Eubank and Benn past their prime. I would have liked to have seen a prime Eubank and Benn fight Roy Jones and James Toney. Who do you think would have come out on top?

Were they dodged because of what they did to Watson and the G-man? BEN COHEN ANSWERS: I agree with your assessment of Eubank, Owen. I don’t see any of the Brits doing well against Toney or Jones I’m afraid. They were a class above Eubank, Benn and Collins. Eubank would have had the best chance against Toney and Jones, based on his intelligence and mental toughness. Toney and Jones were probably the most gifted super middleweights in history (with Jones edging it slightly). Eubank, Benn and Collins were just that little bit below. CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Owen, I too would have loved to have seen the British fighters in with Jones Jr or Toney. All those fights would have been great to watch but would we be discussing these great British match-ups if Jones and Toney had fought them in their primes? GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Owen, Benn, Eubank and Watson were fine fighters, but not in the class of Jones or Toney. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Unfortunately fights with Toney, Jones Jr and Benn, Eubank and Collins never happened.

The Americans seemingly didn’t want to go to fight in the UK and those in the UK were busy with their own domestic match-ups. I agree with Ben, Eubank would have had the best chance of beating Toney and Jones Jr. Though, Collins work rate and chin would have given Toney trouble as well. A prime Jones would have been too fast for him. Name : Paul Wickes Country : United Kingdom Your Question : Chaps, with the amount of ’what would have happened if’ scenarios that people talk about on this forum, I have one for you. What would have happened if Chris Eubank had received a count from the referee after Michael Watson put him down in the eleventh round of their rematch? My guess is that Watson would have gone back to his corner, confident that the 10-8 round he’d just secured had given him victory on the scorecards. He’d have coasted the last round and picked up the unanimous decision. I think he’d have rematched Nigel Benn, outscored him and gone on to fight Steve Collins and then Eubank again. I think Watson would have had the beating of Collins and Eubank, both in close fights also.

I was a huge fan of Michael Watson in his hey-day and I thought his achievement of completing the Marathon was astonishing. He was and still is a class act, but just think what could have been... GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Paul, there’s no way to tell when Watson’s injury began in the Eubank fight. Watson was certainly in the class of Eubank, Benn and Collins. CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Paul, Michael Watson is indeed an incredible man. I said in one of the other questions that I thought Michael was potentially the best of the lot but unfortunately his career was prematurely ended on that sad night at White Hart Lane all those years ago. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: That’s the thing about fighting Paul, one split second too late, one tiny error of judgement or one momentary lapse of concentration can separate a fighter from his senses and turn a fight around. Watson was the best of the lot if you ask me, a tremendous fighter with extraordinary guile and mental fortitude. But he lost fair and square to Eubank, and I don’t think it does any good to ask ’what if’.

I’m sure Watson has done enough of that himself, and probably concluded that no one could possibly know. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Paul, maybe it would have happened like that. Watson was seemingly on the same level as Eubank, but he did lose and we can only truly measure him on what ultimately happened in the ring. With no disrespect intended, the record shows that Eubank was better than Watson. Name : Neil Sho Country : United Kingdom Your Question : Firstly, in response to Thomas Peak’s view, I totally agree with his assessment about Collins, Eubank and Benn. I don’t believe as a fighter that Collins could have beaten either Eubank or Benn had he fought them before they fought each other or before their tragic fights. Both fighters are better and more rounded than Collins, but that is not taking away from the fact that Collins achieved a victory over both men. CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: I disagree, Neil. Steve Collins was at the end of his career when he fought Benn and Eubank. I believe a peek Collins had the style to beat them both.

GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Neil, while Collins may have not beaten Eubank and Benn at their zenith, Collins himself was past 30 and near the end of his career. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: Hi Neil, I do think that Collins would have always beaten Benn. Benn was monstrous puncher and a bully in the ring, but did not like it when he got a taste of his own medicine. Collins was one tough customer, and would not be intimidated by anyone. I think this affected Benn psychologically, and would have cost him the fight at any stage of his career. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: I can see where Clive and Greg are coming from, but I think while Collins was later in age, he was still young in big fights and primed himself for his matches with Eubank and Benn, which were the biggest nights of his career. But at that time, Benn and Eubank had already been in huge fights and had taken a lot pf punishment throughout their careers. Don’t forget, Collins-Benn I ended with Nigel twisting his ankle and Collins wasn’t exactly dominating clearly any of the first four rounds. Benn actually announced his retirement sitting on the ring apron after the fight.

In his mind, he had already retired when he came back for the rematch. I don’t believe Benn was at his best mentally or physically for either fight. Name : Mark Jackman Country : United Kingdom Your Question : You asked who was the best between Eubank Benn and Collins? Eubank without a doubt!!! He was smarter, as durable as Collins and could hit as hard as Benn (as he found out). The only reason Collins beat him was because Eubank’s head was never the same after the terrible injury to Watson. Watson himself comes in second then Benn and Collins are pretty equal. CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: You may well have a point about Eubank not being the same fighter after the Watson tragedy. I thought the same thing and asked Chris Eubank that same question a few years ago and he said ‘no’. I can’t remember exactly what he said but words to the effect of he was a professional fighter and had to do the best job he could. Having said that I do think Eubank lost his edge after the second Watson fight. GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Mark, Eubank was unbeaten in 14 fights after the Michael Watson bout.

To pin Collins’ win on the Watson outcome doesn’t hold water. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: I think Watson was better than all of them, with Eubank a close second. It’s splitting hairs really they were all great fighters and assets to the sport. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: At their absolute peaks, I have Eubank and Collins at the top. Collins’ fitness and workrate beat Eubank twice. Chris just couldn’t keep the same pace when they fought, although he fought well in spurts. I thought Benn beat Eubank in their rematch. Nigel landed the cleaner, harder punches. Eubank took a lot of punishment in the later fights in his career and I think this hurt him against Collins. Name : Barnaby Chesterman Country : France Your Question : Eubank, Benn or Collins? I like the question and I think I have the answer. Benn was the most exciting, Eubank the most talented but Collins, the warrior, was the better all-round fighter. He beat Eubank and Benn twice each and Eubank had a win and a draw against Benn.

I think Collins would’ve given a prime Roy Jones Jr a heck of a run for his money....if Jones had not run scared! BEN COHEN ANSWERS: Are you on crack Barnaby!? Roy Jones would have made Collins look silly, (no disrespect to the brave Irishman). Their styles were completely opposite, and Collin’s was tailer made to Jones’ blistering counter punching. As far as the rest of your analysis goes, you make some good points. CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: Barnaby, Spot on GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Barnaby, Jones would have beaten Collins easily. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: Yes, Collins’ fitness and toughness would have seen him go twelve rounds with a prime Roy Jones Jr, but I can’t imagine how he would have caught and hurt him. Roy would have just been too fast for him in his prime. When Collins fought Eubank and Benn, they were right in front of him, which suited his game plan devised with his trainer Freddie Roach. Name : Patrick Kelly Your Question : What happened to Nigel Benn after fought Eubank? PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: You pose a short, sharp question Patrick.

I assume you are suggesting that Benn was never the same after his second fight with Eubank? Maybe. I actually had him winning that fight. If he hadn’t been penalised a point for a low blow, Benn would have won on the official cards. I thought his performance in the Eubank rematch was impressive. He took too many punches against Gerald McClellan, but his heart and physical drive saw him win a fight he had simply no right to win. Against Collins, Benn was clearly past his best. GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Recently Patrick, I understand Benn has mellowed, turned to religion and his selling his boxing memorabilia. Name : Kevin Stock Country : Ireland Your Question : Eubank was leagues above Benn and Collins. Nigel was a slugger who relied solely on his punch, speed and ducking below knee height and also being a bully. Benn maybe did deserve to win the return, but Eubank wasn’t at his best that night and Benn was ducking low all the time as usual. Steve just got to Eubank psychologically, and in the fights just out hussled him completely and out muscled him. Really, Benn and Collins weren’t very good.

Eubank was. He either stood and jabbed everyone’s head off in top shape and/or countered everything that came at him using reactions and agility to move in and out of range. It’s clear as day lads. GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Kevin, to say Benn and Collins "weren’t very good" defeats any other argument you have. CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: You’re entitled to your opinion, Kevin, but I think your well off the mark BEN COHEN ANSWERS: You’ve got a point Kevin, but I wouldn’t go as far as to say he was ’leagues ahead’. Collins and Benn had some tremendous victories in their day, and were absolutely comparable to Eubank’s. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: All three were world class boxers. We are splitting hairs in trying to work out who was the best. I think it is unfair to say that either were a long way ahead of the others. Name : Callum Donaldson Country : United Kingdom Your Question : You have to say Nigel Benn was the top guy from Benn-Eubank-Collins, even though Eubank and Collins beat him.

DeWitt and Barkley IMO would make Eubank fight for 180 seconds of each round and probably beat him. Benn blew them away. Steve Collins wouldn’t stand a hope in hell’s chance against Gerald ’G-Man’ McClellan, would he??? Interestingly, Chris Eubank showed signs of being a potentially excellent fighter on the small hall shows, the way he fought out of a crouch back then and let his combinations go from all sorts of angles was impressive and he was a lot smoother when he was younger and lighter. He didn’t really hit any kind of spotlight until the TV contract signing for the Benn bout and Reginaldo Dos Santos KO/pose. Collins was seen as a very limited fighter in his early American days, but a good grafter willing to take 3 to land 4. It is fair to say that Benn was never the same after the McClellan tragedy. His mind seemed elsewhere in those last five fights and his balance awful compared to before. I think Nigel Benn, nearer his thought-before-launch peak, cuts Collins to smithereens and barely has a glove laid on him. He beat iron-chinned Eubank by 3 or 4 rounds on an OFF-NIGHT.

So Benn for me. 1. Benn. 2. Collins. 3. Eubank. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: You are entitled to your opinion Callum, but I respectfully disagree. Benn was a great fighter, but a limited one. I think Benn was underrated in his skill, his footwork improved over time, and he was able to pick his shots with excellent accuracy. However, his chin was not the best, and he often did not react well to pressure. Eubank and Collins were far better at taking punishment, and I believe were that little bit better as overall fighters. GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Callum, I agree Benn went downhill fast at the end. Eubank beats DeWitt and Barkley and Collins, with his steadiness and durability, would have given a stamina-challenged McClellan problems. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: That’s the beauty of this debate. You can make an argument for either Benn, Collins or Eubank being the best on the basis of a single fight in their careers. On his night such as with the McClellan fight, Benn was awesome.

I thought he deserved to get the decision in his rematch with Eubank, but clearly lost to Collins in both fights when not at his best. It’s not easy to get an agreement on who was the best, which is why we are having this ATE debate. Name : Franklin Watts Country : United Kingdom Your Question : Sugar Boy Malinga described Eubank as ’a very good boxer’ and Benn as ’not a good boxer’. Henry Wharton says he’d have definitely beaten Benn in a direct rematch, because he wouldn’t have frozen for the whole of the first third of the fight. Henry also says that, no matter what he did, he’d have never beaten the Eubank that night they fought in G-Mex. Collins? Pfft. He just lunged himself at Eubank all night. Not in the same class. GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Franklin, can’t argue with those who were in the ring with these men. Wharton froze in the Benn fight - that may be a fact, but it’s just an excuse. Benn had something to do with Wharton’s performance, so credit him. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: Interesting analysis Franklin.

I do agree that Collins was a bit unrefined, but his tenacity was second to none. He may have lunged at Eubank all night, but it was effective lunging. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: If you can make the point that Eubank and Benn were past their best when they fought Collins, maybe Collins wasn’t as great as he appeared? He did lose on points to Sumbu Kalambay, Reggie Johnson and Mike McCallum. I’m not saying I subscribe to that theory fully, but when analysing Collins’ career in full they must be noted. Name : Patrick Ben Country : United Kingdom Your Question : Eubank was a master boxer/puncher, Benn was a slugger/brawler and Collins somewhat of a boxer/fighter. Eubank > Benn, Collins GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Patrick, I wouldn’t call Eubank a “master”, but his style was certainly unique. Credit his intelligence. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: At his best Eubank was impressive. But on their best nights Benn and Collins were supreme as well.

I don’t think Eubank had slipped too far when he was beaten by Collins, but all of those clean shots he shrugged off over the years had worn him a little by then. Name : Ollie Morris Country : United Kingdom Your Question : Crazy as it sounds, Collins wasn’t in the class of Benn or Eubank! I know he sent them both into retirement, but he was rubbish! He couldn’t punch his way out of a paper bag and had about nil talent. He was awkward because he was so limited, his chin, heart, courage, workrate, stamina, strength etc. got him through fights and Nigel and Chris clearly weren’t at their best then. Chris had already lost a number of fights clearly i.e. Amaral and Schommer in the 6 months before Steve jumped all over him & got the close nod. He looked rusty and crusty against Close and Storey, inferior Irish fighters to even Collins. But 1990-1993 Chris Eubank was awesome. As for Nigel, 1987-1995 Nigel was awesome. It’s just that McClellan punched everything out of him.

I.M.O, it goes - Eubank tops, then Benn nipping at his heels and then Collins a little off. Herol Graham, Michael Watson and Joe Calzaghe better than these three though, just not as famous as Benn and Eubank. Roy Jones Jr and James Toney would’ve blew Benn away and made Eubank look like a statue without him even meaning to look like a statue, Chris just did not know sharp punching and evasions like that, he didn’t know that fluidity and sharpness and it would’ve been a bit of a culture shock in my opinion. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: You make some good points Ollie, but I don’t agree about Collins. I think he had underrated skills. He wasn’t pretty to watch, but he could put his punches together well, and was actually quite good at controlling the tempo of a fight. If you watch his fights against Eubank, Collins out hustled him, which was not an easy thing to do despite his advanced age. I think Nigel Benn was an awesome force in boxing, but would come unstuck against guys he could not hurt. Collins was one of them, and would have beaten Benn any time they fought.

I agree that Toney and Jones were better than all of them though. Too fast, and too skilled. GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Ollie, you bash Collins, while giving him credit for chin, heart, courage, workrate, stamina and strength. Those qualities are the products of hard work and a confident mind. Those are important talents, and more impressive than God-given talents of speed and punching power. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: I can see where you are coming from Ollie. I’m not sure that I agree. As I wrote earlier, you have to take into account Collins’ earlier points losses to Sumbu Kalambay, Reggie Johnson and Mike McCallum. Collins fought well to beat Eubank in their first fight. That was probably the most impressive win of his career. Benn was past his best, as you pointed out, when Collins beat him. Name : Stuart Coy Country : United Kingdom Your Question : With regards to the Benn/Eubank/Collins debate: there’s one British fighter who was around at the time who keeps being forgotten and was better than all of them - Michael Watson.

I’m not being sentimental in the light of what happened - I think Watson was definitely the best of them. I think he should have got the decision against Eubank in their first fight, and was well on the way to beating him in their second fight before Eubank’s desperate punch. Watson also out-thought and knocked Benn out in six rounds in one of the most exciting fights I’ve seen in a British ring. OK, you can say he beat a reckless Benn before he learnt how to pace himself, but I think Watson would always have had too much skill for Benn. I think Watson was as strong as Eubank and Benn, but with better skills. Let’s remember him as the superb fighter he was. For the record, I think the order should be: 1.Watson. 2.Benn. 3.Eubank. 4.Collins. BEN COHEN ANSWERS: Mostly agreed, although I have it 1. Watson. 2. Eubank. 3. Collins. 4. Benn. PAUL UPHAM ANSWERS: 1. Eubank. 2. Collins. 3. Benn. 4. Watson.

CLIVE BERNATH ANSWERS: I have said I believe Watson was potentially the best of the four GREG JUCKETT ANSWERS: Stuart, Watson certainly was an equal, as he proved in his fights with Eubank and Benn. No Middle Ground: Eubank, Benn, Watson and the golden era of British boxing: Amazon.co.uk: Sanjeev Shetty: 9781781311271: Books Product Description Review 'Absolutely loving the book. I can't put it down. One of the best books about sport I've ever read. It's great.' (Matt Forde Comedian, comedy writer and TalkSport presenter) ‘This is an enthralling behind-the-scenes account of a bygone sporting era.’ (Shortlist) "Riveting. It's like I'm back there on a sat night with my family, watching the bloodlust. Brilliantly written." (Phil Williams Radio Five Live) 'Shetty painstakingly spoke to the fighters, their respective teams and many of the integral people involved to capture the scene of the fight nights excellently.

The way in which he introduces the reader to each of the boxers personalities in fine detail from their adolescent youth through to maturity early on in the book sets the tone perfectly. Shetty takes the reader through an amazing journey that started inside a tent in Finsbury Park North London in May 1989, and ends tragically on cold night at White Hart Lane Football on September 21, 1991. Highly informative and well written.' (Clive Bernath secondsout.com) About the Author SANJEEV SHETTY began writing about boxing in 1994. He has reported from ringside on greats such as Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, Naseem Hamed, Ricky Hatton, Joe Calzaghe, Oscar de la Hoya and Manny Pacquiao. The majority of his reportage has been for the BBC, for whom he has served over three years. He lives in Cheshire with his wife Laura and their two sons, Rafael and Ruben. He is also the author of a detective novel, Man's Work. What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?

Question: What was the venue for the tragic Eubank v Watson fight
Answer: White Hart Lane