Gerald McClellan
Gerald Allen McClellan (born October 23, 1967) is an American retired professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 1995. He is a two-time middleweight world champion, having held the WBO title from 1991 to 1992, and the WBC title from 1993 to 1995. McClellan was forced to retire from boxing after a severe brain injury suffered during his final fight in 1995, a loss to WBC super middleweight champion Nigel Benn.
Gerald McClellan | |
---|---|
Statistics | |
Real name | Gerald Allen McClellan |
Nickname(s) | The G-Man |
Weight(s) | |
Height | 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) |
Reach | 77 in (196 cm) |
Nationality | American |
Born | Freeport, Illinois, U.S. | October 23, 1967
Stance | Orthodox |
Boxing record | |
Total fights | 34 |
Wins | 31 |
Wins by KO | 29 |
Losses | 3 |
Known for his formidable punching power and one of the highest 1st-round-knockouts ratio in the history of boxing, McClellan was dubbed ‘a miniature Mike Tyson’ by his promoter Don King (Tyson himself, while being incarcerated, reportedly called McClellan ‘the best fighter in the world,’[1]) The Ring magazine rated McClellan #27 on their list of "100 Greatest Punchers Of All Time".[2] In 2007, McClellan was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame in California, not to be confused with the more widely recognized International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota.
Amateur career
As an amateur, McClellan was a four-time Wisconsin Golden Gloves champion, 1984–1987, competing mostly in the junior middleweight division.[3]
Highlights
National Golden Gloves (147 lbs), Little Rock, Arkansas, March 1985:
U.S. Olympic Festival (156 lbs), Houston, Texas, July 1986:
U.S. Olympic Festival (156 lbs), Raleigh, North Carolina, July 1987:
|
Pan Am Box-offs (156 lbs), International Center of the Broadmoor, Colorado Springs, Colorado, July 1987:
U.S. National Championships (156 lbs), Olympic Sports Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado, March 1988:
National Golden Gloves (156 lbs), Omaha, Nebraska, May 1988:
|
He trained with Kronk Gym being trained by Emanuel Steward.[1] After turning pro, he also fought out of a Palmer Park gym run by Sugar Ray Leonard.[4]
Professional career
—Mike Tyson speaks on McClellan.[5]
McClellan turned professional in 1988. Trained by hall of fame trainer Emanuel Steward, his early career was notable for a propensity for quick victories by knockout: only two of his first 29 fights went beyond the third round, although he lost both of those on the scorecard (in 6 rounds against Dennis Milton, 8 against Ralph Ward, in successive fights.) However, these proved only a momentary check on his career, as he captured the vacant WBO middleweight title by knocking out John Mugabi in one round in 1991, and the WBC middleweight title by knocking out Julian Jackson in five rounds in May 1993, after McClellan had survived some brutally hard punches from Jackson in the second and third rounds. McClellan defended the WBC title three times, all first round stoppages, including a rematch with Jackson. In the fall of 1994, McClellan separated from his long-term trainer Emanuel Steward.
Benn vs McClellan
McClellan moved up in weight to challenge WBC super middleweight champion Nigel Benn in London on February 25, 1995. The fight was watched by an estimated 17 million people on television and 10,300 paying spectators.[6]
In a savage bout, McClellan knocked Benn out of the ring in round one and scored another knockdown in round eight, but each time Benn was able to work his way back into the fight and kept landing hard power punches to the challenger. Referee Alfred Azaro was also roundly criticized for his officiating mistakes, which included impeding the challenger's progress when McClellan was trying to finish off Benn in round 1. McClellan was noticeably blinking repeatedly early in round ten, during which, after receiving a single hard blow from Benn who seemed to throw his shoulder into McClellan's eye, he voluntarily went down, taking a knee again.[7] McClellan took the mandatory eight count and the fight was resumed, but he did not throw another punch, and moments later he dropped to his knee for a second time and allowed Azaro to count him out. After the fight was over, McClellan immediately stood up and walked to his corner under his own power. He then sat down on the canvas and leaned against the ring apron, but while being attended to by ring physicians he slumped onto his back and lost consciousness. McClellan was subsequently strapped to a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.
Aftermath
McClellan had emergency surgery to remove a blood clot from his brain. He spent eleven days in a coma and was found to have suffered extensive brain damage. He lost his eyesight, the ability to walk unassisted, and was reported as being 80 percent deaf. Sports Illustrated ran an article about the fight and its outcome one week after the fight. McClellan's family flew to London to be by his side, and he was later flown back to his home country. He has recently recovered some ability to walk with the assistance of a cane, but he has not recovered his eyesight. In addition to being blind, his short-term memory was also profoundly affected. His three sisters, particularly Lisa McClellan, are responsible for his care. In a 2011 documentary broadcast by ITV (which originally screened the fight live in the UK), Lisa stated that Gerald is in fact not deaf, but that he has trouble with comprehension when spoken to.
Tarick Salmaci, a Kronk Gym fighter, claimed later in an interview that he had sparred with McClellan over a year before the Benn fight, and that after McClellan was hit by a jab thrown by Salmaci, McClellan started to blink hard and the session had to be stopped. McClellan initially claimed that he was thumbed, but later admitted to Salmaci in the locker room that he was in fact seriously hurt. Salmaci said that he found it strange that a fighter with McClellan's chin wearing headgear was being hurt by a jab, and that when he noticed McClellan blinking during the Benn fight in the same way, Salmaci was immediately aware that McClellan was in serious trouble. Also notable in hindsight was McClellan complaining of getting regular headaches after his first fight with Julian Jackson in May 1993. In the fight, McClellan's chin resisted Jackson's formidable punching power before McClellan won the fight in Round 5, but Jackson's punches may have done some damage to McClellan's brain, such as concussions, that weren't noticed at the time.[8]
Fundraising
McClellan has been the honoree at numerous banquets and award ceremonies, and fellow boxing world champion Roy Jones Jr., often pointed out as a rival middleweight champion during 1993–94 (indeed, McClellan actually beat Jones as an amateur), set up a foundation to help McClellan.
Nigel Benn himself has also helped to raise funds for McClellan's treatment, and the two men would meet again for the first time since their bout at a fundraiser held in London on February 24, 2007. Several items were auctioned off at the event and a total of £200,000 was raised.[9]
In May 2012, the World Boxing Council publicly appealed for donations to a trust fund set up in McClellan's name in order to help his sister Lisa maintain his 24-hour care.[10] In July 2017, McClellan took a turn for the worse, and underwent surgery to repair a malfunctioning colon. McClellan now uses a colostomy bag, and incurs colostomy supply expenses of about 500 dollars a month.[11] Former world light middleweight champion Terry Norris, whose Final Fight Foundation acts to protect boxers, made an appeal for the Gerald McClellan Trust, noting, "McClellan's organs are starting to shut down because of his brain injury."[12] Ring 10, a nonprofit organization that helps impoverished former fighters, provides McClellan with monthly food credit and raises funds to assist with payment of other necessities.[13]
Dog fighting controversy
According to an article in The Observer, McClellan participated in dog fighting.[14][15] McClellan's trainer and family admitted that McClellan was involved with fighting pitbulls, and on one occasion had used tape to bind the jaws of a Labrador shut before allowing his pet pitbull "Deuce" to kill it.[16][17]
Professional boxing record
34 fights | 31 wins | 3 losses |
By knockout | 29 | 1 |
By decision | 2 | 2 |
No. | Result | Record | Opponent | Type | Round, time | Date | Location | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
34 | Loss | 31–3 | ![]() |
KO | 10 (12), 1:46 | Feb 25, 1995 | ![]() |
For WBC super middleweight title |
33 | Win | 31–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12), 1:23 | May 7, 1994 | ![]() |
Retained WBC middleweight title |
32 | Win | 30–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (12), 1:37 | Mar 4, 1994 | ![]() |
Retained WBC middleweight title |
31 | Win | 29–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (12), 0:20 | Aug 6, 1993 | ![]() |
Retained WBC middleweight title |
30 | Win | 28–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 5 (12), 2:09 | May 8, 1993 | ![]() |
Won WBC middleweight title |
29 | Win | 27–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (10) | Feb 20, 1993 | ![]() |
|
28 | Win | 26–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (8), 1:51 | Nov 7, 1992 | ![]() |
|
27 | Win | 25–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (10), 0:45 | May 15, 1992 | ![]() |
|
26 | Win | 24–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (10), 2:02 | Feb 24, 1992 | ![]() |
|
25 | Win | 23–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (12), 2:51 | Nov 20, 1991 | ![]() |
Won vacant WBO middleweight title |
24 | Win | 22–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (8), 2:07 | Aug 13, 1991 | ![]() |
|
23 | Win | 21–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (10) | Jul 27, 1991 | ![]() |
|
22 | Win | 20–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (10) | Mar 1, 1991 | ![]() |
|
21 | Win | 19–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (10), 2:37 | Dec 15, 1990 | ![]() |
|
20 | Win | 18–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (8) | Nov 14, 1990 | ![]() |
|
19 | Win | 17–2 | ![]() |
PTS | 8 | Sep 14, 1990 | ![]() |
|
18 | Win | 16–2 | ![]() |
UD | 8 | Aug 21, 1990 | ![]() |
|
17 | Win | 15–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (8) | Jun 12, 1990 | ![]() |
|
16 | Win | 14–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 3 (8), 1:42 | Apr 26, 1990 | ![]() |
|
15 | Win | 13–2 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (8) | Mar 10, 1990 | ![]() |
|
14 | Win | 12–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (8), 1:55 | Jan 20, 1990 | ![]() |
|
13 | Win | 11–2 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (8) | Dec 14, 1989 | ![]() |
|
12 | Loss | 10–2 | ![]() |
UD | 8 | Sep 21, 1989 | ![]() |
|
11 | Loss | 10–1 | ![]() |
PTS | 6 | Jun 24, 1989 | ![]() |
|
10 | Win | 10–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (8), 2:00 | Apr 14, 1989 | ![]() |
|
9 | Win | 9–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (8) | Feb 19, 1989 | ![]() |
|
8 | Win | 8–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (6), 1:30 | Feb 10, 1989 | ![]() |
|
7 | Win | 7–0 | ![]() |
KO | 2 (6) | Feb 4, 1989 | ![]() |
|
6 | Win | 6–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (6), 1:52 | Dec 3, 1988 | ![]() |
|
5 | Win | 5–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 2 (6), 1:45 | Nov 25, 1988 | ![]() |
|
4 | Win | 4–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (4), 0:36 | Nov 22, 1988 | ![]() |
|
3 | Win | 3–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (6), 2:00 | Nov 3, 1988 | ![]() |
|
2 | Win | 2–0 | ![]() |
TKO | 1 (4) | Sep 15, 1988 | ![]() |
|
1 | Win | 1–0 | ![]() |
KO | 1 (4) | Aug 12, 1988 | ![]() |
Professional debut |
References
- History - Kronk Gym
- Eisele, Andrew. "Ring Magazine Top 100 Punchers Of All Time". Boxing.about.com. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
- Gerald McClellan Amateur Record at the BoxingRecords. Last updated : March 1, 2006.
- Night of boxing attracts only 311 paying customers by Chris Marti, The Baltimore Sun, September 18, 1988, p. 20.
- Mike Tyson's thoughts on Gerald McClellan CNN, Larry King Live.
- "Boxing: Benn bids to boost Gerald. - Free Online Library". Thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
- Tim Dahlbergap (2003-09-27). "Brain-damaged and blind, former boxer McClellan can't fight back". StAugustine.com. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
- Edwards, Stephen (7 February 2012). "Daily Bread Fat Tuesday Edition". BoxingTalk. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-12-08. Retrieved 2011-12-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-07-07. Retrieved 2012-07-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
- https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/breaking/ct-boxing-brain-damaged-gerald-mcclellan-spt-0825-20170824-story.html. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - "SecondsOut Boxing News - Main News - McClellan's Plight Continues - Please Donate". Secondsout.com. 2012-04-09. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
- "Ring 10 Veterans Boxing Foundation: a Beta Bomb of Brotherhood – Part 1, Our Suffering Champions | Boxing 101 | Sports Media 101". Worldboxing101.com. Archived from the original on 2016-10-13. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
- "Fighting for life | Sport | The Observer". Observer.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
- "Boxer's life caught up in ring of dogs, fighting". Sports.espn.go.com. 2007-06-19. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
- "Fighting for life | Sport | The Observer". Observer.guardian.co.uk. Retrieved 2016-12-27.
- "The sweet science shown up for brutal game it is". The Irish Examiner. 9 December 2011. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
Further reading
- After The Bell: The Gerald McClellan Story, by Wayne Lettice Lennon
External links
Sporting positions | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
World boxing titles | ||||
Vacant Title last held by Chris Eubank |
WBO middleweight champion November 20, 1991 – February 1992 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Chris Pyatt | ||
Preceded by Julian Jackson |
WBC middleweight champion May 8, 1993 – February 1995 Vacated |
Vacant Title next held by Julian Jackson | ||
Awards | ||||
Previous: Morris East TKO11 Akinobu Hiranaka and Kennedy McKinney KO11 Welcome Ncita |
The Ring Knockout of the Year TKO5 Julian Jackson 1993 |
Next: George Foreman KO10 Michael Moorer |