Ranking the 5 Biggest Victories of Nigel Benn's Career

Nigel Benn was rarely involved in a dull fight, so picking his top five wins was a tough task.

A former soldier in the British Army, Benn was made to fight. He had an impressive amateur career, although his style always seemed more suited to the paid ranks.

He finished his pro career with a 42-5-1 (35 KOs) record having won world titles at both middle and super middleweight.

The Dark Destroyer was reckless and disinterested in defence, but his all-action style and ability to deliver knockouts with either hand made him popular with boxing fans around the world.

His rivalry with Chris Eubank saw the sport of boxing shift from beyond the back pages.

Their two bouts were epic occasions aired on national television—Eubank won the first by stoppage, while the second was ruled a draw. Hopefully, talk of a third meeting never materialises.

Benn just turned 52. He has been retired for nearly 20 years, yet his reputation has not been diminished by the sands of time.

Here, Bleacher Report has attempted to rank his most pivotal victories. Feel free to also share your favourite memories of Benn's bouts in the comments section.

Honourable Mentions

John Gichigi/Getty Images

There were some stunning knockouts that didn't make the cut, including an overhand right that left Dan Sherry in a crumpled heap in 1992.

Benn also delivered mean finishes against Reggie Miller and David Noel. Feel free to visit YouTube and take a look at some of the spectacular stoppages the Englishman managed during his nine years as a pro.

He also produced big wins on the road, including becoming a two-weight world champion by claiming the WBC super middleweight belt at 167 pounds from Mauro Galvano in the Italian's backyard.

The triumph was a big moment in the British fighter's career, but it wasn't a great fight.

Galvano suffered nasty cuts, and the bout was waved off in Round 4. There was a push to make the result a technical draw, but Benn was eventually named the winner (much to the disappointment of the crowd).

Benn won a rematch on points, while he had also defeated South African Thulani "Sugar Boy" Malinga by the same method in a close 10-rounder in 1992.

The one bout that was tough to leave off the list was Benn's points victory over fellow Englishman Henry Wharton in February 1994.

Benn retained his WBC crown in London but was helped out by his opponent's slow start. Wharton pushed hard over the closing rounds, yet could never quite close the gap on the cards.

The winner later admitted to the York Press: "The fight we had was so punishing that I was urinating blood for three days after. I’m just glad that Henry didn’t really start hitting me until late on in the fight because by that time I had it won."

5. Benn vs. Robbie Sims (April 3, 1991)

The bout against Robbie Sims was the start of a new chapter in Benn's career.

There was no title on the line at the York Hall in Bethnal Green, as Benn had lost his WBO middleweight crown to Eubank in his previous outing.

Losing to rival Eubank was a bitter blow, but facing Sims—a southpaw who had previously missed out on the WBO belt to Doug DeWitt in 1989—offered Benn the chance to get back to winning ways.

The Dark Destroyer seized the opportunity in style, becoming the first man to stop his American opponent.

It took him two left hands to flatten his rival. The first—a hook as he went from low to high in his stance—staggered Sims back, while the second sat him down by the bottom rope.

Sims—the half-brother of the legendary Marvin Hagler—somehow beat the count, but a right hook left him slumped in his own corner soon after.

Benn had bounced back in style, with the manner of the victory another demonstration of his power. Considering what had gone on before, the Sims fight squeezes into the top five.

4. Benn vs. Nicky Piper (December 12, 1992)

John Gichigi/Getty Images

Having claimed the WBO super middleweight title on Italian soil by stopping Galvano in October 1992, Benn returned home to London for his first defence.

Nicky Piper was his opponent at the Alexandra Pavilion in Muswell Hill. The Welshman had plenty going for him. Smart in and out of the ring, Piper was a Mensa member with an IQ of 153.

He was also tall. At 6′3″, the challenger had a considerable height advantage over Benn, who stood at 5′9.5″.

However, Piper had also been campaigning up at higher weights. Despite his chiselled appearance at the weigh-in, the 167-pound limit had put a strain on his body.

Benn had to be patient to shorten the gap during the bout, with his rival's jab making it difficult to get up close.

Eventually, though, he caught up with Piper. Although one judge had him ahead going into Round 11, the challenger was stopped after coming under heavy fire.

Piper admitted his battle in making the weight had taken a toll on him during the bout, per WelshBoxers.com: "I showed I had the boxing ability to beat him, but I got slower and slower and he caught up with me. Had I made the weight more comfortably, I might have beaten Benn."

3. Benn vs. Iran Barkley (August 18, 1990)

Benn's first defence of the WBO middleweight title saw him face Iran Barkley, an experienced challenger whose previous three fights had been against Michael Nunn, Roberto Duran and Thomas Hearns.

The Blade had become the WBC champion by knocking out Hearns, though he lost the belt when coming out on the wrong end of a split decision against Duran.

Crucially, per James Slater of Boxing News, Barkley was returning to the ring after nearly a year out of action following eye surgery.

The bout never made it out of Round 1, albeit the pair crammed an awful lot into two minutes and 57 seconds. They showed about as much interest in defence as the Harlem Globetrotters.

Ring rusty and past his prime, American Barkley was dropped three times.

The second knockdown saw Benn—who had been buzzed himself and looked like he, too, could topple over—throw a punch while his opponent had dropped down to one knee.

Fortunate not to be disqualified, the Englishman pounced on his rival to record a stunning win. While he celebrated, Barkley's corner screamed foul play.

2. Benn vs. Gerald McClellan (February 25, 1995)

Ben Radford/Getty Images

Benn's bout with Gerald McClellan was an astonishing battle that ended with both fighters in hospital.

American McClellan arrived in London with a big reputation. He was the holder of the WBC title at middleweight and had won his last 14 fights in a row inside the distance.

It took him all of 35 seconds to show why the bookies made him the heavy favourite, as he knocked the defending WBC super middleweight champion through the ropes.

Benn battled back from the early setback. Although he was knocked down again in Round 8, he found a way to get the win and retain his belt with a KO in Round 10.

McClellan, who had twice taken a knee and been hurt by a clash of heads, collapsed in his corner. He was treated in the ring before being rushed to Royal London Hospital to undergo brain surgery to remove a clot.

He spent two months in a coma and was left blind, hearing impaired and unable to walk without assistance.

Benn suffered too, as he explained to Tom Gray of RingTV.com: "I came out of that fight with a damaged nose, a damaged jaw, and I was urinating blood. I was in bed for three days afterwards, and I had a shadow on my brain. That shows you how powerful a champion that man was."

However, he has since revealed that, because of what happened to his opponent, the win cannot go down as the best of his career.

On a special edition of Sky Sports' Ringside show in 2013, Benn admitted: "I can't say it was my best fight, though, because he came out in a wheelchair, blind and 80 per cent deaf—not that I cared at the time because I wasn't a Christian at the time and thought everybody had to be knocked over."

If Benn doesn't put it top of his list, neither should Bleacher Report.

1. Benn vs. Doug DeWitt ( April 29, 1990)

Peter Cannata/Associated Press

After seeing his unbeaten record disappear with a defeat to Michael Watson in 1989, Benn moved to the U.S. to rebuild his career.

A hat-trick of victories on American soil paved the way for a shot at WBO middleweight champion DeWitt, a tough fighter from New York.

In an interview with Craig Birch of the Express & Star, Benn said: "Doug DeWitt walked over to me in the ring and said ‘you’re going down.’ I replied ‘I might be going down, but you’re staying down!'"

Benn was to go down—the challenger was dropped by DeWitt in Round 2.

However, he recovered quickly and turned the tables in the third. A right hook was the final blow before the champion was the one looking up from the floor.

He, too, survived the early scare, but his reign came to an end when he was dropped three times in Round 8. Under the WBO's rules, three knockdowns resulted in an automatic end to the contest.

Benn's decision to go abroad had paid off spectacularly—he was a world champion less than a year after missing out on the Commonwealth belt against Watson.

For what it meant to his career, the win over DeWitt tops the rankings.

If you disagree with any of the bouts in the final five—or feel they should be in a different order—argue your case in the comments section. But, remember, it's all just a matter of opinion.