Nigel Benn has been reflecting on the toughest fighter he ever faced across his storied career.
Benn often lived up to his nickname of ‘The Dark Destroyer’ as an all-action fighter who threw heavy leather. As such he retired with an 83.3% knockout ratio, winning 35 of his 48 fights by KO, with just seven coming on points.
He became the WBC super-middleweight world champion in 1992 and defended the belt against the likes of Henry Wharton, Gerald McClellan and Danny Perez before losing it to Thulani Malinga and retiring after two further losses to Steve Collins.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, he was asked who had the toughest chin out of everyone he faced and he didn’t hesitate to name his old foe Chris Eubank Snr.
“Chris Eubank and you don’t even need to ask me that (laughs). I could hit Chris’ chin with anything and it wouldn’t even move. It was like hitting a lump of granite, but to be honest, I enjoyed pummeling that chin. Look, I love Chris, and we’re old men now, so I can laugh and joke about it. I needed him as much he needed me.”
The pair first fought in November 1990 at the NEC, Birmingham. The showdown saw Benn unload powerful uppercuts and overhand rights from round four through to nine, yet Eubank never wavered and eventually triumphed later that round with a TKO that proved a testament to his own durability.
The rematch in 1993 at Old Trafford ended in a split decision draw after another gruelling fight where Eubank again absorbed heavy bombardment.
