Gerald McClellan
| Gerald McClellan | |
|---|---|
| Statistics | |
| Real name | Gerald Allen McClellan |
| Nickname(s) | The G-Man |
| Rated at | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born |
October 23, 1967 Freeport, Illinois, U.S. |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 34 |
| Wins | 31 |
| Wins by KO | 29 |
| Losses | 3 |
Gerald Allen McClellan (born October 23, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 1995. He is a two-time middleweight world champion, having won the vacant WBO title against John Mugabi in 1991, and the WBC title against Julian Jackson in 1993. 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.
Known for his formidable punching power, The Ring magazine rated McClellan at number 27 on their list of "100 Greatest Punchers". In 2007, McClellan was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
McClellan turned professional in 1988. Trained by hall of fame trainer Emanuel Steward, 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. He defended the WBC title three times, all first round stoppages, including a rematch with Jackson.
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.
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 the champion. McClellan was noticeably blinking repeatedly early in round ten, during which, after receiving a single hard blow from Benn, he voluntarily went down, taking a knee. 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 Alzaro to count him out. The fight over, McClellan immediately stood and walked to his corner under his own power. He sat on the canvas leaning against the ring apron, but while being attended to by ring physicians he slumped onto his back and lost consciousness. McClellan was strapped to a stretcher and rushed to the hospital.
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