Gerald McClellan

Gerald Allen McClellan (born October 23, 1967) is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 1995.

As an amateur, McClellan was a four-time Wisconsin Golden Gloves champion, 1984–1987, competing mostly in the junior middleweight division.

National Golden Gloves (147 lbs), Little Rock, Arkansas, March 1985:

U.S. Olympic Festival (156 lbs), Houston, Texas, July 1986:

U.S. National Championships (156 lbs), Buffalo, New York, March–April 1987:

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.

After turning pro, he also fought out of a Palmer Park gym run by Sugar Ray Leonard.

McClellan turned professional in 1988.

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.

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.

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 and one of the highest 1st-round-knockout ratios in the history of boxing, McClellan was dubbed "a miniature Mike Tyson" by his promoter, Don King (Tyson himself, while incarcerated, reportedly called McClellan "the best fighter in the world").

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.

Throughout the fight Gerald received several punches to the back of the head, known to be especially dangerous, without referee interference.

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.

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.

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.

) The Ring magazine rated McClellan No. 27 on their list of the "100 Greatest Punchers Of All Time". 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.

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.