Nigel Benn defended his Commonwealth middleweight title against Michael Watson

Date: May 21, 1989

Venue: Majestic Ballroom, London

Benn stance: orthodox

Watson stance: orthodox

Nigel Benn turned pro in 1987 and won his first 22 bouts inside the distance. Only one of his opponents made it past the third round. Benn won the Commonwealth middleweight title in 1988 in his 17th bout, with a second round stoppage of Abdul Umaru Sanda. He defended his title three times, with the best win against Anthony Logan. Benn was rocked early, but came back to knock out Logan in the second round.

Michael Watson turned pro in 1984. He lost his eighth bout on points to James Cook, and that was his only loss to date. In 1988, Watson stopped fringe contender Don Lee in the fifth round. Three months later, Watson stopped Ricky Stackhouse in the fourth round. Watson also beat Reggie Miller in the fifth round. Watson was now ranked third in the middleweight division by the WBC and had a record of 21-1-1 with 17 KOs. The draw on his record was a technical decision due to a clash of heads with Israel Cole.

For an in depth look at their respective records, visit:

Nigel Benn - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/739

Michael Watson - https://boxrec.com/en/proboxer/1787