55-year-old former middleweight and super middleweight world champion Nigel “The Dark Destroyer” Benn (42-5-1, 35 KOs) will return to the ring on November 23 against 40-year-old former world champion Sakio “The Scorpion” Bika (34-7-3, 22 KOs) at Resorts World Arena in Birmingham, England.
“It’s been a long time coming,” said Benn at a press conference today. “This fight is all about me. It wasn’t financial, it was always about closure that I wanted that I never had.” Benn’s last fight was in November 1996 against Steve Collins.
Is Chris Eubank Sr. coming out of retirement too?
You never know these days…
No, but the funny thing is, is that there is an article right after this one about Yori boy campos wanting one more fight too. Benn is inspiring the geriatrics for one more go at glory:)
Chris.. that is the damn truth lol next thing u know, here comes Bernard Hopkins or George Foreman AGAIN lol
Nah, he had his nose done.
Before he gets in the ring, he should review Razor Ruddock’s last fight. The further concern here is that Bika can punch.
MAJOR concern. Whoever even mentioned Bika’s name to him should be fired for incompetence or sabotage.
Yeah man the way Razor went down after the 2nd knockdown was pretty ugly! I remember that.
This is a travesty. A 55 year old , regardless of their history, has no business in the ring even with a 40 year old.
What closure will he get? he is fighting someone who is 16 years younger, and had his last fight two years ago, and is also probably going to beat Benn. It reminds me somewhat of when Bernard Hopkins fought Joe Smith in his last fight for closure, and how did that go. Is this actually going to be for ten rounds.
ridiculous
I am not joking, but I heard they want to make the atrocity to add Ricardo Mayorga in the undercard.
If Nigel is doing this not for money reasons, why not an exhibition with another legend that he never fought, like Jones Jr.? Bika is a tough dude, that never lost a fight by KO or KOT , while Nigel lost 4 by stoppage. .Of the two, I believe Bika fought better opposition. Honestly I think Bika is a wrong choice, if the intention is to make a closure with a win, instead of his two losses by stoppage to Steve Collins. What can happen is a closure with one more loss by KO
Don’t understand this decision. I believe it’s not about money but why (if closure means he didn’t want to go out like he did vs Collins) has it taken 23 years?
Bad news. Just bad news all round.
This has been building for years. First, Nigel became a minister and swore off boxing. Then he started training his son and caught the bug again. Then a couple of years ago he challenged Eubank to a rematch. Now he’s slated to face a dangerous opponent. It’s like a mental infection he can’t shake.
This fight will not happen. Bika would seriously hurt him. IKt’s not even winnable for Benn.
Whoever the clowns are that license these way too old fighters should be banned from the sport.
Wow…. Bika is going to annihilate him! Wtf are they thinking?
Senior classic. Age is just………………….a number right? A mental attitude? But really who are we to say. If it brings closure WTF, as long as he doesn’t end up in a memory unit at a nursing home. Blurting out with shuffling gait. I could of been a contenda!!!
The WBC must be thrilled. now they can have a whole new world of old age champions 50+ in all weight classes .
This is ridiculous,how they can give approval for a 55yr old is beyond me !!
To those who say he should not be licenced , he passed all the tests required. But – if Bika is fighting with ambition – then I don’t think he should be allowed to fight this opponent. There should be levels of opponent a comebacking fighter can face depending on how long they’ve been out for etc…
How will Benn look going out at his age, fighting one fight too many? Will he look like Larry Holmes against Tyson. Holmes was caught with Tyson’s body then head shot, and never saw it coming. He tumbled like a falling giraffe trying to swim through air on the way down. Years later, he would swear that had his right arm not gotten entangled in the ropes as he was preparing to uncork a tremendous haymaker that surely would’ve stretched Tyson out on his back for at least a few minutes, he would’ve won that fight.
Maybe he would go out like Bernard Hopkins. Fighting in spurts while running and posing, hoping to eek out a decision. When his opponent began to get the best of him and it appeared as if Hopkins was on the verge of either getting hurt or knocked out, he resorted to pretending he was hit with a low blow and couldn’t continue, or simply fall through the ropes to claim he twisted his ankle and couldn’t continue. Age did a number on Bernard.
How about Ray Leonard going up against Macho Camacho. Ray looked liked his muscles had atrophied from age in that fight. He looked taller, skinnier, less capable. During the fight, he help the same stance, looked for openings, kept it tactical. A magnificent fighter in his prime, but here he was a shell of his former self. You couldn’t tell Ray that though. After sizing up Ray, then realizing that Ray was not what he used to be, Hector beat the hell out of him, prompting the referee to step in a save the great Ray Leonard from further punishment. While embraced by the referee in a protective posture, Ray told the referee, “thank you”. Ray learned a valuable lesson the hard way.
Maybe he will go out like Roy Jones, clubbed in the head by a fighter who he would’ve obliterated with ease while in his prime. The punch separated Roy from his senses and numbed his leg. He fell like a man watching the ground come up to him. It was a knockout so brutal and sad, that it near brought a tear to my eye even though I have never been a Roy Jones fan.
It will be interesting to see how Benn does. I hope he has a better ending, fighting at 55.
This is the work of some greedy promoter, must be Hearn. Benn is already punchy, can hardly speak properly he slurs, he never had the chin or discipline of Eubanks even when young. This is an accident looking for somewhere to happen.