CLOSE BOND
Like many sisters, Lisa Mcclellan was tormented by her brother when she was growing up. But their relationship changed. When Gerald Mcclellan became a boxing world champion, she watched with pride. And when he was almost killed by the same sport, she dedi
We hear about the moving story of siblings Lisa and Gerald Mcclellan
IT’S moving day for Lisa Mcclellan. Denver is waiting for her and younger brother, Gerald. “I’m going to be closer to my children and grandchildren,” she reports with obvious glee. “It’s going to be so amazing to have these people in my life so much more than what I’ve been used to.”
It’s been 24 years since “G-man” and Nigel Benn took onlookers on a barbaric ride that changed lives forever. Benn’s mesmerising and unlikely victory in February 1995 was darkly overshadowed as Mcclellan was rushed four miles from the London Arena ring to the Royal London Hospital where he underwent brain surgery to remove a blood clot. He would spend weeks in a coma, fighting an opponent far more devastating than any of the names on his illustrious ledger. As death hovered over the boxer, Mcclellan’s family gathered in Freeport, Illinois, to watch delayed coverage of the fight. It was in the days before smartphones delivered news and communication in an instant.
“Because of the time delay between Britain and America, we didn’t get the fight live,” Lisa reflects. “There was still a few hours until the fight was to be shown and the phone in the house would not stop ringing. We didn’t answer because we didn’t want to know the result, but when it kept ringing and ringing, the decision was made to pick it up. At first, we were told that Gerald had lost the fight, but then further calls came through and that’s when things started to really upset us. We were thousands of miles from Gerald, and we had no real idea what was happening or whether he would be okay.”
For Lisa and her family, it was unbearable. Call charges ran into the thousands as the family endured countless lengthy conversations with various people at the hospital. They waited to hear the worst while clinging to the hope that Gerald would somehow recover. The need to be by Gerald’s side became excruciating yet they did not have the means nor paperwork to fly. They needed help.
“None of our family had passports except for Gerald,” explains Lisa. “Americans rarely travel overseas. We didn’t ever see the need to jump on a plane to the UK but obviously this was very different. The Mayor of our city was so good to the family, and he made a few important moves to arrange for some of us to have passports made out real quick so a few of us were able to fly out to London and be with Gerald; either to be there with him when he needed us, or even bring him back home to America.”
Lisa did not make the trip to England’s capital, but when Gerald returned months later she was a constant figure at his bedside and has been his most trusted companion ever since. The initial periods of recovery, a time that split specialists’ opinions of what quality of life the former world champion would enjoy or endure, clawed at Lisa’s heart. Her life was to undergo a change as she prepared to sacrifice herself and everything that meant so much to her for her stricken brother.
“We didn’t know what to believe back then as it seemed to be a different diagnosis every day, but Gerald has proven so many of those doctors wrong in the way he’s progressed. They said he was totally deaf and that he wouldn’t be able to communicate, but that’s not the case at all. ³
SOME MEDIA WANTED TO MAKE THE RIVALRY WITH BENN MORE THAN IT WAS IN REALITY”
“We just wanted to take him home in those first few weeks because we knew we could care for him, and it was costing so much to keep him in the hospital and the travelling involved was also quite demanding on some of the family. It was so important we got Gerald home so that we could all be close to him.”
The immediate aftermath of Bennmcclellan weighed heavily on boxing, with Gerald’s family shouldering the bulk of misfortune that came with the dreadful outcome. The sport’s reputation, already feeling the strain from decades of brutality, was to be damaged further as inquests raged into why another boxer was injured beyond repair. The magnitude of the fight, an epic event in Britain due to the popularity of the oft-exciting Benn, ensured the coverage of Mcclellan’s accident was magnified. Lisa and her ailing family were plagued with unsought reminders of what Gerald had been through.
“The media over in the UK really tried to throw more fire on the whole thing when all we wanted to do was just get Gerald safely home,” Lisa says. “My family met Nigel at the hospital and they told me there was so much sadness and compassion there, but people writing their versions of the story wanted to keep the rivalry alive and make things a whole lot more personal than what it really was.
“There was a big motivation from the media to make Gerald and Nigel out to be the biggest of enemies, but it was never like that and afterwards, Nigel was so nice to the family. I don’t think that point has been made anywhere near enough because people remember the fight for different reasons.” Today, Gerald is 220lbs and still requires around the clock care from his sister. Friends from his tough upbringing and former gym colleagues stopped by sparingly, but recently there was a visit from Julian Jackson, who introduced his children to the man who knocked him out twice in the early 90s. The Virgin Islands destroyer took a great pride in explaining that Mcclellan was the hardest puncher he had the displeasure of facing, and it provided a rare moment for Gerald to be reminded of just how special a talent he was. “It was a lovely day when Julian came, and the house was so happy with amazing stories from Gerald’s past,” states an emotional Lisa, taking a long pause. “We’ve had other boxers come and visit, but it’s hard for those people to make Gerald a priority as they have their own families and their own lives. I totally get that. We’ve had so much help from so many people, but I just wish someone like a Floyd Mayweather could provide help and then maybe that sets an example for other people in the sport to follow him because there are boxers, not just Gerald, that need help.” For a brief moment, Lisa asks me about my background and a portion of our almost three-hour conversation focuses on the plight of boxers who have suffered in a similar way to Mcclellan. Lisa goes
WHEN GERALD HEARD THAT EMANUEL STEWARD HAD PASSED AWAY THE PAIN WAS VISIBLE IN HIS FACE, HE WAS HURTING SO BAD”
into detail when discussing Emmanuel Augustus, a fighter I tell her was featured Boxing News last year. She examines the case of Richard Colon, the Puerto Rican super-welterweight who was in an eight-month coma following a fight with Terrell Williams in 2015, and is now receiving similar care from his mother to what Gerald receives from Lisa. Her own journey has made her focus on the progress of others who are trying to overcome what boxing threw at them.
“You have to be a source of advice for others, because we didn’t really know where to turn when all this started with Gerald. We got whatever income was allowed for us and there was also money left over from Gerald’s career, but when you require so much time, care, food, medicine, equipment, it all becomes so much and you have no idea where you can turn to. I’m happy to be here for people who are in the same position, whether it’s come from boxing or nay other sort of accident, but why should it be me when there’s so many more powerful people in boxing who could do so much more than me to raise awareness.”
With Colorado calling, Lisa drops the occasional hint that our call will soon have to cease, but once her answers gather momentum, it’s obvious that sharing stories about Gerald is something she gets pleasure from. She watched boxing give Gerald the very best of things, before it turned nasty, ripping the heart out of her family and thrusting her into a life that she wasn’t ready for. Despite boxing’s wicked manner, she insists that Gerald still loves the sport.
“He loves to talk boxing with anyone who comes by,” declares Lisa. “Joe Frazier was always a visitor here when he was alive, and that would pick Gerald up, but there are also things that upset him about boxing too. He broke down something bad when he was told [trainer] Emanuel Steward passed away. He took that news so bad, and basically just collapsed into a big heap on the ground. Watching him hear that news was so upsetting as Emanuel meant so much to Gerald and the pain was so visible in his face. When you heard him cry, you knew he was hurting so bad.”
There’s much to admire about Lisa Mcclellan. A lady who loves her brother unconditionally, who has thrown herself into an existence that she has every right to despise. The fresh start is as much for her as it is for Gerald, her self-confessed childhood rival, but she will ensure – just like always – they go along together, hand-in-hand, every step of the way. For Gerald Mcclellan, the two-time world champion, the brave survivor, the love of his sister has been his greatest prize of all.