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 held the WBO title from 1991 to 1992, and the WBC title from 1993 to 1995. 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”). 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.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Gerald Allen McClellan
- Born: October 23, 1967 — Freeport, Illinois, U.S.
- Nationality: American
- Height: 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
- Reach: 77 in (196 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Pro debut: Aug 12, 1988 (Win by KO vs Roy Hundley)
- Last bout: Feb 25, 1995 (Loss by TKO vs Nigel Benn)
- Total rounds boxed: 84 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Middleweight, Super middleweight
- KO percentage: 93.5% (29 KO wins in 31 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): WBO middleweight title November 20, 1991 – 1992 (won the vacant title from John Mugabi, per the bout table, before the move to the WBC title); WBC middleweight title May 8, 1993 – 1995 (won from Julian Jackson; defended against Jay Bell, Gilbert Baptist and Jackson in the rematch; final defense May 7, 1994, before the February 25, 1995 challenge of Nigel Benn for the WBC super middleweight title) — all dates per the bout table
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 34
- Wins: 31
- Wins by KO: 29
- Losses: 3
- Losses by KO: 1
- Draws: 0
- No contests: 0
- Born: October 23, 1967 — Freeport, Illinois, U.S.
- Nationality: American
- Height: 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
- Reach: 77 in (196 cm)
- Stance: Orthodox
- Divisions: Middleweight, Super middleweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aug 12, 1988 | Roy Hundley | Win | KO | 1 (4) | The Eagles Club, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 2 | Sep 15, 1988 | Bill Davis | Win | TKO | 1 (4) | La Fontaine Bleue, Glen Burnie, Maryland, U.S. |
| 3 | Nov 3, 1988 | Danny Lowry | Win | TKO | 1 (6), 2:00 | Showboat Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. |
| 4 | Nov 22, 1988 | Roberto Abondo | Win | TKO | 1 (4), 0:36 | Bally’s Las Vegas, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. |
| 5 | Nov 25, 1988 | John Gordon | Win | TKO | 2 (6), 1:45 | The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. |
| 6 | Dec 3, 1988 | Jerome Kelly | Win | TKO | 1 (6), 1:52 | Brook Park, Ohio, U.S. |
| 7 | Feb 4, 1989 | Joe Goodman | Win | KO | 2 (6) | Hilton Hotel Grand Casino Room, Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S. |
| 8 | Feb 10, 1989 | Anthony Jackson | Win | KO | 1 (6), 1:30 | Cedar Creek Ice & Expo Center, Wausau, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 9 | Feb 19, 1989 | Tyrone McKnight | Win | TKO | 2 (8) | High School Gym, Monessen, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 10 | Apr 14, 1989 | Terrence Wright | Win | TKO | 1 (8), 2:00 | Auditorium, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 11 | Jun 24, 1989 | Dennis Milton | Loss | PTS | 6 | Convention Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 12 | Sep 21, 1989 | Ralph Ward | Loss | UD | 8 | Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 13 | Dec 14, 1989 | Rick Caldwell | Win | KO | 1 (8) | Civic Center, Saginaw, Michigan, U.S. |
| 14 | Jan 20, 1990 | James Williamson | Win | KO | 1 (8), 1:55 | The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. |
| 15 | Mar 10, 1990 | Ron Martin | Win | TKO | 1 (8) | Bristol, Tennessee, U.S. |
| 16 | Apr 26, 1990 | Brinatty Maquilon | Win | TKO | 3 (8), 1:42 | Resorts International Casino, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 17 | Jun 12, 1990 | James Fernandez | Win | TKO | 2 (8) | Landmark Hotel, Metairie, Louisiana, U.S. |
| 18 | Aug 21, 1990 | Sanderline Williams | Win | UD | 8 | The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. |
| 19 | Sep 14, 1990 | Charles Hollis | Win | PTS | 8 | Beloit, Wisconsin, U.S. |
| 20 | Nov 14, 1990 | José Carlos da Silva | Win | TKO | 3 (8) | Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. |
| 21 | Dec 15, 1990 | Danny Mitchell | Win | KO | 1 (10), 2:37 | Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| 22 | Mar 1, 1991 | Ken Hulsey | Win | KO | 1 (10) | Pioneer Hall, Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| 23 | Jul 27, 1991 | Ivory Teague | Win | TKO | 3 (10) | Scope, Norfolk, Virginia, U.S. |
| 24 | Aug 13, 1991 | Sammy Brooks | Win | TKO | 1 (8), 2:07 | The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. |
| 25 | Nov 20, 1991 | John Mugabi | Win | TKO | 1 (12), 2:51 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBO middleweight title |
| 26 | Feb 24, 1992 | Lester Yarbrough | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 2:02 | The Palace, Auburn Hills, Michigan, U.S. |
| 27 | May 15, 1992 | Carl Sullivan | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 0:45 | Etess Arena, Atlantic City, New Jersey, U.S. |
| 28 | Nov 7, 1992 | Steve Harvey | Win | TKO | 1 (8), 1:51 | Caesars Tahoe, Stateline, Nevada, U.S. |
| 29 | Feb 20, 1993 | Tyrone Moore | Win | TKO | 2 (10) | Estadio Azteca, Mexico City, Mexico |
| 30 | May 8, 1993 | Julian Jackson | Win | TKO | 5 (12), 2:09 | Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Won WBC middleweight title |
| 31 | Aug 6, 1993 | Jay Bell | Win | KO | 1 (12), 0:30 | Coliseo Rubén Rodríguez, Bayamón, Puerto Rico — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC middleweight title |
| 32 | Mar 4, 1994 | Gilbert Baptist | Win | TKO | 1 (12), 1:37 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC middleweight title |
| 33 | May 7, 1994 | Julian Jackson | Win | KO | 1 (12), 1:23 | MGM Grand Garden Arena, Paradise, Nevada, U.S. — ★ Title fight — Retained WBC middleweight title |
| 34 | Feb 25, 1995 | Nigel Benn | Loss | TKO | 10 (12), 1:46 | London Arena, London, England — ★ Title fight — For WBC super middleweight title |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): WBO middleweight title November 20, 1991 – 1992 (won the vacant title from John Mugabi, per the bout table, before the move to the WBC title); WBC middleweight title May 8, 1993 – 1995 (won from Julian Jackson; defended against Jay Bell, Gilbert Baptist and Jackson in the rematch; final defense May 7, 1994, before the February 25, 1995 challenge of Nigel Benn for the WBC super middleweight title) — all dates per the bout table
- Nov 20, 1991 vs John Mugabi: Won vacant WBO middleweight title
- May 8, 1993 vs Julian Jackson: Won WBC middleweight title
- Aug 6, 1993 vs Jay Bell: Retained WBC middleweight title
- Mar 4, 1994 vs Gilbert Baptist: Retained WBC middleweight title
- May 7, 1994 vs Julian Jackson: Retained WBC middleweight title
- Feb 25, 1995 vs Nigel Benn: For WBC super middleweight title
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-11-03.
