Former heavyweight boxer Michael Bentt is best known for his stunning upset victory against Tommy Morrison in 1993, where he won the WBO heavyweight title. Post-Morrison, he lost to Herbie Hide and stepped away from the ring. It left fans, and critics thinking Michael Bentt was a “one hit wonder.” Little did we know that the former WBO heavyweight champion was much, much more.
In episode one of Netflix’s new documentary series Losers, it focused on the tale of Michael Bentt and the impact his win over Morrison, and loss to Hide had on his life. Boxing fans get an unprecedented look into his life, while also uncovering a whole new layer to a boxer many people have dismissed over the years. So to dive deeper into this particular episode and the impact of this story, Humza Hussain spoke to longtime boxing journalist Brin-Jonathan Butler, who discovered Michael’s story and interviewed him for the Losers episode.
Brin-Jonathan discusses the perception of Michael prior to this series, the significance of highlighting the dangers of boxing, and even lets us in on his peculiar experience with Hollywood star, and ex-boxer Mickey Rourke.
How did you learn about Michael Bentt’s story?
Muhammad Ali's biographer, Thomas Hauser, a friend of mine, invited Bentt to lunch with us one afternoon in Manhattan. It was the first time I met him and he just immediately blew me out of the water with his intelligence and honesty. I only knew his story in terms of upsetting Tommy Morrison and losing badly in England against Herbie Hide. I wasn't aware he'd lost his first pro fight or that he'd very nearly died in England due to the aftermath of that knockout. Soon after the lunch, I emailed Bentt to see if we could get together for a walk in Central Park and he responded immediately, "You beat me to the punch, but isn't that the story of my life."
What was, in your opinion, the perception of Michael Bentt ‘the fighter’ prior to Losers? And would you argue that many boxing fans did not even know who Michael Bentt was?
I think there was a fairly harsh, quite glib opinion of Bentt prior to Losers offering him a platform to illuminate his story. He began his career by being branded as a "bust" after how accomplished he was as a decorated amateur, and I don't think he got much credit for beating Morrison either. It was seen as lucky by many people, confirmed by what happened in the ensuing fight with Herbie Hide. After his career was over, I don't know that many people connected the dots with his career in acting in film and the stage.
Michael fought during the Mike Tyson, Lennox Lewis, and Evander Holyfield era, and you said you struggled to successfully pitch Michael’s story for a long time. Do you think because he fought behind the likes of those mega stars of boxing, that still impacted people’s opinion of his story?
Yes, I certainly do. But also because fighters that get branded as "busts" very commonly fall through the cracks of fans awareness. Floyd Mayweather's argument about his supremacy over all of boxing's great fighters is he has a zero next to his wins that nearly all the great’s lack. So beginning your career with a loss is an incredibly hard thing to overcome in terms of perception with boxing fans. Which was a big reason why him looking so good in sparring with a prime Evander Holyfield encouraged him about his prospects as an elite heavyweight. Holyfield's trainer "couldn't tell who the champ was" watching them spar. Bentt had piles of potential but realizing it came in very unconventional ways with his career.
The director of Losers Mickey Duzyj has a fascination with stories of athletes losing. Did you envision Michael’s story coming out with a title like Losers? Was that the vision you had in your mind?
I think the title is a commentary of how we as a society perceive "losers" rather than a label Mickey is assigning himself. I saw Michael as an incredibly self-aware human being as a result of the courage he was demonstrating in confronting what losses he endured professionally and personally throughout his life. In my own career interviewing elite athletes and notable characters in the culture, "losers" are invariably the ones with profound self-awareness, depth, interiority. "Winners" all too often have blinders on. Think Michael Jordan at the Hall of Fame ceremony spending the entire speech airing grievances. He might be the most accomplished athlete ever in terms of what he achieved, yet he came across unfiltered as such an incredibly bitter, petty individual. It was remarkably jarring to see that. Ali was not a very graceful winner either and never gave credit to Frazier for beating him in their first fight. It took a lot of humbling experiences for Ali to emerge as the kind of benevolent spirit that became so beloved in the culture. We saw what he had to overcome and his character from loss and it was impossible not to cheer for him. The vision I had for Michael's story was the title that was used in the series for his episode, "miscast champion" because I think a lot of us feel miscast in our own lives yet very few of us go on to excel anywhere near to what Bentt achieved in that role.
You knew about Michael’s story going into the filming process, but what shocked you while conducting the actual interview with him for the episode?
Well, keep in mind; I interviewed Michael for the episode for a solid two hours. So when he's talking about suicide and making a gun with his hand and jamming it into his mouth glaring at the camera, he's looking into my eyes. And Michael and I had had a lot of these conversations privately before we looked to explore making them public. This wasn't the same conversation we'd had privately, a camera and a camera crew changes the dynamic, but it was pretty close. He's been to some very dark places in his life and come back. What shocked me was how he was willing to be vulnerable and lay bare his sensitivity. The fear I'm sure from his side is it might make him look weak to viewers around the world, what I knew and I think audiences discovered immediately was the feeling is exactly the opposite. You can't help but admire his courage and bravery and heart. So much of what athletes offer in terms of a window to their soul just amounts to branding. Michael isn't a brand. He's a spirit. And I think people responded to that much the way I did, with a lot of esteem and affection toward him.
Would you agree that a man, who had almost zero desire to box, winning the WBO heavyweight title, is one of the great accomplishments in the sport’s history?
It's a fascinating lane to occupy, certainly. I still shake my head thinking about all those years Michael was on that path he never wanted any part of.
Was Netflix the perfect platform for this story? And do you think with boxing moving to platforms like DAZN, it was the perfect time to put this on Netflix?
I think shoulder programming for boxing has been pretty predictable and one-note for a long while. But again, the key difference is trying to shoehorn fascinating people with great stories into brands rather than allowing for some odd shapes to come forth. A whole generation of actors in the 60s and 70s didn't fit the leading role mould, but then we saw character actors resonating with audiences in leading-roles in ways we'd never seen before. Michael again and again just catches you off guard with how he sees things. He's never predictable. Mayweather on 24/7 became as predictable as ordering chicken McNuggets from a McDonald's.
We always hear about the glamorous side of boxing, but Michael gives us a brutally honest take on the dangers of fighting. How important do you think it is that you remind fans of the risk these athletes take?
Vitally important. These are real human beings, and the damage they're accepting is marking the vast majority of them for the rest of their lives. Now a lot of other blue-collar workers are accepting the same dangers and hazards in their lives also. But these guys are very worthy of our respect and compassion and have families they go home to after the spotlight moves on to the next fighters stepping into the ring. Getting to know fighters intimately and their families has had a profound effect on how I watch fights, and they affect me. I'm still a fan, but the stakes are life and death in the blink of an eye sometimes. It's easy to forget that.
Boxing, and combat sports, in general, is always filled with athletes who struggle with life away from fighting. How important do you think it is for other fighters to see Michael Bentt's success in Hollywood and his other creative ventures?
I think it couldn't be more important because a lot of fighters have never allowed for any other role to occupy in the world. They don't know who they are without fighting. For a lot of fighters, the safest place in the world is inside the ring. Michael's journey post-boxing and his courage to take on those responsibilities I think can be encouraging for others to pursue their own lives after boxing.
You mentioned on the Knuckles and Gloves podcast that when you interviewed Mickey Rourke, he was trying to re-write his history by making himself out to be a fighter as opposed to an actor. Is it strange that in an episode where Michael Bentt is honest and accepting of his career, Mickey Rourke is somewhat dishonest with who he is?
I think Mickey Rourke had one of the most powerful screen presences in the history of Hollywood and touched on some profoundly human truths in his work. I'm a huge fan of him as an actor. However, his personal life seems to have been a clusterfuck from the beginning. And even professionally he quickly had a pretty rough reputation as a problem. I wasn't sure what to expect interviewing him, but the nice way to put it was that he seemed borderline delusional about his role in boxing history. But I suppose that's how he'd prefer to see himself. I was hoping for more insight into Michael's transition into acting from boxing or how the two dovetail in his mind, but that's not really where he wanted to go.
Would you say this is the greatest story you’ve ever come across in all your years in boxing?
I'd say Michael Bentt the boxer I've been the closest to that I've met. He's a close friend that I care a lot about. It's a great story. James Scott's story remains the craziest I've ever written about. You couldn't make it up in a million years: https://www.sbnation.com/longform/2014/3/12/5496096/james-scott-jailhouse-boxer-profile.
What do you hope Michael Bentt’s legacy will be now in the eyes of boxing fans?
I still think he's working on that. My hope with helping to tell his story in Losers was helping to give him more of a chance to shape it in the coming years.
Images provided by Michael Bentt
Originally published in March of 2019
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