Michael Bentt was forced into boxing by his domineering father but now he is plotting his own path among the stars
The former WBO heavyweight champion, Michael Bentt, is taking a break from writing a screenplay. He expresses himself on stage and screen as an actor and director these days, but thoughts of his life in boxing are never far from his mind. “My earliest memory as a young kid growing up in Queens was Muhammad Ali fighting in Germany. My dad was a huge admirer of Ali, or Cassius Clay as he insisted on calling him. He wanted a mascot who would become the next Ali and, unfortunately, I was that mascot.”
Bentt was born in London and grew up in a middle-class suburb of New York with a boxing-obsessed father who was intent on creating a champion, whether or not his son had any interest in the sport. Bentt’s father had built a reputation as a fierce street fighter on the streets of Kingston, before emigrating from Jamaica to the US to make his fortune. “Where I grew up was a decent and affluent place but some horrible stories went on behind those manicured lawns and nice cars. The niceness could be a mask.”
Written by Jonathan Drennan
This news first appeared on https://www.theguardian.com/sport/behind-the-lines/2019/apr/04/michael-bentt-boxing-acting-beats-sex-losers under the title “The world champion who survived boxing and thrived in Hollywood”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
