Boxing: Benn books his screen test: Piper's inexperience exposed as his world title challenge wilts under an onslaught from the champion

THE BEATING may have lasted no longer than 20 seconds, but it raised grim memories as you watched Nicky Piper desperately trying to avoid the punishment Nigel Benn poured on him here in the 11th round of a contest for the World Boxing Council super-middleweight championship.

There was no way Piper could summon the power to retaliate, and it did not matter that his heart remained as big as ever. Inside that elongated, lean frame was the realistion that he did not have much left, and at ringside Frank Warren, his manager was crying out for the fight to be stopped.

Disturbingly, there was the awful memory of what happened to Michael Watson in the final round against Chris Eubank last year, and it came as a considerable relief when the referee, Larry O'Connell, decided Piper had taken enough.

Maybe this should have happened sooner, maybe Piper should have been spared further punishment and Benn the cause to deliver it. In any case you looked across at Benn's corner and wondered what was going on in the mind of Jimmy Tibbs, his trainer and chief second, who was at Watson's side when the Londoner subsided into a coma.

Professional boxing can be like that and the perils seemed to be made all the more significant by Piper's exceptional intelligence. Mercifully, the Welshman, who unquestionably had moments to encourage his supporters, was quickly clear headed, troubled by little more than the disappointment of failing to substantiate the belief that he had Benn's measure. 'Nicky put up a good performance and can go on from here,' Warren said.

It was not until the half-way stage that Benn mastered a challenger who was crucially short of experience at this level, having taken part in only 19 professional engagements, and could not be awarded more than two of the completed rounds. That Mickey Vann, one of the three judges to whom Warren had objected on the eve of the contest, considered Piper to be ahead by 96-95 when the stoppage came was ridiculous.

The truth is this: Piper was never able to ask any serious questions of Benn, especially with regard to his suspect stamina. 'He's a big lump with a good left hand, and can dig a bit,' Benn said. 'A lot of people thought it would go only five rounds but we knew that it was likely to go much longer than that. I'm pleased, because it's taken me four years to be fully recognised.'

Benn, as the WBC champion, feels that he has an edge over Chris Eubank who holds the World Boxing Organisation version of the 12st title. 'If he wants it I'm ready as long as long as they come up with a million pounds,' Benn said.

Benn will defend his title next March within the embrace of a promotional trinity formed by Warren, Barry Hearn and Barney Eastwood that will be announced by ITV this week as a Saturday package to oppose Match of the Day on BBC television.

The pearl in that arrangement would be Benn versus Eubank. On the evidence of last Saturday, however, Benn does not punch as effectively in the 12st division and Eubank would be at a short price to beat him.

Herbie Hide, the WBC international champion, cruised to his 19th successive victory inside the distance on the Benn-Piper undercard on Saturday, stopping the American James Pritchard in just over four minutes. The world heavyweight champion, Riddick Bowe, and his manager, Rock Newman, missed the fight because their Concorde flight did not arrive at Heathrow in time for them to get there.

Steve McCarthy, the former British light-heavywight champion who was disqualified in the third round of a fight against Darius Michalczewski in Hamburg on 29 September, has been suspended for three months and fined pounds 1,000 by the Board of Control. Following reports from the German federation, he will also be banned from taking part in contests abroad sine die. He was suspended for a year and fined pounds 2,500 by the Board in June last year for pulling out of a title defence against Roy Skeldon on the day of the fight.

(Photograph omitted)