Conor Benn admits he is going into the new year with excitement rather than dread.
It is the first time he has felt that way since two failed tests for clomifene emerged and turned his life on its head in October 2022.
Benn has always maintained his innocence and fought hard to prove he’s a clean fighter, but the shadow the tests cast caused damage to his reputation and his mindset.
His struggles in the aftermath have been well-documented, and he wound up fighting in Florida and Nevada while the authorities in Britain deliberated over his future.
“The last two years I’ve been scared for New Year’s because when I mean scared, I mean scared,” Benn told BoxingScene while at the IBA event in Dubai. “Like, worried over the past few New Year’s Eves because I'm like, I actually don't know what is coming this year. And I was surprised to make it to the New Year’s. You know, so it’s like, ‘Oh, just pray that this year’s not the same as last year.’ I pray that I can beat these demons in my own head, you know, and for me getting to where I’m at now, I sit and I go, ‘God you’ve been so good, you’ve been so good to me, because ultimately, I couldn’t have written this about myself.’ God knew I’d always come through, even through the darkest days. He knew I’d make it through. And I’ve been teetotal for 15 months, which is the biggest victory for me. Throughout the two years, it was just chaos. It was so hard. It was so challenging. I couldn’t even look myself in the mirror. So then now, just like being fully present with my kids, like looking at my son, just going, ‘I’m so glad I can now be the dad you deserve…’ Outside of this boxing game, because retirement was forced upon me, so I didn’t know how to handle life. I didn’t even realise I didn’t know how to deal with life, because I’d always have a target or a goal or a date. So I didn't have a moment to actually see if I can handle life, let alone all the other noises going on around me. It was a double whammy of everything.”
Even though his first fight with Chris Eubank Jnr in April ended in defeat, such was the nature of the two-way war, Benn’s stock grew. It was a wild brawl and Eubank Jnr was pushed to the limits. But Benn ended the year with an emphatic win in the rematch, on points, back at Tottenham Hotspur’s Stadium.
Benn’s year finished even more strongly after his father, Nigel, was told earlier this month that he would be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2026.
Conor idolises his father, who held world titles at middleweight and super middleweight and boxed the likes of Michael Watson, Chris Eubank (twice), Iran Barkley, Gerald McClellan, Steve Collins, and Doug DeWitt.
“It’s just phenomenal,” Benn said of hearing about his father getting the Hall of Fame call.
“It’s my dad. I was as proud hearing that news as I was winning the fight with Eubank. It’s my dad. He’s cemented now in history. Although he’s in the WBC [Hall of Fame], he’s in the world of boxing. It’s something that I’ll tell my kids and my kids’ kids.”
As yet, Benn’s great rival Eubank – whom he lost to and drew with in their two fights – is still to be enshrined. For many, it is Benn’s work against US fighters that has earned him his spot in Canastota, and fighting the top Americans is something Conor now wants to do ahead of 2026.
Should Ryan Garcia challenge Mario Barrios in the first quarter of the year, Benn hopes to face the winner a few months later.
“Yeah, definitely,” Benn said, talking about targeting big names in fights.
“I mean, I look at the British welterweight scene at the minute and there’s no one there that I’m really concerned about. There’s no one there that really gets the juices flowing. For me, it’s the Rolly Romeros, Ryan Garcias, Barrios and then [Devin] Haney’s last on that list.
“But yeah, I want to go over there and fight the big names over there in America. And beat some of the top Americans. Because I feel like us British fighters look at the Americans and go, ‘God, they’re really good.’
“But really, to go over there and do it or to beat one of them, it’s a bigger statement in my opinion.”
Benn is not short of possible dance partners, even though he has not boxed at 147lbs in some three years, with the two fights against Eubank taking place at 160lbs. The WBC have rated him No. 1 in their most recent rankings and plenty of top American fighters mention Benn as a possible opponent, too.
“It makes me laugh because I’ve never fought there for two years [in February it will be two years since he boxed Peter Dobson in Las Vegas].
“So for all the world champions to be calling my name, I must be doing something right. But ultimately, without the supporters and the two stadium fights that we’ve had, it just goes to show how much the British public get behind their own. But also the Americans want a bit of that action, so I believe all the world champions would be willing to come over here to the UK to fill the British crowd and supporters because when they [the British fans] support you, they support you like no one else could in this world.”
