“It has been an amazing year. It’s been a turbulent year, no doubt,” said Conor Benn.
“From the start of the year to then coming through that, to then losing the first fight [to Chris Eubank Jnr], to then winning the second fight, it’s been very turbulent.”
Even in the loss to Eubank in April, Benn’s stock rose given the excitement of the two-way slugfest. But as he licked his wounds from that defeat, he didn’t appreciate it at the time.
“It wasn’t even that I couldn’t see that. I mean, I know it did,” he said. “Evidently, when I was going to New York and Miami, it was like, ‘Wow, I’m getting like … it’s, like, global. But I was disappointed because it wasn’t what I trained to do. And I feel like I let myself down in the first fight because of lack of discipline. It was just frustration. It was frustrating because I know I could be better. I know I could do better.”
He did that in the rematch, controlling the action and dropping Eubank on his way to a clear decision win and twice doing significant business at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Benn admitted that, during the dark days, there were times when the towel almost came in and he would never be able to envision boxing in front of tens of thousands of fans.
After twice testing positive for clomiphene – something he has always strenuously denied taking – Benn was in a boxing purgatory, unable to fight in the UK and instead boxing in Las Vegas and Orlando, Florida. A busy stadium in London was not on the agenda as he wondered how the boxing authorities would deal with his case.
“No, no, no, no, no,” he replied when asked whether he knew nights like that would come after all.
“It was definitely curtains for me. It was: ‘I’m done, I’m finished, I’m down, I’m out and there is no return.’ And ultimately, I stayed persistent, I stayed consistent, I stayed training, I stayed dedicated so that when I did win my case that this opportunity would come. I controlled everything I could. I’d done everything I could to just be ready, providing the opportunity did come. I’d done my part. I prayed every day that the right doors open and the wrong doors close. And it was just heavy in faith that I … they got me up, they got me going every day because there was nothing there for me – not even a little bit of anything that gave me hope that this could happen.”
For many in attendance, the divisive nature of the often-misunderstood Eubank actually made Benn a crowd favorite for many, and Benn’s social media numbers exploded.
“It took me by surprise, for sure,” Benn said. “I mean, because you have loads of Insta warriors or social media warriors and the reality is, have I ever, ever had anyone say anything to me in real life? No. But I mean, listen, I’m a fighter. You may not like me as a person, but ultimately my job is just give people value for money. I may not be your cup of tea, but what do you want me to do about it? Be fake?”
For some, that works. Personas and online characters have been created to feed boxing’s marketeers over the years. Benn could have played the villain and doubled down.
“I’m tired of being angry. I’m tired of being angry, to be honest,” he said.
“I’m so over it. I’m so over being angry. I mean, don’t get me wrong, it’s in there still. But I’m just like, I just can’t be bothered. I’m just not bothered. If it doesn’t affect me or my family or my kids, then what does it really matter? Is it really that bad? But it’s only probably because of what I’ve been through where I’m now like this. Because before, the things that would have bothered me then don’t bother me now. You’d have to really get under me to really get a reaction.”
Tris Dixon covered his first amateur boxing fight in 1996. The former editor of Boxing News, he has written for a number of international publications and newspapers, including GQ and Men’s Health, and is a board member for the Ringside Charitable Trust and the Ring of Brotherhood. He has been a broadcaster for TNT Sports and hosts the popular “Boxing Life Stories” podcast. Dixon is a British Boxing Hall of Famer, an International Boxing Hall of Fame elector, a BWAA award winner, and is the author of five boxing books, including “Damage: The Untold Story of Brain Trauma in Boxing” (shortlisted for the William Hill Sportsbook of the Year), “Warrior: A Champion’s Search for His Identity” (shortlisted for the Sunday Times International Sportsbook of the Year) and “The Road to Nowhere: A Journey Through Boxing’s Wastelands.” You can reach him @trisdixon on X and Instagram.
