Conor Benn Says 'Pride' Prevented Him From Sharing 270-Page Legal Dossier with British Boxing Board

British welterweight Conor Benn appears content with the idea of not fighting in his homeland anytime soon.

In a widely publicized TV interview, Benn recently sat down with host Piers Morgan on TalkTV to talk about the two failed drug tests that have scandalized the British boxing scene and ground his career to his halt, marring his reputation.

Benn tested positive for the performance-enhancing drug clomifene twice last year, several months apart. The revelation of the second test led to the cancellation of his 157-pound catchweight bout with Chris Eubank Jr. in October which garnered outsize attention because their fathers, Nigel Benn and Eubank Sr., were fearsome rivals during the 1990s. Both tests were administered by the leading third-party testing organization Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. Clomifene is a fertility drug but can boost testosterone levels when used by men. The existence of the second test was not known to the public until a few weeks after the initial revelation.

Benn, 26, has been on the media warpath lately, ever since the World Boxing Council closed its investigation into his failed drug tests last month by concluding that a high consumption of eggs could have led to the inadvertent ingestion of clomifene. Although he is still being investigated by the British Boxing Board of Control and United Kingdom Anti-Doping—theirs is regarded as the far more consequential investigation—Benn has not been shy about using the WBC verdict as evidence of his innocence.

While the WBC received a 270-page dossier from Benn’s legal team that supposedly carries exculpatory evidence, the Board and UKAD have not been privy to the same report, a point that the head of the Board, Robert Smith, has bemoaned publicly several times.

In the Talk TV interview, Morgan took Benn to task for this discrepancy, saying that so long as he is without a license from the Board, Benn would be unable to fight in the United Kingdom.

“Why don’t you give it to the British Boxing Board of Control?” Morgan asked Benn, referring to the 270-page report. “Because [the Board] are ultimately the ones that can sanction or not sanction your right to fight in this country.”

Benn responded, “My dad tore up his British license in the ’80s. You know, the Board, they ain’t going to stop me from fighting.”

When Morgan reiterated that the Board can stop Benn from fighting “in this country,” Benn responded with insouciance.

“[I can’t fight] in this country—that’s fine,” he said. “So be it”

“I couldn't care less (about giving the Board the report),” Benn added. “That's down to my legal team.”

Pressed to concede that the “smart thing” to do is to give the Board the 270-page document, Morgan asked, “What stops you?”

“My pride,” Benn responded. “My pride. The way they've dealt with this.”

“Pride won’t get you through this,” Morgan countered.

“I don't have to be licensed by the Board,” Benn said. “That’s my view. …I don't plan to fight in Britain any time soon.

“I want to, trust me,” Benn added. “The ongoing legal case [is stopping me].”

Online, fans and observers have not exactly been sold by this explanation. When the Daily Mail journalist Riath Al-Samarrai, who broke the story about Benn's positive test, tweeted that this response from Benn was "difficult to get your head around," it prompted a similar reaction from Morgan himself.

"I push[ed] him hard on this point, which makes no sense..." Morgan tweeted.

Eddie Hearn, the promoter of Benn, has suggested that he would have no qualms having his client fight in foreign territory. A recent Guardian article reported that Hearn had in fact been in touch with the Nevada State Athletic Commission about exploring the possibility of getting Benn licensed there.

The Board's Smith has expressed hope that major commissions will not approve Benn for a license until he has been fully cleared by an investigation.

In recent days, Benn has been linked to eight-division champion Manny Pacuquiao for a possible showdown. An advisor to Pacquiao has stated that while talks are in the preliminary stages, the fight could wind up in the Middle East, possibly Abu Dhabi.