Former two division world champion Nigel Benn has revealed the tragic news that his brother Mark had died following a battle against coronavirus COVID-19.
Benn said: "My brother Mark passed away today (COVID-19), as we all were growing up Mark was the Joker of the Benn household. May he rest in peace, love you Mark."
Benn, 56-years-old, held the WBO middleweight title in 1990, and the WBC super middleweight title from 1992 to 1996. The boxer retired in 1996 with a record of 42 wins, five losses and one draw, after losing to Steve Collins.
Back in 2019, Benn was going to unretire and return to the ring, with a dangerous opponent lined up - Sakio Bika - with the contest to take place in Birmingham.
While fans urged him to stay retired, Benn was motivated to continue with the fight.
But, he suffered an injury in training camp and withdrew from the contest - stating that his desire to fight again was dashed away.
“I have been dreaming of a one-off fight for years and I’m heartbroken I’ve had to call it off,” Benn stated last October.
He still gets to see a lot of action from ringside, while watching his undefeated son - Conor Benn - continue his exciting rise in the pro ranks.
As far as the UK, nearly 5,000 have died from coronavirus, with nearly 48,000 infected. More than 1.2 million coronavirus cases have been recorded on a worldwide level, with 69,000 deaths.
Light heavyweight contender Anthony Yarde has lost both his father and grandmother to the deadly virus.
