By Declan Taylor
CONOR BENN says the ‘shame’ he feels he brought upon the family name was the hardest thing about his ongoing clomifene saga.
Benn returned adverse analytical findings for the banned substance clomifene in two VADA tests back in 2022. The first came in July and the second in September.
In the end the findings caused the late cancellation of a proposed fight against Chris Eubank Jnr, which had been all set for that October and has never been rescheduled despite lengthy negotiations.
Instead, what has ensued is a lengthy legal battle to prove his innocence which has so far precluded him from boxing in Britain. He fought Rodolfo Orozco in Orlando last September and this weekend takes on Peter Dobson at the Cosmopolitan hotel in Las Vegas.
There had been discussions about a huge homecoming event against Eubank at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in February but they eventually broke down, which paved the way for this trip to Vegas.
The 27-year-old admits that a fight against Dobson at the Chelsea Ballroom does not get the juices flowing in the same way although there are now clear parallels between he and his father’s career.
Nigel Benn was 22-0 when he lost to Michael Watson in Finsbury Park in the May of 1989. In the wake of that defeat, Benn decided to make his name in America, returning in Atlantic City in the following October in what would be the first of five stateside fights before his clash with Chris Eubank Sr in November 1990.
Incidentally, Conor is currently 22-0 and boxing in America under very different circumstances, given that the British Boxing Board of Control and UK Anti-Doping have appealed the National Anti-Doping Panel’s July decision to lift Benn’s suspension for the two failed tests.
Although he protests his innocence, the Destroyer says he does feel shame for the damage which may have been done to the Benn name since those tests came back positive.
“That was the worst thing,” says Benn, holding back tears, when asked how much of an impact this story may have had on the name forged so masterfully by his dad.
“That was the hardest thing to deal with – the shame. That was the hardest thing. I get so emotional talking about it. It was hard, man.
“Part of me wishes I had done it and that’s the worst thing because I just can’t do anything to change what it is and I just had to accept it. I became accepting that this is what it is, my dad still loves me and I still love him. My son still loves me and I have loads of supporters out there who backed me.
“I pray in five years’ time, 10 years’ time, when athletes start testing positive for this on the regular that people say ‘hold on a minute, Conor was telling the truth the whole time’. That’s my prayer.
“There’s nothing I can do to change people’s opinions. Those who have made up their mind have made up their mind and those who believe me believe me. There’s nothing more I can do.”
On Saturday’s clash with Dobson, he adds: “Is it a little bit of a step back? Yes. Am I excited to be out? Yes. But my goal is to make these fighters look like the fighters they are. Although it can be challenging to get up at 3-4 in the morning and train for a guy like this, I know he is still in the way of those big fights happening.
“This is always going to be a big part of my life. I don’t look at it as bad press, it’s a big topic and it’s a big chapter of my story. Me fighting in Orlando and then now in Vegas, it’s not under the best conditions but it’s a big chapter in the story and I’m liking the way my book is coming along. Although it’s challenging, I can’t wait for the homecoming.”
There seems to have been a genuine change in Benn’s perspective on the situation after a period of hostility and spikiness to those who questioned his innocence. In particular there was a public spat with the BBBoC, who he accused of impeding his ability to clear his name due to their ‘conduct of an unfair and biased procedure’. In keeping with that, he relinquished his license with them voluntarily back in October 2022.
But now, more than 16 months on, it is a calmer Benn who reflects on the fall-out, admitting that he regrets his initial stance on the situation.
He adds: “Whether I’ve gone about it the right way or not, whether I’ve retaliated, middle fingers to everyone… I’m a fighter so I retaliated and I regret that massively.
“Rather than just taking a back seat, letting it digest and then presenting the evidence.
“It has been painful. I just want closure on this. I thought it was closure when I won the first hearing and the appeal is based on no new evidence. It’s just frustrating because it’s dragging on. I don’t know the ins and outs, I let my team deal with it. If I’m involved it will distract me from what my goal and focus is and that’s being the best fighter I can be.”
Mercifully for Benn, he takes the next step on that path this Saturday.