Chris Eubank Jr believes that his almost-opponent, Conor Benn, must embrace being the bad guy and everything that comes with it.
Benn has been under scrutiny since the Daily Mail broke the news that he had tested positive for a banned substance in the lead up to his fight with Eubank Jr.
It was later revealed that the up and coming welterweight had failed two tests, leaving the fight postponed and his reputation in tatters.
Eubank Jr – who came out of the situation better than anybody else and complete with some newfound fans – told Pitch Boxing that Benn must own being ‘the villain.’
“That’s what he needs to do at this stage, is embrace being the bad guy. He needs to do what I’ve done for ten years. Embrace the chaos and the booing, the spitting, the drink throwing, the online trolling.
All that. Everything that comes with being a villain in people’s eyes. Embrace it. Cause that’s what you are now, and there’s no getting away from it. You can’t do what you did and go back to being the hero. You just can’t.
But being a villain isn’t so bad. People are still going to watch you fight. You’re still going to make a lot of money. You’re still going to have a profile in the sport. That’s how I see it … Once you’ve done something it’s very hard to change people’s opinions.”
It’s not something Benn fancies, even despite the advice. The son of former world champion, Nigel, has presented over 270 pages of evidence to the WBC in an attempt to clear his name.
There’s a separate investigation by the British Boxing Board of Control ongoing, with a timeline provided for neither.
Despite the lack of answers, Benn is confident he returns to the ring in 2023 and becomes a world champion – in his eyes vindicated rather than villainous.