Conor Benn has not fought in the United Kingdom since May 2022 as a consequence of a positive drugs test, but at 27-years-old, Benn has time on his side if he is to emulate his father’s achievements and claim a world title – and he remains hopeful that a return to the big stage is around the corner.
Benn infamously tested positive for Clomiphene ahead of his grudge match with Chris Eubank Jr for what would have been a one-of-a-kind, cross-generational trilogy bout to act as a sequel to the legendary clashes between Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr. Instead, that salivating proposal was put on ice, as was Conor Benn’s career.
However, Benn since been able to return to the ring on foreign shores as ongoing complications with the BBBofC remain, outpointing each of Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson across the pond with comfortable but unconvincing unanimous-decision victories.
The last of those contests took place in February, and in an interview with Boxing Social, Benn revealed that he is ‘very hopeful’ of another outing during 2024.
“We are hoping for a resolution soon and we are hoping to get all of this done and over with, then to just get straight back out.
“I have to be hopeful [that I will fight before the end of the year in the U.K. or even elsewhere]. I’m very hopeful. I think it was almost two years ago now and for me it is just a matter of being ready.
“I have always been one to preach being ready so that you don’t have to get ready, improve whilst you have the time. I am never going to get this time back, so for me, I want to come back and for people to go ‘s**t, he has put the work in, he is on smoke’.
“I have always been dangerous anyway, I have always been up for whoever it is, anywhere. That is just who I am. Anyone can get it, at anytime. That is why I have told my team that me coming back and going straight into a big fight is the only thing that is happening. There ain’t going to be no warm-up, there ain’t going to be no tune-ups.”
With some fans left uninspired by those performances, Benn is determined to return in a high-profile comeback and silence his doubters – a goal which leaves him with only one name in mind.
“The Eubank fight for me, forget everything else and all of the noise, that is just the biggest fight. It’s so personal between me and him, that fight has to happen. For me to beat him coming off of the back of a year out, coming back at 160lbs and smoking him before coming back down to 147lbs and fighting for a world title – that is what is happening.
“I would rather handle business at 160lbs with Eubank than fight for a world title [at 147lbs].”
Despite Benn’s persistence, Chris Eubank Jr. has been looking elsewhere and recently signed with BOXXER and Ben Shalom, who has revealed that there have been ‘no discussions’ around the prospect of a Conor Benn fight.
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