Conor Benn has admitted to making mistakes in the doping drama that has engulfed his career.
The undefeated welterweight twice tested positive for a banned substance in 2022, and has been attempting to clear his name ever since.
In an interview with Boxing News, Benn discussed the emotional struggles that the case brought on.
“At one stage I was down and out; I was broken and there was no point of return. The hardest fight is life. I could have never foreseen this. I could have never predicted it. I could have never thought I’d be in this situation.”
That grief, he says, led him to coping with the situation in a way that he now regrets.
“It shocked me, and there’s a lot of regrets, the way I dealt with this. There’s a lifetime of regrets in the way I’ve dealt with this.”
How would he do things differently? For a start, he’d satisfy the fans who so desperately wanted more information.
“I’d give the public an explanation. The public wanted an explanation. I think I turned a little bit bitter towards the boxing community; a bit bitter towards the public and the way they reacted. When it’s like, “I’m one of your own; give me a minute; I live by the sword; I live this life; I’m about this life; I do nothing but want to deliver entertainment for the British public”.
So for me it was, “Wow, you guys are going to turn that quick? Give me a chance”. Just give me a chance.”
Benn went on to say that providing more information to boxing fans was tough since he himself can’t explain what’s happened. He still vehemently denies having drugs in his system.
Now under provisional suspension from UKAD and the BBBofC and awaiting a hearing, the 26-year-old will be given the chance to say what he has to.
