Why Now, Conor? Benn’s Late Talk Of Trouble Before Eubank Jr. Clash

Conor Benn revealed the mental toll that it took on him during his long layoff from the sport, making it difficult to train after what he went through. He says he went through hell trying to stay motivated just to train.

Sympathy Play?

It’s unclear why Benn (23-0, 14 KOs) is dredging up all this stuff now ahead of his fight this Saturday, April 26th, against Chris Eubank Jr. Is he looking for sympathy from fans to have them look at him in a positive light? Eubank Jr.- Benn will be fighting live on DAZN PPV from Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.

The PPV price for U.S fans is $24.99. To get Americans interested in the fight, Benn needs to be more positive. Eubank Jr. is doing his part to create buzz, but he can’t do it alone.

It seems like a misguided strategy if the purpose is to win fans over. It’s too late for that. What Benn should be doing is keeping his yap closed about the past and focusing on just the fight itself, without bringing up old hurts.

“I didn’t want to fight. I was just tired. Training was hard. I wasn’t me. How can you be you,” said Conor Benn to Ring Magazine about what he went through mentally trying to train during his long period out of the ring after being out of the ring.

“How can you be you without dealing with it, without knowing how to cope and how to deal with it. I’m training, and I didn’t even want to train. I show more discipline, more ambition, and more integrity than anyone would have in that stage of their career, going through that sort of adversity and still managing to turn up to the gym.”

Wealth Factor

Well, it’s easier to deal with what Benn did with his time out of the ring when you’re wealthy like him. It wasn’t as bad as it would be for a fighter that tested positive for a PED who wasn’t rich with millions in their bank account, with an expensive car, house, and who didn’t grow up in a life of luxury due to a famous dad—having the cushion of wealth to fall back on obviously put Conor in a different situation than a fighter who needed to be active to support themselves.

“Do you think I wanted to train? I didn’t want to train. I couldn’t even stand the sight of the gym,” Conor continued. “I couldn’t even stand the idea of the gym. It was just a matter of getting to the gym. I’m driving to the gym crying, struggling just to get to the gym, walk to the gym. Take that step.

“People say I can’t bother training. Those were the only sessions that count, and are valid, are the ones that you don’t want to do; otherwise, it’s easy,” said Benn.