Conor Benn reveals ‘a lot of therapy’ helped after admitting he was ‘broken man’

Conor Benn cut a relaxed figure at Wednesday’s open workout and even invited dad Nigel in the ring before he revealed therapy is behind his mindset transformation.

Benn had “a lot of hatred, a lot of bitterness” ahead of his first bout with Chris Eubank Jr in April after he faced regular jibs about his failed drug test in 2022 which scuppered the original date.

It spilled over in the ring at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and resulted in the 29-year-old from Ilford playing his part in a classic encounter described as an old fashioned brawl.

Eubank Jr emerged victorious by unanimous decision after all three judges scored the fight 116-112 and while Benn wants redemption on Saturday night, he is at peace with events of recent years.

Wednesday’s latest media event at The Pelligon in Canary Wharf produced a heart-warming moment when Benn was joined in the ring by former world middleweight champion dad Nigel and the pair embarked in some light-hearted shadow boxing.

“Happy to be here,” Benn told DAZN. “Do you know what, I was still healing. A strong mind can carry a weak body but a strong body can’t carry a weak mind. It is all up here, it is all mental.

“I always give 100 per cent but I weren’t right. A lot of hatred, a lot of bitterness, a lot of spite, waking up in the morning, that is what would fuel me.

“I would wake up in the morning angry and go to bed angry. I don’t feel that way now.”

Quizzed on what had given him peace, Benn candidly explained: “Therapy. A lot of therapy. A lot of help.

“I was a broken man, I was a broken working man, but my job, my priority, was to get back in the ring because that is the place where I found peace. It was just hard. It was hard mentally.”

Benn was all smiles during his workout, waving to members of the public in attendance and posing for a picture with veteran British boxer Derek Chisora before he shared the ring with his father.

A warm embrace between the two brought proceedings to a close and it was over to Eubank Jr.

Joined by highly regarded trainer Brian McIntyre, Eubank Jr spent close to 20 minutes inside the ring.

Eubank Jr even ignored his name being called out over the PA system – seemingly in an attempt to bring his workout to a close – as he bounced around the canvas under the watchful eye of Benn’s long-serving cornerman Tony Sims.

However, Eubank Jr snubbed Chisora’s advances for a picture and did not take part in an interview with DAZN.

The 36-year-old did manage to find a way of talking about Benn, though, posting on his Instagram about his rival allegedly “scamming fans” with an NFT pump and dump scheme.

He implored fans to share their stories but his dad Chris Eubank Sr was conspicuous by his absence on Wednesday despite taking part in an interview about the fight on talkSPORT on Tuesday.