Ricky Hatton has recalled text messages with Conor Benn where the rising star explained his "hard" couple of months.
It was a difficult 2022 for rising star Benn who was forced to cancel his grudge fight with Chris Eubank Jr after failing a drug test in the build-up to the clash. The 26-year-old elected to forfeit his licence with the British Boxing Board of Control and relinquished his place in the world rankings while disciplinary proceedings took place.
In a statement just before the turn of the year, Benn insisted he had now proven his innocence along with his team and is now waiting to give a fresh update. Now, British boxing royalty Hatton insisted that the young talent should be given a second chance by fans when he is able to fight again.
Hatton told Mega Casino: “I spoke to Conor by text a few weeks back. He said, ‘Hopefully we’ve got some good news coming through that’s going to clear my name. And it’s been a long time coming.’ He said, ‘I’m a champion, Rick, like my dad was. We’re fighting people, aren’t we? And it’s been very, very hard for me.’ But he said, ‘I’m just around the corner now of clearing my name.’
“So, I went, ‘Oh, great. I’ll be made up for you, Conor, when you get that done.’ So, if I’m listening right, it’s only hopefully a matter of time before Conor can clear his name and we can get the ball rolling again. Because obviously he was probably the most exciting talent coming through in British boxing, his fights were so explosive just like his dad, like a throw throwback of his old man.
“And it was lovely seeing him improve. It’s a shame that stumbling block, but you know, you’re innocent until proven guilty. He believes he can prove his innocence. So, let’s give him the benefit of the doubt and then he can move on with his career then. Yeah, it would be great to see Conor back.”
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Benn was set to face Eubank Jr but his team were left no option but to pull the plug on the event with the BBBofC refusing to sanction the event. Providing Benn can successfully compete again this year, there could be some big fights on the table for him including a revived meeting with Eubank Jr.
And in a more positive outlook on his future, promoter Eddie Hearn insisted the pair will meet again and talks can be made to rearrange the showdown. “By the way, Conor Benn against Tank Davis is an absolute savage fest,” Hearn said. “Look, Conor has made it clear to me and the team, he wants to go straight back into a big fight.
“But he’s made it clear, 'I want Eubank. I want Tank Davis. I want Kell Brook. I want Pacquiao. I want all these guys.' And this is the frustrating thing right now, because we’re in this situation where we’re just waiting. But like I said, this was seven months ago (the result of the first failed drug test in the summer)."
