LAS VEGAS -- Conor Benn is fighting in the middle of the afternoon in this 24-hour town, where many who might want to see the son of a popular two-division champ compete will just be rubbing the sleep from their eyes and heading to the buffet to grab a cup of coffee when it's all getting going.
Benn's fight against Peter Dobson on Saturday is not in Las Vegas because some casino mogul decided it would be a bright idea to bring Nigel Benn's son to the city of arguably his greatest conquest, a first-round KO in 1990 of Iran Barkley.
No, Benn's facing Dobson here because he can't fight in the United Kingdom, where he has a large fan base and where every seat would have been sold a few hours after tickets went on sale. Good seats, as they say, are still available at The Cosmopolitan, the swank hotel on The Strip where Benn and Dobson will get it on around 2:30 in the afternoon local time.
The British Boxing Board of Control and the U.K. Anti-Doping Agency have banned Benn from fighting in the United Kingdom because of a pair of failed anti-doping tests in 2022 when Benn was preparing to fight Chris Eubank Jr.
That proposed fight was clearly an attempt to play on the popularity of the fathers. Nigel Benn was a middleweight and super middleweight champion who, in addition to knocking out Barkley in one round, is best known for stopping Gerald McClellan in the bout in which McClellan suffered debilitating brain injuries. Eubank Sr. went 1-0-1 against the elder Benn as a part of a career in which he also held middleweight and super middleweight world title belts.
Conor Benn's tests came up positive for clomiphene, a fertility drug that has been used in the past to mask anabolic steroid usage.
Benn denied trying to cheat and suggested it came as a result of eating a large amount of eggs. Benn's still not licensed to fight in the U.K., but he was cleared to fight in the U.S. in September by Mike Mazzulli, the head of the Association of Boxing Commissions. He fought in Florida on Sept. 23 and cruised past Rodolfo Orozco.
He's passed a test given to him by the Nevada Athletic Commission and is clear to fight in the state which has been among the most aggressive at seeking out those using performance enhancing drugs.
It's been a difficult time for Benn, who is a -1400 favorite at DraftKings to defeat Dobson. DraftKings has Dobson at +800.
"I’m 27 going on 40," Benn said. "I feel the last 18 months has aged me 10 years. I’ve changed a lot. Things that used to worry me don’t worry me anymore. It’s true when they say that when you go through adversity, it gives you nothing but resilience and strength. Would I choose to go through it again? Probably not. Has it taught me a lot about who Conor Benn is as a man? It’s tested me, my character, what I stand for, what I believe in.
“I’m proud of the way I have handled it at such a young age, and still deal with being a Dad, a husband, a son, a role model, it’s a lot. Some days I was dragging myself to the gym and it was hard, I was breaking down in the gym, saying ‘I don’t know if I can do this.' So, overcoming all of that, I’m proud of myself and I’m thankful, whatever God’s plan is, I’m trusting the process. There’s a lot of ups and downs but having a little girl on the way has softened me a little bit. My son is a blessing and when you look at my life, outside of boxing, it’s a blessing."
Benn hasn't beaten an elite name yet. His biggest victories have come over veteran boxers at the end of their careers, like Chris Algieri.
But he has the pedigree that's likely going to help get him a chance. His promoter, Eddie Hearn, will go to the ends of the Earth in a bid to get him a championship shot. He's trained for Dobson outside of Los Angeles at the Churchill Boxing Club in Santa Monica, Calif., and has just worked quietly, trying to let his performance say what needs to be said.
“I’ve been on the tip of everyone’s tongue and heavily spoken about," Benn said. "Talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words. I’ve proven time and time again I am what I say I am. Whether it goes the distance or two rounds, [in] every department I do what I say I am going to do. You want to get outboxed for 10 rounds? No problem. You want to get beat up for 10 rounds, 12 rounds? No problem. You want to get knocked out early? Come and try me.
"That’s what this fight is, a reminder that I am what I say I am. You will see progress, even with what’s gone on, you’ll see what I’ve learned and that I’ve been in the gym and stayed disciplined, where many would have fallen off. It’s hard to stay motivated when you are being taken off course, but I have stayed disciplined, and you will see that on Saturday."