Following his recent setback, British competitor Conor Benn is temporarily stepping away from the ring to recover from complete exhaustion. Trainer Tony Sims revealed his charge requires an extended hiatus to address both psychological and physical fatigue. “I think he needs to have a rest from boxing completely at the moment,” Sims stated regarding the fighter’s condition. “Don’t get me wrong, financially he’s set up for life but I think he’s burnt out as well at the same time, mentally and physically.”
The decision to halt activities comes on the heels of a devastating loss to Ryan Garcia during a challenge for the WBC welterweight world championship. Benn endured a heavy knockdown before the official halted the contest in the second round. Sims expressed that the climax arrived somewhat early, though he conceded the impact of the game-ending punch. “It was a fantastic shot that he [Benn] got caught with and he done well jumping up from it really,” Sims said. “I thought he done the right thing, Conor. He grabbed hold of him, held him and he was slipping and sliding on the ropes.” He added: “I think the stoppage was a bit premature but the actual shot that nailed him was a great shot.”
That encounter marks the absolute conclusion of Benn’s career at the 147-pound limit. Squeezing down to welterweight proved immensely difficult, yet the astronomical purse made taking the gamble unavoidable. “There’s no excuses,” Sims told Sky Sports, acknowledging, “It was tough doing the weight of course it was.” When asked if that was Benn’s final bow at the weight class, the coach confirmed: “Without a shadow of a doubt. He done well making the weight but it wasn’t easy.” Sims further noted: “But that magnitude of fight, that magnitude of money that was on the table, he wouldn’t have got that anywhere else, fighting anybody else. So sometimes you’ve got to take risks.”
Looking to the future, stepping up to middleweight or super-middleweight creates room for a trilogy bout with long-time adversary Chris Eubank Jr. The descendants of famous rivals Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank squared off twice at middleweight last year, exchanging one win apiece. Sims believes their legendary family connection guarantees permanent public enthusiasm for a third clash down the road. “That fight’s always going to be there, whether it be a year’s time or 10 years’ time. Because of the names together the fight will always be there,” Sims said. “Whether Conor will want to do that or Chris will want to do that in the future, I don’t know but that fight will always be there. The two names will always be combined together.”
Leave a Reply