(Mark Robinson / Goldstar Promotions)
Nigel Benn believes that his son Conor is already preparing for retirement after watching him sign a new promotional deal with Zuffa Boxing.
The 29-year-old followed his victory at a catchweight of 150lbs over Regis Prograis by signing a two-and-a-half year, five-fight extension with the promoter he joined after his departure from Matchroom.
Benn was intensely criticised by Matchroom but earned a reported $15m to defeat Prograis and hopes to enter another lucrative contest against the WBC welterweight champion Ryan Garcia later in 2026.
While relatively young and fresh he is on course to become one of Britain’s richest fighters at a time when his father has his reservations about Chris Eubank Jnr fighting on, and while he didn’t say when he expects retirement will follow, he believes it is something his son already has in mind.
“Conor’s like me – he will have already stopped [before it’s too late],” Nigel Benn told BoxingScene. “His plans are already sorted, in his head.
“Everyone to their own. I know I got out at the right time. Conor really boxed [Eubank Jnr’s] head off, and you’re talking about a blown-up welterweight – and he give you a good beating. If he’s got enough money to secure his life… some people have to get knocked out cold and then retire. I believe he should have a third fight with Conor at super middleweight. Conor would still do him.
“He’s not the same fighter he was five years ago, six years ago, and it’s catching up with him. His chin’s gone. The next fight, we’ll see where he is – if he’s going to do super middleweight, we’ll see where he goes from there.”
Nigel Benn was then asked about the ongoing criticism in the direction of his son, and he responded: “No disrespect to Eddie, Barry [Hearn] or whatever – when Gerald McClellan was on top of the world everyone was all over him. As soon as he lost to me, where is he? Conor’s looking after himself.
“It’s always the promoters making money. Because Conor’s made a decision, ‘I’ve got to look after my family’. If he had lost to Eubank he wouldn’t have been in this position. He would have been dropped – that’s what I believe.
“I thank Eddie for what he’s done for my son. I’m grateful for that. But Conor’s gotta look after his family. Conor’s the golden goose. Nobody said nothing to Eddie when he left Sky Sports and went to DAZN, or when he took Ben Whittaker away from Ben…
2026-04-19 15:00:00
