Conor Benn has revealed the fallout from his two failed drugs tests left him feeling suicidal, saying he was taking things day by day.
The son of former world champion boxer Nigel Benn twice tested positive for the banned substance clomifene in VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) drugs tests last year.
It led to the BBBofC (British Boxing Board of Control) to prohibiting his planned fight against Chris Eubank Jr in October from taking place.
There have been two separate investigations into the tests – one by the WBC sanctioning body and one by the BBBofC/UKAD (UK Anti-Doping).
Benn’s representatives have co-operated with the WBC investigation by providing them with a 270-page document fighting to try and prove his innocence. The BBBofC/UKAD investigation has not seen this document.
The WBC announced they would be reinstating Benn into their welterweight world rankings and would not be punishing him last week.
It was ruled that there is ‘no conclusive evidence’ Benn intentionally or knowingly ingested clomifene and accepted his ‘highly-elevated consumption of eggs’ as a ‘reasonable explanation’ for positive tests.
The BBBofC and UKAD investigation has yet to be concluded and Benn is still without a licence.
In a lengthy statement, Benn slammed the testing procedures, insisting that the banned substance was never in his system.
And in an interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV, Benn shed light on the toll the incident has taken on him and his mental health.
Benn said: “It’s hurt me… I didn’t think I was going to make it through this period. I didn’t think I was going to make it through.
“For something I ain’t even done. It’s hard because I feel like I was on death row for something I ain’t even done. If I’d done something wrong, I’m human, I’d raise my hands to it. Whatever it is, my personal life, I’ll raise my hands.
“Never this. And I felt like seven years of hard work and sacrifice and leaving my family and the image I maintained was ruined because of somebody else’s incompetence.
“It’s been hard for the family.”
Benn added: “I was taking it day by day. I didn’t think I’d see another day.”
When asked if he was feeling suicidal by Morgan, the 26-year-old replied: “I’d say so, yeah…
“It upsets me now because I don’t know how I got so bad. I got in a really bad way… I am innocent.”
