New stars make Bolt for glory
Comeback is just ‘crazy’ says Conor
NIGEL BENN’S boxer son Conor revealed his dad ignored his desperate pleas to pull the plug on a remarkable ring return at the age of 55.
Benn will fight for the first time in 23 years when he takes on fellow former world champion Sakio Bika in Birmingham on November 23.
The Londoner has not taken a punch since his second defeat by Steve Collins in 1996 but insists he has passed a battery of stringent medical tests.
But he was denied a licence by the British Boxing Board of Control and will instead fight under the British and Irish Boxing Authority, which was founded just three years ago.
And Benn Jnr, who has won all his 15 professional fights, admitted his dad’s comeback makes his stomach churn.
“He’s been training like a nutter for as long as I can remember,” he said. “I should have noticed that he was going to fight again but I can’t really believe it. It’s crazy. It’s madness.
“It’s a real concern for me as his son because I know what it’s like getting hit and it’s horrible.
“There’s nothing pleasant about it. Who wants to see their dad get hit in the face?
“I’ve said what I’ve had to say. I said, ‘Dad, I really don’t want you to do this,’ but he’s still going to do it so I’ve got to respect his decision.”
Benn, who will train alongside his son for the next two months, insists his return is not financially motivated.
The former two-weight world champion suffered with depression and battled a sex addiction during his 48-fight career.
He became a born-again Christian after a failed suicide attempt and moved to Australia having sold his vast collection of belts.
And Benn, who has ditched his Dark Destroyer nickname in favour of Benjamin Button, claims only another fight will give him the sense of calm he craves. FOR more than a decade it was all about one man, with Usain Bolt the only show in town.
In 11 global championships, the fastest ever human won 22 sprint medals, all but three of them gold.
In Qatar today the first Bolt-free competition since 2003 gets underway in Doha’s Khalifa Stadium.
Interest in athletics might have dipped since He said: “I had a lot of issues in my life that I never dealt with.
“I cheated on my wife for 16 years and I was dealing with depression. Then Jesus came and my life changed – no spliffs, no sex, no ecstasy, no cigarettes. the king abdicated in London two years ago.
But the opportunity for this generation of male sprinters has never been greater.
Tomorrow, Everything just need fight.
“I’m looking forward to the peace I’ll get after this fight. I think that’s what everyone really wants, peace in their life.” changed, that one in temperatures expected to nudge 40 degrees outside the controlled climate in which the athletes perform, the men’s 100m gold will be decided. For all but Justin Gatlin, at 37 the reigning champion, but I more (below) it’s the first global championship in which the Bolt factor can be dismissed.
“Seize the moment is my advice,” said Darren Campbell, the last Brit to win a world sprint medal.
“There’s no certainty of anybody winning this, which means everybody is under pressure.”
Christian Coleman (inset) starts as favourite despite being under a cloud having missed three drug tests and effectively avoided a ban on a technicality.
But Brit Zharnel Hughes insists the American is beatable.
He said: “I could come back with the gold medal, possibly break the British record, I can’t put limits on it.”