Boxer Conor Benn reveals he almost took his life amid prolonged drug cheat allegations - "I've never felt shame like it"

Conor Benn has opened up about the intense struggles he experienced during his long-running campaign to clear his name of steroid usage allegations. The son of legendary boxer Nigel Benn, the 27-year-old has been forging his own boxing legacy.

The young Benn had tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug (PED)/steroid, clomifene, in Voluntary Anti Doping Agency (VADA) tests in July and September of 2022, respectively. Resultantly, his long-awaited fight against archnemesis Chris Eubank Jr. fell apart.

The Conor Benn drug test failures were followed by his suspension, which was lifted in July 2023. Nevertheless, appeals were filed by the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) and the UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) against the lifting of the suspension, and the suspension was reinstated.

Meanwhile, Benn (22-0 professional boxing) has maintained his innocence, and he's indicated that the allegations against him have been preventing him from boxing in the UK.

In the latest edition of The MMA Hour with Ariel Helwani, the Conor Benn allegations were a prominent topic, as Helwani hosted the boxer on the podcast. Benn notably asserted that he almost lost his life during his battle to prove his innocence.

The pugilist highlighted that his father was with him "for a total of six months." Benn recalled that when his father left, he was with his wife and son and almost committed suicide as he felt he couldn't handle the accusations and chastisement.

'The Destroyer' insinuated that he "went to the location" to commit the act of self-harm, which is how close he'd gotten to killing himself. Benn stated:

"I know like, I'm this fighter, and I'm this boxer, and I'm Conor Benn. But I'm also a human. So, for me, it was, yeah. That day, I'd come really close. And there were times where -- there was one time when I went to got on a TV show. And on the way there, my wife was crying. She just started crying in the car, and she said, 'There was one time you weren't answering your phone, and I thought you'd killed yourself.' So, it just goes to show how bad I was. At the time, I didn't realize how bad I was, but I was struggling."

He added:

"You can't prepare for this. You can't tell anyone how to deal with this. I've never felt shame like it in my life, even though I've never done it. I could walk in the gym. I could've gone anywhere. You know, but I've overcome that now. Obviously, now, look at the bright side ... I've come through it. But I really have been through hell and back."

Check out Benn's comments below:

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Conor Benn gets into heated confrontation with next opponent

After a hiatus of over a year, Conor Benn returned to the ring by defeating Rodolfo Orozco via unanimous decision in September 2023 in a matchup that transpired in the United States of America. Presently, the UK welterweight star is scheduled to face the unbeaten Peter Dobson in Las Vegas on Feb. 3, 2024.

The Matchroom Boxing fight card is to be headlined by Conor Benn vs. Peter Dobson. During a face-off heading into their boxing showdown, the athletes, who'd been cordial with one another, got into a heated verbal confrontation. Lambasting his opponent for purportedly trembling, Benn sounded off by saying:

"Stop shaking! Look you're f****** shaking, stop shaking you f****** p*******. You're shaking because you're scared man... If I did what I wanted to do right now, I'd be f****** arrested and there would be no fight."

Watch the back-and-forth below: