Conor Benn has apologised to the public for his reaction after two positive drugs tests, saying: “I’m bitter and angry”.
Benn saw his scheduled fight with Chris Eubank Jr in October cancelled due to two positive tests in the months before.
The 26-year-old has denied ever taking the drug, claiming instead that contaminations and/or lab errors are behind the positive results.
He gave up his British boxing licence in the aftermath of the collapsed Eubank contest and later said he had no plans to fight again in the UK any time soon – a statement he now regrets.
“I’d just like to say one thing. I’d like to fight back home,” Benn told SecondsOut.
“Me saying in an interview that I had no plans of returning to England immediately, I take that back, I take that back.
“Because that’s my home and there’s a lot of supporters there. I’m not turning my back on them based on the minority that have a loud voice. That’s one of the things I do take back.”
“When it first all came out and the media was pushing this narrative, I couldn’t talk, I couldn’t say anything,” Benn told SecondsOut.
“The narrative was heavily pushed. I was guilty before even having a chance.
“I was a little bit bitter towards the public, I was a little bit bitter towards the boxing community, I was angry.
“I’m emotional, I can’t help it, people know I’m emotional, it’s just the way I am, I’m an emotional guy.
“I fight with emotion, I wear my heart on my sleeve and I say what I feel like I wanna say.
“Maybe it wasn’t the right thing, maybe the way I dealt with it wasn’t right. And I know it wasn’t right, and I apologise to the public.
“They deserve more from me, but in my head I’m bitter and angry because I’m seeing this every day: ‘He’s guilty, he’s guilty. He’s done it, he’s guilty.’
“I’m getting angry reading it every day, people thinking that I could do something like this. It was targeting my character and what I stand for. I don’t condone it at all.”
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During the same interview, Benn, currently under a provisional suspension from UKAD and unable to box in the UK, held back tears as he spoke about his son.
“My son has now got to read all this, my son’s got to grow up and read all of it,” Benn said.