Carl Frampton explains why Conor Benn should NOT have been allowed to return

Carl Frampton insists Conor Benn should not have been allowed to return to the boxing ring last month and believes the welterweight star has been ‘poorly advised’.

Benn, 27, made a lowkey return to action in Florida at the end of September, getting an unanimous decision win over Rodolfo Orozco.

It was his first fight since the lifting of a provisional ban which came as a result of two positive VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) drug tests that saw his grudge match against Chris Eubank Jr fall though just days before the opening bell last October.

While Benn secured a licence with the Texas State Athletic Commission enabling him to fight in the US, the subject of his return has been debated.

Benn has persistently denied any wrongdoing and was cleared by the World Boxing Council earlier this year.

In August, the independent National Anti-Doping Panel issued a ruling to lift his suspension. However, the British Boxing Board of Control and UK Anti-Doping have lodged an appeal against that decision.

Benn is free to fight outside of the UK with his promoter Eddie Hearn now working on a deal to revive the Eubank Jr fight before the end of the year.

But two-weight world champion Frampton believes Benn and Hearn and been operating in boxing’s ‘grey areas’ with the ongoing situation reflecting the current malaise British boxing find itself in.

‘I don’t think he should be fighting,’ Frampton told Metro.co.uk.

‘But there are these grey areas where he can just be applying for a different licence. But I don’t think that is right, I think he should clear his name [in the UK] before he does it.

‘But it shows the shambles our sport is in when Conor Benn, formerly a British Boxing Board of Control licenced fighter who has been told he can’t box with the British Boxing Board of Control, can just go and get a licence elsewhere. It is mental it can happen.

‘It has been handled very badly and Conor Benn has been advised very badly as well. It is another mess in this sport and there will be plenty more of them.’

Benn had been enjoying a sensational rise in the sport in the two-year period prior to last October’s drama. As an emerging talent, he was dropped twice in the opening round of his 11th professional fight by little known French fighter Cedrick Peynaud before clinching a decision win.

An explosive first-round knockout win over Samuel Vargas in April 2021 accelerated his rise, breaking down the experienced and tough Adrian Granados before adding two more swift knockouts to his highlight reel against former world champion Chris Algieri and Chris van Heerden.

‘He was someone I praising at every opportunity,’ Frampton said. ‘He was improving so much, from getting knocked down against the French journeyman to putting away good operators. The transition from that was outstanding. I often said he was the most improved fighter on the planet.’

While not agreeing with the decision to bring Benn back at this stage, Frampton does have some sympathy for the Ilford fighter.

‘I was shocked to be honest when it came out. He has probably been getting more stick than any other [fighter in his position] just because of the way it has been handled.

‘A lot of it is down to themselves but he has taken a fair bit of flack. To even be able to train with all this going on… he is a pretty mentally strong kid and I still do think he is a good fighter.’

My Autobiography by Carl Frampton by Carl Frampton with Paul D. Gibson is available to buy now (Merrion Press, £21.99).

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