Conor Benn: how to watch Piers Morgan interview on TV - what did boxer say?

Conor Benn has recently featured on Piers Morgan’s Uncensored Show in which he opened up about the aftermath of his failed drugs test last year. The British boxer said he “didn’t think he would see another day” after he was unable to fight against Chris Eubank Jr due to the failed drugs test.

The 26-year-old has recently been reinstated to the WBC rankings after the World Boxing Council concluded his “highly-elevated consumption of eggs” was a “reasonable explanation” for his failed test. This soon prompted a response from Benn in which he welcomed his return while suggesting the sanctioning body’s egg defence had done him a “disservice”.

Benn also went on to criticise the British Boxing Board of Control, which has launched its own investigation into the matter, for attacking him “publicly and privately” as well as treating him with “utter contempt” and lacking consideration for the “fair process or my mental state.”

The interview will be made available to watch later today.

What is said in Uncensored?

Speaking to Morgan, Benn said: “It’s hurt me, it’s hurt me this has. I didn’t think I was going to make it through this period, I didn’t think I was going to make it through. I was shamed for something I hadn’t even done, it’s hard because I felt like I was on death row for something I haven’t done.

"If I had done something wrong I’m human, I’d raise my hands to it ‘I made a mistake’, whatever it is I raise my hands. Never this, and I felt seven years of hard work and sacrifice and leaving my family and the image I maintain was just ruined at somebody else’s incompetence. It’s been hard for the family.

“I didn’t think I’d see another day. Yeah (I was feeling suicidal), yeah I’d say so, and it upsets me now because I don’t know how I got so bad. I got in a really bad way about it. You’ve got to remember, if you think I’m innocent or if you don’t think I’m innocent, I am innocent.”

What did Benn’s statement say?

“The WBC have declared me innocent of being a drugs cheat. I am grateful for the ultimate finding. It was the right decision and it was the only one I was willing to accept … My only frustration is that the manner in which I’ve been cleared has seemed to create further questions and add further fuel to baseless negative speculation.

“In my defence to the WBC and the 270-page report provided to them, at no point did I indicate that I failed any VADA tests because of contaminated eggs.”

He added: “However, I feel like the WBC statement did a disservice to my defence which was based upon a comprehensive scientific review of the testing procedures, which set out a number of reasons why we believed the results were completely unreliable, and proved beyond any reasonable doubt that I am innocent.

“The report prepared by my science and legal team contained extensive analysis of both tests and concluded that there was clear evidence of fundamental flaws and irregularities. By way of just one example, my sample appears to have come back clear the first three times it was tested. Without explanation, it was retested again after nine days and only then did it show a trace positive result. It should only have been tested once!”

On the BBBoC, Benn said: “For those who have gave me their unwavering support I will forever be grateful. For those who said they would wait for a verdict before deciding I was guilty, I appreciate your patience. As for the BBBoC, they attacked me publicly and privately during the most difficult time of my life, treating me with utter contempt and without any consideration for fair process or my mental state.”

How to watch Piers Morgan’s Uncensored

The full interview will be available to watch on TalkTV at 8pm tonight, Monday 6 March 2023.