Nigel Benn announces comeback aged 55 and challenges Eubank and Roy Jones Jr
NIGEL BENN has announced a boxing comeback aged 55 after releasing training footage online and claiming: “I’m back”.
The former two-weight world champion and British boxing icon was last year rumoured to be applying for a pro license to fight old foe Chris Eubank for a third time.
But British Board of Boxing Control secretary Robert Smith said: “It is unlikely they would get one.”
However, the dad of British welterweight Conor posted a video on Instagram hitting the pads with the caption: “He’s back, I wonder who he will face?
“Joe Calzaghe? Roy Jones Jr? Bernard Hopkins? Chris Eubank? Steve Collins? Carl Froch? Or is it someone else?”
At the end of the video, veteran Benn said: “Twenty years, I’m back, I’m ready, one more time.
“I feel good, see you soon.”
The London brawler lost his WBO middleweight world title to Eubank in 1990 after a ninth round stoppage.
They then drew three years later in a rematch, though many had Benn winning the super-middleweight unification bout.
A trilogy clash was rumoured but never materialised, and Eubank even announced while on I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here in 2015 his desire to come out of retirement for a third fight.
Eubank’s last fight came 20 years ago against Carl Thompson while Benn most recently laced up the gloves for a professional fight back in November 1996.
It would be a remarkable rematch if they were to do battle one final time but speaking in 2015, Benn blamed Eubank for talks failing to bear fruit.
He said: “We had backers from Dubai, Manchester, Ireland – we would make £5million to £10million each, everything split evenly. Not one word of a lie.
“We spent three bloody years talking. But Chris is impossible.”
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Former pound-for-pound king Jones famously never faced either of Britain’s middleweight or super-middleweight contenders.
The American icon 50, retired from the ring last year beating Scott Sigmon at cruiserweight in February.
However, Jones – who won the world heavyweight title in John Ruiz beating John Ruiz – claimed he would come out of retirement to box UFC legend Anderson Silva.