Nigel Benn Wants Closure, Don’t We All

Nigel Benn Wants Closure, Don’t We All

Nigel Benn formally announced his return to the ring yesterday at the age of 55, and after being retired for 23 years.

Benn last fought in 1996 and finished his career with 3 straight defeats including successive defeats to Steve Collins.

The former two-weight world champion who likened himself to Benjamin Button, will make his return against Sakio Bika in Birmingham on November 23rd.

The British Boxing Board of Control quite rightly refused to grant him a licence, but as ever in boxing there is a way around such trivial matters. British and Irish Boxing Authority think they know better and Benn’s unlikely and dangerous comeback was given the go ahead.

Those that want to watch, can either attend live or watch on the Internet for £14.95 another awful example of the PPV model. Why anyone would want to pay to watch two ‘old’ fighters trade blows with a combined age of nearly 100 is beyond me.

The fact that the fight has been sanctioned is alarming and extremely concerning. Common sense should have prevailed, you don’t need the benefit of hindsight for this one.

Benn doesn’t appear to be returning for money, but instead wants closure. But what happens if he loses, which is more than likely, does that give him the closure he seeks, what happens then.

With a history of depression and substance abuse, I worry what lies ahead for Benn, not to mention the damage as a result of further blows to the head. For those that do watch, it should be nervous viewing, but will they fully understand what they are actually watching.

If Benn beats Bika will he be tempted to carry on, no doubt people with money in mind will try to persuade him to do it all again.

The fight set a dangerous tone for others of a similar age to return. The likes of Chris Eubank, Steve Collins and Roy Jones were all possible opponents for Benn, before Bika was given the gig. Hopefully we are not looking at a future seniors tour, the grand old men of boxing pushing their creaking bones to breaking point for the pleasure of god knows who.

We can only hope that Benn vs Bika is a one and done deal, and there is no lasting damage. Benn was a fabulous fighter, and I would rather remember that version of Benn, than whatever version we see in November.

I hope Benn finds what he is looking for in Birmingham and then be content with watching the younger generation of the Benn family do what he once did so well.