CONOR BENN will not shirk his daddy duties to fulfil his world title dream.
The 25-year-old’s legendary father Nigel would drag himself away from the family home for gruelling training camps up in the Tenerife mountains during his 1990s heyday.
And WBC heavyweight champion Tyson Fury has just finished an eight-week camp without seeing his wife and six children, living in a separate training house only four miles away from the family base in Morecambe.
But Benn has prepared for tonight’s clash with Chris van Heerden at home in Essex with wife Victoria and baby son Eli — and feels ferociously good for it.
While juggling Pampers and punches and sporting a big grin, he said: “It’s still easy. It’s still good. I take my son down the gym with me sometimes.
“It doesn’t change my life much with training because I’m always home. At home or at the gym.
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“If I am at home and need to nap, I have ear plugs and Victoria can take over because she looks after him the majority of the time if I need to nap or I’m at the gym. It’s perfect.
“I’m at home more than nine out of ten days because I’m always there with him relaxing after training.”
South African veteran van Heerden, 34, has clearly not seen the caring parental side to The Destroyer, claiming he will cause a major upset in Manchester as Benn is too much of an angry and emotional fighter.
But 20-0 ace Benn, who wants a world title shot or all-English pay-per-view showdown in the summer, insists he has ice in his veins to complement the fire in his belly.
He said: “I know I come across as tense and aggressive because of the way I am, but it’s who I am.
“What I do I do with passion, I love winning and fear losing and that combination makes for an intense fighter.
“But my opponents need to change their script because they keep coming out with the same old rubbish.
“The old ‘He is where he is because of his dad’ or ‘he relies too much on his power and can’t box’. Mate, you’re a year late to the party, Van Heerden will be getting both sides of the barrel — I will outbox him and take his head off.”
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Welterweight Benn was ringside for Kell Brook’s brilliant February grudge win over Amir Khan and wanted to jump in the ring that night to secure a showdown with the winner.
But Brook looks close to confirming a catchweight clash with middleweight Chris Eubank Jr.
That leaves Benn vs Khan the most likely summer fixture, though the Londoner would prefer his one-time hero to drive off into the sunset in one of his luxury motors.
He said: “I don’t know what there is to gain from the Khan fight.
NOT KEEN ON KHAN
“But I will fight anyone they put in front of me and it is a massive domestic fight — it’s idols to rivals.
“Ideally I wanted the winner of Brook vs Khan but now I think Khan needs to just retire because he got a one-sided beatdown.
“But greed is a terrible thing and when you’re out buying £500,000 Mansory Lamborghinis, I can see why you need another payday.
“I would love them all to be there ringside on Saturday but the Brook fight is the one I want because I always want to fight the winner.
“To be honest, I probably would have liked the Khan fight more, if he had won. But he suffered a one-sided beating and I have no interest in fighting someone who has just gone through that.
“But if Kell wants to go up to 158lbs to fight Eubank Jr then good luck to him.
“If Khan wants to come and have it with me then he’s welcome, both of those just show you that greed is a terrible thing.”
