‘It was hard to hear’ – Harley Benn opens up on cutting out dad Nigel and losing touch with brother Conor

HARLEY BENN has opened up on losing touch with his dad Nigel and brother Conor.

The 9-2 boxer admits he had a rocky relationship while growing up with his legendary father – who left his mum Lisa before he was born.

@harleybennofficialHarley Benn revealed he cut off his dad Nigel[/caption]

@harleybennofficialHarley and brother Conor are also estranged[/caption]

@harleybennofficialHarley opened up about his falling out with Nigel and Conor[/caption]

Harley came into the world just four days after half-brother Conor – whose mum Caroline is still with Nigel.

In recent years, Harley reconciled with Nigel and Conor, training alongside and supporting each other.

But Harley revealed last year that he cut his dad out of his life – and sadly no longer speaks to Conor.

He told SunSport: “The relationship was sort of was rocky away from boxing.

“It would have taken a lot more than boxing to fix it on both sides and I cut my dad off last year. That’s how it is at the minute.

“I’m more at peace with how I was when I was younger in my early 20s, it used to affect me, having a rocky relationship with my dad and everyone coming up to me, ‘Oh your dad’s amazing, your dad’s this, your dad’s that.’ 

“OK, yeah, he’s an amazing boxer, but he has not been a good dad to me, so it was hard to hear that and people screaming his praises at me.

“And I was like, yeah, he was an amazing boxer, one of the most entertaining boxers I think Britain’s ever seen, but when it comes to our relationship, it’s a whole lot deeper than boxing.”

Harley – who welcomed son Kobe into the world last August – still hopes to fix the relationship with his dad.

But with brother Conor, it is trickier.

He said: “I mean, my dad, it’s one of them. I’m grateful for the life that he gave me.

“There’s a lot going on that could be fixed, might not be fixed, but me and Conor? I’ll be honest, it would just be fake if we were to get on. 

“We come from completely different places, we don’t value the same things and if I’m honest, he probably doesn’t see me as a brother and I don’t see him as a brother unfortunately, but it is what it is.”

Conor was raised in a life of luxury in Majorca and later Australia – where he began boxing as an amateur during his teens.

But when he moved back to London to turn professional, he did so on his own without the help of his dad Nigel, who was still living in Sydney.

Harley grew up living a totally different life in East London, helping provide for his mum Lisa and little sister Leyla.

He only got into boxing at 20 to lose weight while working in a sales job for a solar panel company.

@harleybennofficialConor and Harley are half-brothers[/caption]

@harleybennofficialThey were born just days apart[/caption]

@harleybennofficialThey were close but have now drifted apart[/caption]

But he quickly turned pro in 2017, around the time he began building bridges with his dad.

And he said: “My relationship with my dad, it’s been a sticky one because I’ve had genuine good times with my dad.

“I’ve looked up to my dad in certain periods of my life and whatnot, but when it comes to the boxing side of things, I believe he let me down.”

Harley’s last fight was in May 2023 in Dubai against unbeaten prospect Faizan Anwar – now 19-0.

And Nigel joined his son for the entire camp for the first time in Harley’s career – but the loss would affect far more than his boxing record.

He revealed: “I would say I put a lot of pressure on myself in that fight, and I would also say that my dad put quite a bit of pressure on me.”

Harley was stopped in round seven and faced the wrath of his two-weight world champion father afterwards.

@harleybennofficialNigel has spent time training with Harley before[/caption]

@harleybennofficialHarley, Nigel and Conor together[/caption]

He said: “I was thinking in my head, if I don’t do well in this fight, is this gonna affect my relationship with my dad? 

“And unfortunately it did. Which I didn’t see coming because I spent pretty much every day with him for two and a half months.

“I was on the pads with him, I was doing what he asked me to do because he’s been there, done it, you know what I mean, got the T-shirt.

“I’ve just had a son six months ago and if he ever decided to become a boxer and he lost a fight, the first thing I’ll do is give him a cuddle and tell him it’s all right.

“Not, ‘Why have you not beat him? And why do you not do this? Why do you not do that?’ I didn’t need to hear that.”

Harley fears Conor – who fights Chris Eubank Jr on Saturday – holds resentment towards him.

He said: “I don’t think Conor liked my dad with me at all.

@harleybennofficialHarley says being friendly with Conor now would be ‘fake’[/caption]

@harleybennofficialThey previously supported each other’s boxing careers[/caption]

“And I’ve really tried with Conor in the past, but I know Conor wants to be the only son of Nigel that is boxing, wants all the limelight.

“But I’m genuinely not fussed about all of the limelight. I mean, he’s having what I would call probably the biggest British fight since Benn-Eubank. 

“And the thing is, I wish him nothing but the best in that. So Conor’s always had his back up against me.”

Harley added: “I’ll never know the reasons that Conor took a dislike to me and it’s weird because Conor’s had everything from birth – has everything now and I still sense some jealousy towards me and I have no idea why.

“I feel, even though we don’t get on, it’s a very contradictory feeling, I’m – I wouldn’t say proud, proud isn’t the word – but happy for him.

“I’m happy for him. And I don’t think he’s ever fought that about me.”

Conor, 28, is due to fight Eubank Jr, 35, at Tottenham’s stadium – 35 years on from their dads’ epic first fight which was won by Eubank Sr.

GettyChris Eubank Jr facing off with Conor Benn[/caption]

Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr had two epic fightsAlamy

Coincidentally, Eubank Jr also finds himself estranged from his iconic dad ahead of the fight of his life.

But Harley said: “I’m actually not fussed who wins that fight. And that’s me just being brutally honest.

“If Eubank knocked Conor out in round one, I wouldn’t be jumping for joy. Probably feel a bit sorry for Conor.

“I’d probably feel more sorry for Conor losing than I would Eubank losing. So yeah, that’s my take on it. I’m not a hater.”

Harley had his daughter Luna when he was just 18 and welcomed son Kobe ten years later.

And raising his newborn son only fractured the relationship with dad Nigel even more.

Harley said: “I see my son every day, I live with my son. It makes me think, whether I had 20 of these – because my dad has a lot of kids, ten kids I think, even if I had 20 of these, I would be there for each and every one of them.

“No matter how they came, whether they came accidentally, whether they came through love, whether they came from a night out, do you know what I mean?

@harleybennofficialHarley had baby boy Kobe last year[/caption]

@harleybennofficialHe also has a daughter, Luna[/caption]

“I would be there for all of my kids and having my kids did make me think, even when I had Luna, I was sort of too young to realise I was only 18, but as I’ve sort of settled down and become a man. 

“I had my first born son, it did make me think a bit less of him.”

The boxing great – who has been a grandad to Harley’s daughter Luna – is yet to meet baby grandson Kobe.

Harley revealed: “He’s definitely seen him, but he hasn’t seen him in the flesh, no.

“Even with the problems, just not speaking or whatever, not having a great relationship, that’s still his grandson.

“We had a bit of an argument probably a year ago, when my missus was pregnant or something like that.

“And I did say out of anger, ‘I’m not gonna let my son nowhere near you.’

@harleybennofficialHarley with his mum Lisa[/caption]

@harleybennofficialLisa and Nigel had Harley in 1996[/caption]

@harleybennofficialThe mother and son are very close[/caption]

“Just because we was in a heated argument, and I called him poisonous and said, ‘I don’t want you anywhere near my son.’

“But that was months before he was born. I think he should have reached out at least. I’m not saying turn up on the doorstep – I mean, I personally would – everyone’s different. 

“But he probably should have reached out and seen if his grandson was healthy and well and whatnot, because he’s had a relationship with my daughter.

“Now I’ve had a son, I’ll be honest with you – and I’m not defending him – it would probably make him feel like s*** in the sense of looking at me being a hands-on dad with my son and not kicking him to the curb.

“It might make him feel a type of way, I’m not too sure. Will he meet him in the future, who knows?”

Harley is focussing on his next fight, against 15-3 Joe Laws while Conor and Nigel renew their family feud with the Eubanks.

But he still holds out hope that things can go back to the way it was – just not yet.

He said: “I don’t wish any bad on anyone and everything’s timing, at the minute, they’ve got a lot bigger things to think about with what’s coming up on the 26th of April.

“I’ve got my fight. It’s none of our priorities, if I’m honest with you, mine, Conor, or my dad’s. Mending that or whatever, it’s definitely not in my priorities at the minute.

“And from what’s going on at the minute, I’m highly sure that it’s not theirs.

“There’s a lot going on, we’ve both got our separate lives and whatnot, we’re both going in different routes and whatnot, and who knows, maybe.”

GettyNigel is still in Conor’s corner[/caption]

GettyHarley is a 9-2 boxer himself[/caption] Creator – [#item_custom_dc:creator]