Conor, 18, has been training with his dad in Australia for the past few years and hopes to represent Barbados, the country of his father’s heritage, at Rio 2016. Benn and his famous father, who made multiple world title defences in a standout career, are now seeking the help of Hatton in order to be in the best shape for next summer.
‘Hitman’ Hatton retired in 2012 on the back of a failed comeback attempt against Vyacheslav Senchenko, but has been a successful coach since hanging up his gloves the first time around in 2009, and a link-up with the Benn’s seems a logical step for all concerned.
“It looks like I’ll be heading back to the UK around June and I’ll be staying with Ricky Hatton to have him as my trainer leading me into the Olympics, Conor exclusively told World Boxing News.
“My dad is heading to meet Ricky on Tuesday to clarify it, but I believe the move back to the UK training under Ricky would be a great experience for me. Working with a legend like Ricky and his team will help me see where I’m at and who I got to beat to get where I need to be.
“I’ll be going over on June 30th and I’m in the process of getting my Barbados passport. I want to compete for them at Rio 2016 as it means a lot to my dad and making this move will hopefully help me be able to do that.
“I personally would turn pro now if dad let me, but he knows best and fighting at the Olympics will be a great experience.”
Conor has already trained alongside the likes of Sakio Bika and Anthony Mundine since taking up the sport his dad made a substantial name in, and with the world already at his feet, the younger Benn is now carving his own path which he hopes will lead to glory in Rio next year.
