Conor Benn begins his day at 5am with laborious sprints up a precipitous path in the idyllic yet built-up setting of Palma, Mallorca.
The streets are empty because the sun won't set for another two and a half hours. "I'm just making things as difficult as I can so come fight night it's as easy as it can be. This is where the champions are made," the Briton says through a heavy breath.
At the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, the 28-year-old will finally meet his bitter rival Chris Eubank Jr. They were scheduled to fight in October 2022 – almost 30 years after their fathers' iconic duels - but the bout was called off on two days' notice because of Benn's failed drug test.
Benn has always maintained his innocence, and after a legal battle that lasted for two and a half years, he is now authorized to fight. "I hit a bit of adversity, came through it, just about, and am ready to go into the biggest fight of my career," Benn tells BBC Sport.
However, it remains a mystery how and why the fertility drug Clomifene entered his body. We once wondered whether he could escape the monstrous shadow cast by his legendary father, but now the British welterweight will probably always be overshadowed by his failed drug test. In 1990, Nigel Benn lost to fellow British boxing legend Chris Eubank Sr., and three years later, the fight ended in a contentious draw. He is still by his son's side, laughing with the team after more than three decades. It's a real family affair, with Benn's sisters and cousin also joining him in camp.
Benn is fluent in Spanish and interacts with the locals in the gym because he spent 12 years of his childhood on Mallorca. But the laughter stops when the training session starts. Benn's attitude has changed in a noticeable way, indicating how serious he is taking this fight. As he fights for the family name and to demonstrate his own worth in this bloodline rivalry, he claims to be "leaving no stone unturned." "I've got a chip on my shoulder about [people] saying I'm the nepo kid, that I had it easy," he adds.
But this is no longer about fathers. Benn's image has been marred among boxing fans. He has been cleared to fight by an anti-doping panel, but they think he should be more open about why the test didn't work. Benn says he has been "cleared three times" and is reluctant to dwell on the past.
Nigel, meanwhile, speaks more openly about the impact it had on them both, saying £1m was spent on the legal battles.
The former super-middleweight champion says he is not a drinker but would consume "half a bottle of red wine every night" during the period as his mental health issues worsened, while his son turned to therapy to get through the dark times.
"I was watching my son really crying in my arms, heartbroken. "Nigel adds, "I just knew [he was innocent]." "Because [if he was] I would let the public know, I'd say, 'Mate, yeah, sorry mate, he's done this'. However, I am aware that he has not, and I will support my son.
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