CONOR BENN ran a few personal bests in running by following Covid out of the system.
Adrian Granados' headline fight last month was cancelled by the 24-year-old after he tested positive a few days earlier.
Conor Benn is now back in good health after contracting the coronavirus
The undefeated WBA Continental Welterweight champion is back in the gym in preparation for the rescheduled clash in Leeds on September 4.
SunSport met Nigel, the British ring legend's son, to see his medical miracle in action. SunSport also learned how he overcome positive coronavirus testing with a more positive attitude.
Benn stated that "it's down to my mental power."
"I am aware that people have been affected differently by Covid and I don't mean any disrespect to anyone who has suffered serious consequences or lost their lives as a result.
"But I had to jump straight into another camp, so mental toughness has been a major factor.
"It was the only way that I could show myself that I was fit enough to fight the virus so quickly after it hit. That was by working out at the gym and running on the track.
"I had no choice but to go back to hard training, even though people told me to be cautious and careful.
"So I trained every day, whether it was morning runs or afternoon sparring, to show that Covid hasn't affected me over the long-term."
Benn sets out from Southend, his home in Essex, at dawn to race along the coast and the 185 steps at Leigh-on-Sea.
It was there, under the cloaks of darkness, that Beau MacDonald, his teenage training partner and Southend United wonderkid, recorded personal bests less than a fortnight after he was bedridden.
Benn said: "I just took five second off my average time on the Leigh-on-Sea stairs and I smashed my fastest five-mile by 10sec at 3am Monday morning.
"I felt fine after failing the first Covid test on Wednesday, July 28.
"Then, I had to take some days off because of my muscle soreness and was tired. I fell asleep on the couch, just like an old man. This is something I have never done.
"My aches, pains got me up in the morning and I had lost my senses of taste and smell.
"But apart from that, there was no headache or cough and no other symptoms. Because I am an elite athlete, this is my job, I couldn't let anything stop me from becoming a world champion.
"It would have been difficult for me to have a doctor tell my that I needed two weeks of rest and then explain the risks. It would have affected my training and influenced my mind.
"I am aware of the risks and I'm fine with them. Thank you."
Benn was devastated to miss the first Eddie Hearn Fight Camp show and offered to fight Granados the next two Saturdays, where he would still be the star attraction.
He is instead leaving his ego behind to support Josh Warrington, his hometown hero, and Olympic legend Katie Taylor, as well as his heavyweight appeal to Headingley.
Benn stated that he is a headline fighter, and his Fight Camp show was sold out. But he wasn't a diva.
"I used to do heavyweight numbers on Sky, and I will again on DAZN. But that doesn't change the fact that it's a pleasure being on Josh Warrington’s undercard.
“I am a fighter and I will fight anywhere and any place.
“When you start complaining about where you are on the bill, you have a problem, it makes no difference to me.
“People will still tune in to watch me fight if I am the first fight on the card, opening the show at six o’clock, because they know they are guaranteed action.”
Conor Benn is a Wow Hydrate and Freetrain athlete.
