Conor Benn’s training is taking him to a dim place as he aims to become a world champion later this year by taking Ryan Garcia’s WBC welterweight title.

Benn will face Regis Prograis as part of Tyson Fury’s comeback against Arslanbek Makhmudov on April 11 at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after signing a one-fight deal with Dana White’s Zuffa Boxing worth £11.38 million ($15 million).

Fresh off a November points win in his rematch with Chris Eubank Jr, the 29-year-old is in “wreck and destroy” mode as he prepares to face former two-time welterweight world champion Prograis.

“The mindset of what you have to strive for in boxing and what kind of person you have to be, it doesn’t allow for constant peaceful,” Benn told The Overlap.

“Right now I’m on a diet, I’m thinking about how I’m going to beat this guy, I’m thinking about how I’m going to completely destroy him and dismantle him. It’s like a conflict with who I think I am and who I have to be to win.

“I feel like I’m going through a transition phase where you go to a place where it’s dim. You’re prepared to go there, but to go there you have to mentally prepare for any outcome.

“For me it’s just destruction. You’re getting in the way of my future and my children. Do you think you can take that away from me?

“You build that chip on your shoulder and then you get that energy from all that camp. You can’t be a nice person during training.”

Respecting the insidious Prograis, his great ambition is to fight for Garcia’s WBC belt.

“Winning the WBC world title in September sounds like a plan. I will win the world title in September without a doubt,” Benn said.

“It’s a journey and if I could do a third back-to-back stadium performance and then win the world title, that would have been about two years ago. Pretty phenomenal.”

“Two Years Back” refers to the time Benn spent successfully arguing for the lifting of his fleeting two-year suspension after he tested positive twice for a banned substance.

Benn has spoken openly about the depression and anxiety he suffered during his legal battle, as well as turning to alcohol to numb the pain, and his Christian faith and therapy sessions proved instrumental in his recovery.

However, his mental demons continued to haunt him when he first collided with Eubank Jr in April 2025, resulting in a unanimous points defeat in north London.

“I look back at the photos and I don’t recognize myself. It wasn’t fight night, it was camp. It was pressure, it was stress, it was anxiety,” he said.

“I was just working on my case, so I was still struggling with depression and anxiety. I was struggling, and I don’t say those words lightly.”