Nigel Benn's incredible mansion, huge net worth and furious TV argument with celebrity

Wales Online

25-04-2025

Nigel Benn's incredible mansion, huge net worth and furious TV argument with celebrity
Conor Benn is set to put an end to his long-standing rivalry with Chris Eubank Jr on Saturday, and his father, Nigel Benn, will be there to spur him on and advise him on his approach
Nigel Benn has been with Conor Benn every step of the way in his boxing career
(Image: Getty Images )
Nigel Benn's rivalry with Chris Eubank Sr will be relived by the pugilists' children on Saturday, as Conor Benn faces Chris Eubank Jr at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
No strangers to one another in the squared-circle, Benn lost his WBO middleweight title to Eubank Sr via a ninth-round TKO back in 1990, before holding 'Simply the Best' to a draw three years later. And now, Conor and Chris Jr are set to have their own day in the sun with one another, in what is being billed as one of the most highly-anticipated outs of a generation.
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With a flawless record of 23-0, Conor heads into the bout with an untouchable mentality, fuelled by his father's words of wisdom and Tony Sims' tutelage. Conor made his debut in 2016, before blazing through a number of boxing's most renowned up-and-comers to clinch the WBA Continental welterweight title just two years later.
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After defending his belt eight times, it appears as though Conor's main focus is now on world championship glory, with a win this weekend certain to put him in the title frame. However, he will have to dispatch of a tough nut in 34-3 Eubank Jr in doing so - a man who has primarily spent his career at the heavier middleweight class and enters the fray as the far more experienced man.
However, unlike Conor, Eubank Jr's father will not be present at the fight - publicly slamming the contest due to the weight difference between the two contestants, despite it being held at 160lbs and having a 10lb hydration clause in the efforts of fairness. Here, Wales Online breaks down Nigel Benn's relationship with his son, his net worth, and life away from boxing.
A battle with sex addiction
While Nigel endured 48 gruelling fights in the ring, some of his toughest battles came outside of the ropes - with an addiction to casual sex almost driving the former world champion to taking his own life. Speaking about his battles in the past, Nigel said: "It was an addiction, not to heroin or anything like that, but to women.
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"I didn't care whether they were tall, short, wide or very wide." Blaming his actions on "very low self-esteem" following the failure of his first marriage, he also noted that his behaviour was having wider impacts on chances at a second family.
Nigel Benn and his wife, Caroline
(Image: Allsport )
He added: "I just got to a low point when I said, 'Right, this is it'. It was eating me away, I just couldn't keep hurting my wife and my kids." After attempting to take his own life in 1999, Nigel turned to Christianity to turn his troubles around - living with his pastor for a year after his wife, Caroline, kicked him out of the family home.
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Fast forward to 2025, and Nigel and Caroline are still married, with Nigel reportedly acknowledging his past mistakes and taking steps to prove his commitment to his wife.
An argument with a fellow celebrity
Nigel made headlines in 2002, when he announced that he would be taking part in ITV's I'm A Celebrity...Get Me Out Of Here! However, his stint on the show wasn't without its controversy, almost coming to blows with Rhona Cameron.
An argument broke out between the boxer and the Scottish comic after Nigel critiqued her "constant moaning" while she accused him of homophobia. Cameron then said: "Why don't you go and read your Bible? Actually why don't you f*** off and leave?" before tempers erupted further.
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Nigel Benn was involved in a war with words with Rhona Cameron
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Nigel replied: "You're lucky you're not a man or I'd knock you, sparko." Thankfully, no blows were exchanged between the two, and Nigel reflected on the incident in 2022. He said: "Over 20 years ago, I was 'in the jungle' with Rhona.
"We are both strong personalities (which is what has made us who we are). I didn't actually threaten her – but did 'state' verbally that if she was a man I would deal with her…But at no point did I raise my hand to her. It was just a heated exchange of words – end of."
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Homes in the sun
While Nigel was raised in Ilford, he has resided in a number of different countries throughout the course of his life. He moved to Majorca in 2002 - however, he was initially incredibly apprehensive of even visiting the Spanish tourist trap on holiday. As per the Majorca Bulletin, he previously said: "I was sitting on the plane, still fuming, my agent has messed up the bookings and we did not know where we were booked to be staying, so I'm sitting on the plane, angry and picked up the Daily Bulletin, and started leafing through the ads and spotted this apartment; got to the airport, headed for one of the accommodation offices and asked directions to this property and a hotel nearby.
"Great, we ended up in a £50 a night place in Palmanova, not the £1500 a night I'm used to and I'm already missing my cable TV, all I got was BBC 24 and I'm like, get me out of here. We were supposed to have been in Puerto Pollensa. So, to cut a long story short (no future as a public speaker), I had lost interest in the apartment but my wife managed to talk me into looking round the place with her instead of relaxing on the beach.
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"We got there, I opened the door and I was well impressed, the view. I tried to keep cool, but the agent could see I was impressed and by the time we had finished, I had bought another larger one nearby - unbelievable - and something just hit me like man; this is where I want to be with my kids and my wife. I never realised all this existed just round the corner from England."
However, in the early 2010s, Nigel was on the move once more - this time to sunny Sydney, Australia. In the years since of living Down Under, Nigel has worked with troubled teenagers at the Blacktown PCYC, and even had a massive mansion constructed for he and his family to reside in.
A monumental net worth
Given that he is one of the most renowned boxers of his generation, with an overall record of 42-5-1, it comes as very little to no surprise that Nigel has racked up an estimated fortune of around £15 million, as per Celebrity Net Worth. A two-time world champion with wins over Gerald McClellan, Mauro Galvano, as well as a loss and a draw with Eubank Sr, much of his net worth is thought to have come from his time in the squared-circle.
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However, Nigel has also worked as a DJ, appeared on I'm A Celeb, and released an autobiography entitled Dark Destroyer - a nod to his ring name. Elsewhere, he has also worked as a patron of the Shannon Bradshaw Trust, a UK-based children's charity which helps youngsters with life-threatening conditions and their families.