NIGEL BENN sobbed as he was forced to call off his comeback fight at the age of 55.

The British boxing icon broke down when it became clear the pain in his shoulders was too severe.

4 Nigel Benn's fight with Sakio Bika has been called off after the Destroyer picked up an injury Credit: Richard Pelham

Benn’s ten-round bout with Sakio Bika in Birmingham next month would have been 23 YEARS after his last fight.

But he said: “There was no way I was going to con British fight fans, who have been so good to me, by fighting when I’m not 100 per cent fit.”

Distraught Nigel — a former world middleweight and super-middleweight world champion — phoned me at home yesterday.

He was at the Matchroom gym and it was just a few minutes after he had decided to pull out of his highly controversial ring return.

Last week, while working on the pads, both his shoulders became inflamed and Dr Ali Al-Sabti, a consultant surgeon, gave him a couple of cortisone injections.

4 Former super-middleweight champion Benn, 55, has hung up his gloves for the final time Credit: Richard Pelham

I’m now going to forget about ever fighting again." Nigel Benn

The problem seemed to have cleared up but yesterday as Benn sparred with Craig Richards, he found he was in agony every time he threw a punch — with either hand.

Benn, a born-again Christian, became highly emotional as we spoke and started to cry.

Through the tears, he said: “I never stopped training since the day I retired and I’ve never felt fitter in my life.

“I have been dreaming of a one-off fight for years and I’m heartbroken I have had to call it off. Maybe it’s a blessing in disguise.

Nigel Benn's greatest fights DOUG DeWITT (Apr 1990) Nigel Benn moved to the States to regroup after losing his unbeaten record to Michael Watson in 1989 and earned a WBO title shot against DeWitt.Despite being floored in round two, the battling Brit recovered to deck DeWitt four times — three of them coming in the eighth — to mark his boxing revival on the biggest stage. CHRIS EUBANK (Nov 1990)

After rebuilding his career in the US, Benn put his WBO title on the line against Eubank. The highly anticipated fight was full of controversy — Benn’s team sabotaged his opponent’s entrance music.

Despite being knocked down in the eighth and ninth, Eubank fought back to floor Benn and claim a round nine victory. MAURO GALVANO (Oct 1992)

It was not a classic but it was a fight that saw Benn become a two-weight world champion by claiming the WBC super middleweight belt from Mauro Galvano.

The Italian suffered nasty cuts and the bout was waved off in the fourth. Benn retained the title in a rematch a year later. CHRIS EUBANK (Oct 1993) Over 42,000 people crammed into Old Trafford for one of the biggest boxing events ever staged, watched by more than half a billion people worldwide. It wasn’t as brutal as their first bout but there were some astonishing rounds towards the end of the fight, with the last a real classic. Ended in a draw and both retained their titles.



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4 Benn has claimed he will now enjoy watching his son Conor rise up the ranks Credit: Richard Pelham

“I’m now going to forget about ever fighting again.

“Instead I will sit back and enjoy watching my son Conor follow in my footsteps and become a world champion.”

Conor, 23, is the WBA Inter-Continental welterweight champion and unbeaten after 16 fights.

Pictures by Richard Pelham

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