British boxing star Nigel Benn has been left in mourning after his brother Mark died of coronavirus.
The former world champion, 56, revealed the devastating news on his Instagram account last night.
Benn wrote: ‘My brother Mark passed Away 2day (Covid 19), as we all were growing up Mark was the Joker of the Benn house hold. May he Rest In Peace love u Mark.’
It came as the number of UK coronavirus-related deaths climbed by 621 to 4,934 and infections rose by 5,903 to 47,806.
Nigel Benn (right) revealed the devastating news that his brother, Mark (left) had died on his Instagram account last night
Benn, 56, received condolences from fans after his post on Instagram yesterday (pictured)
Fans sent their condolences to Benn, with former boxer Darren Barker writing: ‘Sorry to hear this mate god bless you all.’
A relative said: ‘I’m extremely sorry and saddened by your loss! God bless his soul may he rest in peace! Will call nanny at some point!
‘Uncle Mark will always be remembered for his lovely personality and big heart will be sorely missed God bless you all!’
And Instagram user Pete Ahern wrote: ‘Oh no Champ, I am so sorry for your loss. God bless you and the family at this tough time.’
Benn won the world championships in two weight categories and his 23-year-old son, Conor, is currently unbeaten at a professional level.
London-born Benn was one of seven siblings, all boys, and has previously spoken of the pain of losing his older brother, Andy, aged eight when he fell out of a window.
He told the Express and Star: ‘I never lost any respect for my parents, but I changed when my brother died. I carried a lot of anger from then on. Even in my 20s, I was still cut up. We don’t all talk about it, even now.
‘I was always fighting from a young age, in school and everywhere else. I didn’t have any fear of anything like that. I could really hurt people.
‘I started to go to areas where I shouldn’t have been, like in Dagenham where there was a lot of support for the National Front. I didn’t go looking for trouble, but I’d fight them.’
Benn weighs in before his fight against Gerald McClellan on February 25, 1995. He retired a year later
Benn finished his professional career in November 1996 after losing to Irishman Steve Collins.
He was due to come out of retirement last year to fight Cameroon-born Australian Sakio Bika, but the fight was pulled off after he became injured.
Nicknamed the ‘Dark Destroyer’ for his aggressive style, Benn held the WBO middleweight title in 1990 and the WBC super-middleweight title between 1992 and 1996.
He forged an iconic domestic rivalry with Chris Eubank which captured the imagination of the British public.
Benn retired with an 83.3% knockout to win ratio, and in 2013 was entered into the WBC Boxing Hall of Fame.
The number of coronavirus cases is continuing to rise in the UK and Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been taken into hospital for ‘precautionary’ tests 10 days after he was diagnosed.
Last week, British light-heavyweight Anthony Yarde said his grandmother has died from the disease just a few days after his father’s death as a result of the pandemic.
The 28-year-old fighter appealed to people to ‘just stay home’ as he announced that his grandmother had died yesterday.
‘It’s serious!’ Yarde wrote on social media. ‘People are still going out when they don’t need to. I know there’s a lot of opinions about Covid-19 and I have mine but I just know opinions ain’t worth risking your life and others. Just stay home.’
Yarde’s father, who the boxer said had been ‘fit with no health issues’, died last week.
Last week, British light-heavyweight Anthony Yarde (pictured) said his grandmother has died from the coronavirus just a few days after his father’s death as a result of the pandemic
‘It’s serious!’ Yarde wrote on social media. ‘I know there’s a lot of opinions about Covid-19 and I have mine but I just know opinions ain’t worth risking your life and others. Just stay home’