The fallout from Amir Khan’s failed doping test and subsequent year-long investigation continues, as promoter Ben Shalom vehemently opposes Eddie Hearn’s intervention.
News broke that Khan had failed a post-fight drugs test after his stoppage loss to Kell Brook in February of 2022. The athlete and the British Boxing Board of Control were informed of this in April.
When Khan accepted the findings but denied intentional ingestion, his case was passed to an independent investigation which concluded its work this February. He was handed a backdated two-year ban from all sports, ending on April 6 2024.
When asked by Boxing Social if he was informed of the failed test, Shalom, who promoted the show, said he had found out along with fans and Kell Brook just this week.
Hearn told IFL TV that a lot of people in the sport knew, putting specific focus on both the promoter, BOXXER, and broadcaster, Sky Sports.
“I’ll just keep it real. I didn’t know, but I know a lot of people involved with that fight knew.
And when I say ‘knew’, there’s a difference between receiving correspondence from UKAD or knowing, hearing that it’s happened. And people from the promotion, the broadcast, certainly the British Boxing Board of Control, they knew about that situation.”
Shalom has now responded via Fight Disciples, branding it untrue and extremely defamatory.
“I’m actually shocked to see that. And we don’t like to go back and forth, we don’t want to send legal letters, we don’t want to threaten. But, believe me, something will be going on that.
That is one of the most defamatory things I’ve ever seen, and I’m sure my broadcaster will feel the same way. That upsets me, because we put up with so much stuff and so many lies about ourselves, trying to be dragged into something that we’re not part of. To see something like that, that goes to the very core of our values, that’s out of order beyond all belief.”
It’s got to the point where I believe certain people feel they can say anything and anytime on any date completely change every week anything, and they get away with it.”
People might be charismatic, people might have big platforms, people might have dominated boxing for the past ten years, whatever it is, but defamatory stuff that isn’t true is consistent. Not just about myself, about others.”
Shalom went on to label Hearn’s statement ‘a complete lie’ that was ‘so damaging.’
The case has opened up a discussion surrounding UKAD’s processes and who should be involved when, with many fans incensed that there has been a 14 month delay between the news and the test.