We have now received final confirmation that the fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn has been pulled from this weekend’s schedule amidst doping drama.
The bout, to be fought at a catchweight of 157lb, was a revival of the Eubank – Benn family feud that was started by the fathers almost three decades ago. Hype for the event was huge. It was DAZN’s first pay-per-view offering with Matchroom in the UK, mainstream media had bought into the promotion, and it sold out in a matter of minutes.
Yesterday, all of that was engulfed by reports that the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency had flagged traces of a banned substance present in one of Conor Benn’s tests. Not long after the story broke, the British Boxing Board of Control revoked their involvement, leaving the fight without a sanctioning body.
The reported substance is clomifene – a medication typically used to treat infertility in women who do not ovulate but can also increase testosterone in men at an alarming rate. Those involved said Benn’s B sample – of which every drug test has – hadn’t been examined yet. The fight, now marred in controversy, looked certain to be off.
But this is boxing… Promoters Eddie Hearn and Kalle Sauerland battled on to have the fight go ahead, enacting lawyers to speak to the board and, at one point, apparently open to using a foreign commission should the BBBofC not budge. It was later confirmed by Hearn that he would not seek to use any other commission, meaning the legal battle would be the final decision – however from the postponement statement it appears that was not or could not be settled in time.
You can read the statement in full below:
After discussions with various parties, we have taken the decision to formally postpone the bout between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn.
It is undeniable that the British Boxing Board of Control’s decision to withdraw their sanctioning was procedurally flawed and without due process. That remains a legal issue between the promoters and the Board which we intend to pursue.
However, whilst there are legal routes to facilitate the fight taking place as planned, we do not believe that it is in the fighters’ interests for those to be pursued at such a late stage, or in the wider interests of the sport. As promoters, we take our obligations and duties very seriously, and a full investigation will now need to take place. We will be making no further comment at this time and news for ticket holder refunds will follow.
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) October 6, 2022