As news broke this week that the WBC would remove Conor Benn from their rankings until such time as an investigation into his failed drug tests was complete, another sanctioning body seems to be following suit.
As per Boxing Scene, the World Boxing Organisation has written to Benn and all relevant parties ordering him to ‘show cause’ as to why they should not suspend his rating position. The statement was sent by WBO’s Ratings Committee Chairman, Samuel Viruet.
“Mr. Benn is hereby ordered to show cause within the next 10-days upon issuance of this notice as to why the WBO Ratings Committee should not suspend his rating position in the Welterweight Division. Failure to comply with this order will constitute a waiver of all rights hereunder and with the Committee proceeding per WBO Regulations of World Championship Contest.”
The correspondence was dated November 8, giving Benn’s team until the 18th to provide something in response.
In the latest rankings available via the WBO, he is their fourth ranked Welterweight – behind only Keith Thurman, Jaron Ennis, Vergil Ortiz Jr, and champion, Terence Crawford. It’s another blow in a long series of them for the young British fighter, whose career has been on the ropes ever since news broke of the banned substance in his system.
Clomiphene – the subject of two positive tests – is predominantly a female fertility drug but can be used to increase testosterone in men, hence its banned status on the World Anti-Doping Agency list. Whilst the fighter continues to claim he is a clean athlete, he has admitted that he doesn’t know how the substance got in his system, with contamination pointed to as a potential cause.
With no British boxing license or backing from two of the four major governing bodies, Benn better hope that his legal team can mount a convincing case of innocence sooner rather than later.