The drop-off in Conor Benn’s sudden inability to score finishes in boxing has not gone unnoticed by other people in the industry, with former British champion Curtis Woodhouse commenting that it may or may not be a coincidence that his scorecards fighting follows positive test results for the banned substance clomiphene.
“Conor Benn hasn’t had a stoppage win since failing two drugs tests for performance-enhancing drugs,” Curtis Woodhouse wrote on X, shortly after the British slugger’s unanimous decision win over 37-year-old near-retiree, Regis Prograis, after 10 rounds of 150-pound catchweight action at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, in London, on April 11.
Benn scored his last knockout four years ago when he stopped Chris van Heerden in the second round of a 147-pound fight at the Manchester Arena in Manchester. Since then he has four decision wins against one decision loss across a 10-pound weight span.
Benn first tested positive for a female fertility drug clomifene in July, 2022, and September, ahead of a planned fight with long-time rival Chris Eubank Jr. in October, that year.
For Woodhouse, this apparent decline in power was evident against Prograis in particular, considering Prograis retired after the bout aged 37, and carried four injuries into the ring.
“They even got a lightweight five years past his best to help him hide the evidence but still he couldn’t manage it,” said Woodhouse.
“If it walks like a dog and barks like a dog, it’s a f****** dog,” he finished.
A 45-year-old former soccer player, Woodhouse transitioned to the Sweet Science in 2006, shared the ring with a number of national-level fighters, and then won a British belt at super lightweight when he edged Darren Hamilton in 2014. He retired shortly after his 24th fight in 2017.
