Conor Benn no longer finds himself in the WBC welterweight rankings, leaving him off the lists of all four major sanctioning bodies.
The undefeated welterweight was briefly removed from the rankings early in 2022 for not taking part in the WBC’s mandatory Clean Boxing Programme.
He was reinstated when he signed up, only to be removed again later in the year following news of his failed doping test for Clomphine – one which was taken through the CBP in association with VADA.
After a well-publicised hearing this year, Benn – who has maintained his innocence throughout – was reinstated into the rankings when the sanctioning body found no conclusive evidence that he had doped intentionally.
They instead said that a highly-elevated consumption of eggs could be a reasonable explanation for the failed tests. This was something that, at the time, Benn disputed.
Before the July 17 rankings update, Benn was listed as number six with the WBC behind champion Errol Spence Jr, Keith Thurman, Cody Crowley, Yordenis Ugas, Souleymane Cissokho and Mario Barrios. As of writing, he is absent from the top 40 entirely.
He has been inactive, but that’s certainly not been a reason to drop out of the sanctioning body’s top 40 in the past. There’s also the idea that he may return in a different weight-class but, again, there would be no past evidence to suggest he would be removed from the 147lbs set before the fact.
Boxing Social has reached out to the WBC for comment.
The update comes as Benn’s hearing with his country’s anti-doping agency, UKAD, looks set to reach its conclusion.
With a fresh team of scientists and lawyers behind him, he’s understood to be questioning the jurisdiction of the investigation given it was a different anti-doping agency that conducted the tests.
Should it be found that he can be punished by UKAD, Benn’s team are confident they can prove food contamination was the cause.