Eddie Hearn has spoken out again regarding the fallout from Conor Benn’s adverse test result ahead of his doomed date with Chris Eubank Jr – and Hearn admits his young star has got a huge battle on his hands.
Speaking to Matchroom’s official YouTube channel, Hearn did also encourage the boxing public to allow Benn the chance to prove his case.
“Obviously, he [Conor] has got a big fight on his hands.
There’s a lot of information we know about the testing that will come to light. Everyone’s very quick to make their assumptions, as always, in this situation.
We’ve seen it before with Dillian Whyte, and I didn’t see many people apologise when Dillian was cleared of all charges and was completely innocent in that situation.
Conor Benn will have the right to clear his name and people should let him do that – it’s been a difficult situation for everybody.
Let him [Benn] have that time, let him have that moment. Some people have made their mind up as they’ve done before, let the facts come out and make your decision”
Dillian Whyte returned an adverse finding on a UKAD test ahead of his fight with Oscar Rivas back in 2019, however was not charged with a doping offence after UKAD accepted that a contaminated substance was the reason for trace amounts of steroids appearing in Whyte’s system.
Benn has tested positive for Clomid, which is said to be used in sports doping as a testosterone booster and masking agent. As far as response from the boxing world, it has been pretty damning so far, although there is a consensus that judgement should be somewhat reserved until the fighter has a chance to speak on the matter.
According to reports, Benn could be facing a ban as long as four years after claims that UKAD would look into the result. More headlines were made this morning following a new story from Mail Sport with claims of an investigation into a second failed test.