Eddie Hearn has said that the British Boxing Board of Control leaked Conor Benn’s drug test results to the press.
Days before Benn’s fight with Chris Eubank Jr was scheduled to go ahead, Mail Sport published an article revealing that he had tested positive for a banned substance in the lead up. Not long after, the Board released a statement prohibiting the fight taking place. There was some back and forth to follow, but, ultimately, their decision stood.
Much was made at the time about the timing of the BBBofC’s involvement, which came after the Daily Mail’s story. According to Hearn, their stance wasn’t reactive to the news – it was the cause of it. He gave TalkSPORT the details.
“It is ultimately up to the British Boxing Board of Control to sanction the fight. Chris Eubank and Wasserman came back and said, based on the information we have received around the test, we are happy to continue with the fight.
“We had a similar situation with Dillian Whyte. He had a hearing before his fight. UKAD cleared him to fight. He had a hearing and he got cleared. Conor Benn never had a chance to have a hearing before the fight. They just sat on it and leaked it to the press and went from there.”
“They leaked the article. They announced their decision and then, I don’t know, four, five hours later it all came out in the media because they told the media that they weren’t going to sanction the fight.”
As of the time of writing, the Board have not responded publicly. Hearn’s comments raise questions about their involvement in the article, whether they were approached or sought out the journalist, and how much they had revealed to those involved in the fight before the news broke.
The BBBofC are currently investigating the situation around Benn and the reported doping test, although little update other than a vague statement has been made public. As for the fighter, he has been conducting his own research with scientists and legal teams and, according to Hearn, will make a statement this week.