British boxing authorities said the fight between Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr. cannot go ahead, hours after the boxers’ promoters said the bout was still on despite Benn failing a doping test.
The all-British catchweight bout was scheduled to take place on Sunday (AEST) at the O2 Arena in London, 30 years after the fathers of Benn and Eubank Jr. — Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank — fought in the ring in one of British boxing’s great rivalries.
The fight was thrown into doubt when Benn’s promoters, Matchroom, said he had “returned an adverse analytical finding for trace amounts of a fertility drug” following a random test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.
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Because the “B” sample had not been tested, Matchroom said “no rule violation has been confirmed” and Benn “remains free to fight.” Matchroom also said Benn has since passed a doping test conducted by the UK Anti-Doping Agency.
“I’ve not committed any violations. I’ve not been suspended so as far as I’m concerned the fight is still going ahead,” he said.
“I’ve spoken to Chris personally and we both want the fight to go ahead.
“We’ve both taken medical and legal advice and as I said, we want the fight to go ahead for the fans.
“I’ve signed up to every voluntary anti-doping testing there is under the sun.
“Throughout my whole career I’m tested. All my UKAD tests have come back negative throughout my whole career.
“I’ve never had any issues before. Even in the lead up to this fight my test have come up negative.
“So my team will find out as to why there’s been an initial adverse finding in my test.
“But as I said, the fight is still going ahead. I’m a clean athlete and we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
But within hours, the British Boxing Board of Control released a statement saying it had told both boxers and promoters that the fight was “prohibited as it is not in the interests of boxing”.
Kalle Sauerland of Wasserman Boxing, which represents Eubank, said Benn tested positive for the female fertility drug clomifene at the end of August or beginning of September.
Clomiphene is on WADA’s list of banned substances.
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