By: Sean Crose
Although there have been rumors that the guys behind the Conor Benn – Chris Eubank Jr match scheduled for Saturday will try to find some way to keep the fight going after the Boxing Control Board United Kingdom refused to allow it, advertising outlet Matchroom Boxing announced on Thursday that the match was being postponed. “After discussions with various parties, we have made the decision to officially postpone the showdown between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn,” the organization led by Eddie Hearn said in a press release.
The fight between the sons of famous and highly successful former boxers (and arch-enemies) Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr was admittedly an odd match to begin with. Benn, who normally works as a welder, agreed to a hefty (for him) 157 pounds, which meant middleweight Eubank had to drop 3 pounds below his usual weight limit. he. Still, it’s clearly a fan of fighting – especially in the UK, where both boxers are interested in each other. Unfortunately for those fans, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) found traces of the banned substance clomifene in Benn’s system. As a result of that finding, the British Board of Supervisors announced on Wednesday that the fight would be “banned because it is not in the interest of Boxing.”
Hearn responded to the ruling by arguing that the Council did not base its rulings on VADA testing and that Benn had previously passed similar tests from the UK’s Anti-Doping Foundation ( UKAD). Indeed, Matchroom played the role of a wronged party in Thursday’s press release. “It cannot be denied that the decision of the British Boxing Supervisors Board to withdraw their sanction was procedurally flawed and without due process,” the statement read. “It’s still a legal matter between promoters and the Board that we plan to pursue.”
“However,” continued Matchroom, “while there are legitimate avenues to facilitate the fight going as planned, we do not believe that such late-stage chasers can for the fighters or for the broader interests of the sport. As promoters, we take our duties and responsibilities very seriously, and a full investigation will now need to be conducted. We will not be commenting further at this time and will have news of refunds to ticket holders. ”
Clomifene, which is found in Benn’s system, is commonly used as an aid in fertility for women, but can increase testosterone in men.
