Boxing

CONOR BENN has broken silence on his failed drug test, declaring “I’m a clean athlete” after his fight with Chris Eubank Jr was cancelled.Saturday’s fight for the ages has been scrapped by the board after Benn was found to have traces of a female fertility drug in his system.
Benn declared he’s a clean athleteCredit: Reuters
Benn was found to have traces of a female fertility drug in his systemCredit: Reuters
He returned an adverse finding for clomifene, which is commonly used as medication to treat infertility in women who do not ovulate.
But it can also increase testosterone levels in men, which is why it is on the World Anti-Doping Agency banned list.
The BBBoC stepped in and declared the scrap is prohibited under their sanctioning, despite BOTH fighters wanting to continue with the bout.
Benn, who was taking part in an open workout on Wednesday, addressed the findings and declared “I’m a clean athlete”.
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He told DAZN: “I’ve not committed any violations. I’ve not been suspended. So as far as I’m concerned the fight’s still going ahead.
“I’ve spoken to Chris [Eubank Jr] 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 happen for the fans.
“I’ve signed up to every voluntary anti-doping testing there is under the sun.
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“Throughout my whole career I’ve been tested. All my UK 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 tests have come up negative, you know, so my team will find out as to why there’s been an initial adverse finding in my test.
“But as I said, as far as I’m concerned the fight is still going ahead, I’m a clean athlete and we’ll get to the bottom of this.
“I just want to thank everyone for their continued support and I’ll see you on Saturday.”
Eubank Jr ‘believes’ Benn
Benn says his rival Eubank Jr “fully believes” in him, as it’s “not who I am, [and] not what I’m about”.
The 26-year-old continued: “He fully believes, you know, he believes in me.
“And, you know, It’s not who I am, [and] It’s not what I’m about.
“I’m a professional athlete and, you know, he was understanding.”

🥊Eubank Jr vs Benn: Ring walk time, live stream, TV channel and undercard info for London super-fight
Both Benn’s promoter Hearn and Eubank Jr’s in Kalle Sauerland said the fight will still go ahead.
Hearn said Benn passed tests undertaken by UK Anti-Doping, meaning he will not face a suspension by the BBBoC.
He said: “Conor Benn is not suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control, ultimately he can’t be, because he passed all the tests from UKAD.
“But clearly the British Boxing Board of Control will take a position on it, we’ll deal with the lawyers.”
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According to ESPN, Hearn is attempting to obtain a court injunction to allow the fight to go ahead.
The catchweight clash of 157lb was set to take place almost 30 years after their dads’ famous rematch, which ended a draw.
Benn says rival Eubank Jr ‘believes’ himCredit: Reuters More

CHRIS EUBANK JR’S clash with Conor Benn has been called off by British Boxing Board of Control.The two stars, whose fathers had two wars in the 1990s, were due to continue the family feud in a 157lb catchweight clash on Saturday.
Conor Benn returned an adverse finding for the banned substance clomifeneCredit: Reuters
Eddie Hearn says the Destroyer’s fight with Chris Eubank Jr’s fight is offCredit: Getty
But the sold out O2 and pay-per-view fight bout was dramatically cancelled just days before the bell was due to sound.
The British Boxing Board of Control has stepped in and ruled the scrap is ‘Prohibited” despite BOTH fighters wanting to continue with the bout.
A BBBoC statement read: “On the evening of 4th October 2022, the Board of the British Boxing Board of Control Limited resolved that the contest between Chris Eubank Jnr. and Conor Benn scheduled to take place on 8th October 2022 is prohibited as it is not in the interests of Boxing.”
It emerged earlier that Benn, 25, had returned an adverse finding in his pre-fight drug test.
Benn was told he had returned an adverse finding for the banned substance clomifene.
The substance, which is usually used to treat infertility in women but can increase testosterone in men, is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency.
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However, Matchroom promoter Hearn released a statement confirming that the fight would still take place.
He released a statement which read: “We have been made aware that a random anti-doping test for Conor Benn conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association returned an adverse analytical finding for trace amounts of a fertility drug.
“The B sample has yet to be tested, meaning that no rule violation has been confirmed.
“Indeed, Mr Benn has not been charged with any rule violation, he is not suspended, and he remains free to fight.
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“Mr. Benn has since passed a doping control test conducted by the UK Anti-Doping Agency, the anti-doping authority to which the British Board of Boxing Control has delegated its doping control testing for the bout.
“Mr Benn has passed all doping control tests conducted by UKAD.
“Both fighters have taken medical and legal advice, are aware of all relevant information, and wish to proceed with the bout this Saturday.”
Eubank Jr’s promoter Kalle Sauerland told TalkSPORT: “There has been a trace finding of a female fertility drug in a VADA test, which is seaware from the UKAD scheme.
“At the end of August and the start of September, when this test was done and it was relayed to us when the result came back.
“The board follows UKAD rules and the UKAD tests were negative.
“We took medical advice and although it is not a PED it can raise testosterone levels.
“We discussed this with Chris and he was happy to continue and he spoke to Benn directly. They had a personal discussion and it’s a personal matter for Benn.”
Sauerland added: “I can confirm we and Chris want the bout to happen.
Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn had two wars in the 1990sCredit: Getty

🥊Eubank Jr vs Benn: Ring walk time, live stream, TV channel and undercard info for London super-fight
“There was a trace finding, the key is the UKAD findings and medical advice. The medical advice is the be-all-and-end-all.
“The instant reaction is FIGHT OFF but then you look into what it is.
“You have to look at the scenario around it and the fact the other tests were not positive.”
However, the BBBoC took events out of their hands by banning the fight.
Eubank Jr, 32, was preparing to fight at a career-lowest weight, following stints at 160lb at middleweight and even 168lb.
Benn was also preparing to fight 10lb above any of his 21 prior wins in the ring.
WHAT IS CLOMIFENE?Clomifene is a banned substance which is known to increase testosterone levels in men.
It is usually prescribed to women to help with pregnancy if they are not ovulating properly.
The anti-oestrogen medication comes in pill form and is also known as Clomid and Clomiphene.
Studies have previously shown that when used in men, low doses can elevate serum testosterone levels.
It works by stimulating the body’s own production of testosterone and is known to provide similar results to injection or pellet testosterone therapy.
It can, and has, been misused by athletes in the past as it boosts performance and can counter the side effects of anabolic steroid use.
Taking clomifene boosts androgen levels indirectly – these are the male hormones that play a big role in muscle mass and strength.
What are the side effects?
Most medications can cause side effects with one in 10 people experiencing feeling flushed, sick and experiencing headaches.
Other symptoms include breast discomfort, weight gain and abdominal or pelvic pain.

Hearn has now launched an appeal against the decision, and said:
“Technically Conor is not suspended so he is clear to fight but the board won’t sanction it.
“They can’t suspend him because he has passed all his UKAD tests, they cannot suspend Conor Benn so he should be free to fight on Saturday.
“There will be no hearing as the board does not recognise VADA so can we reschedule for three or four weeks?
“We need to get in a room and be sensible and see what the situation is.”
He added: “ith all the controversy around the catchweight and the comments around it, I think it has influenced their decision.
“They will not suspend him so he should be able to fight. An injunction is something that could be done. 
“Our advice has been that we would be successful with one but it’s not something we want to do.
“We could go with another board or commission but I respect the BBBofC.
“We just need to know if Conor is clear to fight or not. and they don’t seem to know the answer.” More