British Board Upholds Ban On Conor Benn

The British Boxing Board of Control announced on Wednesday that welterweight Conor Benn has given up his boxing license and that the panel has upheld misconduct allegations against him related to his failed drug test.

Benn (21-14 KOs), 26, was scheduled for a heavily-hyped 157-pound catch weight showdown with Chris Eubank Jr. (32-3, 23 KOs), 33, in a rekindling of the legendary 1990s rivalry between their fathers, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr. on Oct. 8 at the sold-out O2 in London.

However, under intense public pressure, the fight was called off four days beforehand after it was revealed by England’s Daily Mail that Benn had tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug Clomiphene – a drug used to treat infertility in women but one that produces increased testosterone in men — in a urine test conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association on Sept. 1 with the results being returned on Sept. 23.

After the test results became public, the BBBofC announced the fight had been “prohibited as it is not in the interests of boxing” and while promoters Matchroom Boxing and Wasserman Boxing looked into seeking an injunction to allow the fight, they ultimately canceled it.

The BBBofC announced it would open an investigation into the situation and made the result public on Wednesday.

“Conor Benn was called by the Board of the BBBofC to attend a hearing to deal with allegations of misconduct pursuant to Rule 25.1.1. The hearing took place on Oct. 21, 2022,” the BBBofC said in a statement. “On the morning of the hearing, Mr. Benn voluntarily relinquished his license with the BBBofC.

“In accordance with its Rules and Regulations, the Board determined the allegations following the hearing at which Mr. Benn was legally represented. The allegations of misconduct against Mr. Benn were upheld.”

Team Benn addressed the situation in a statement posted to the boxer’s Twitter account on Wednesday,

pic.twitter.com/XKlfKSbsZt

— Conor Nigel Benn (@ConorNigel) October 26, 2022

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“Conor’s focus at this time is solely on clearing his name,” the statement said. “The Board, however, has made it extremely difficult for Conor to focus on doing that by its conduct of an unfair and biased procedure. In such circumstances, Conor decided not to renew his license (which had lapsed). Conor told the Board that if it did not accept that his license had lapsed, then he renounces it.

“He strongly refutes the allegation of misconduct (which for the avoidance of doubt is not in relation to the VADA issue) and firmly believes that an independent tribunal will reach a wholly different conclusion. At the appropriate time Conor will speak out on this and on the doping allegation, to the extent that he can whilst legal proceedings are ongoing. In the meantime, he reiterates, in no uncertain terms, that he is a clean athlete.”