Chris Eubank Jr’s fight with Conor Benn has been “prohibited” by the British Boxing Board of Control and is now in serious doubt as to whether it goes ahead this weekend.
The pair had been set to meet in a long-awaited fight, following in the footsteps of their fathers, Chris Eubank and Nigel Benn, who were bitter, feuding rivals back in the early 1990s.
A breaking development means the Eubank Jr vs Benn fight may not go ahead, and RadioTimes.com brings you all the latest details as to why the bout is in jeopardy.
Is Eubank Jr vs Benn cancelled?
On Wednesday 5th October, it was revealed that Conor Benn had returned an “adverse analytical finding for trace amounts of a fertility drug” in a random anti-doping test, according to Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn.
The full statement can be read in the tweet below, with Matchroom stating that “no rule violation has been confirmed” as the B sample has yet to be tested, and that Benn has since passed a doping control test conducted by the UK Anti-Doping Agency.
It completed its statement by stating its intention for the bout to proceed as planned.
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) October 5, 2022
However, a more recent counter statement from the British Board of Boxing Control appeared to call the match off.
BBofBC General Secretary Robert W Smith said in a statement: “On the evening of 4th October 2022, the Board of the British Boxing Board of Control Limited resolved that the contest between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn scheduled to take place on 8th October 2022 is prohibited as it is not in the interests of Boxing.
“That was communicated to the Boxers and Promoters involved on the morning of 5th October 2022.”
That appeared to end the matter, though Eubank Jr’s promoter Kalle Sauerland has reignited speculation that the fight could still go ahead.
Sauerland told talkSPORT that Eubank Jr and Benn had been in direct contact with one another and that following the conversation – and medical advice – his client, Eubank Jr, is still happy to fight.
At the public workout on Wednesday afternoon, Benn responded: “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 to go ahead.
“I’ve signed up to every voluntary anti-doping testing there is. I’ve never had any issues before. So my team will find out why there’s been an initial adverse finding in my test. I’m a clean athlete and we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
Hearn has also told BBC Sport: “As we stand right now, the British Boxing Board of Control is not sanctioning the fight.
“That does not mean the fight is off, but there is a process we have to go through.
“Conor Benn is not suspended, he is free and clear to fight. There’s lots going on with the lawyers.”
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