Conor Benn vs Chris Eubank Jr in doubt as BBBofC ‘prohibits’ fight after ‘adverse’ drug finding

The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) has said it has ‘prohibited’ Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn from taking place, after the latter returned an ‘adverse’ drug test result.

On Wednesday (5 October), a joint-statement from promoters Matchroom and Wasserman declared that Benn had returned a result with “trace amounts of a fertility drug”, which was later confirmed to be clomifene.

The statement added, however, that the 26-year-old and Eubank, 33, both “[wished] to proceed” with Saturday’s (8 October) planned main event at London’s O2 Arena.

The BBBofC has since released its own statement, saying: “On the evening of 4 October 2022, the [BBBofC] resolved that the contest between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn scheduled to take place on 8 October 2022 is prohibited as it is not in the interests of boxing.

“That was commmunicated to the boxers and promoters involved, on the morning of 5 October 2022.”

Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, who promotes Benn, said at Wednesday’s open workouts: “We've just seen the board’s statement, it’s with the lawyers going backwards and forward.

“The Ukad (UK Anti-Doping) testing agency, which the board use, have all been clear and negative, [but] there was an adverse finding on Vada (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) before.

“Conor Benn is not suspended; he can’t be, he’s passed all the tests from Ukad. Clearly the board will take a position on it. Both camps are prepared to progress with the fight.

“You’ll see [Benn] here [at the open workouts]. It’s a very difficult situation. We’ve seen people make their mind up before news and evidence comes out. He’ll go through the process.

“It’s a difficult time for everybody, we’ll see what happens. From Eubank and Benn’s side, they feel the fight should progress. There’s no reason, in terms of suspension or violations, why the fight should not take place.

“There’s a complicated process to go through, if the board aren’t suspending Benn – [which] they won’t, they don’t have the right to do so. If they’re not allowing the fight, when do they allow the fight? We postpone the fight for three, four weeks? At some point it will take place.”