Chris Eubank Jr. vs. Conor Benn officially canceled

Saturday's fight between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn is now officially off.

The event erupted into chaos on Wednesday, when the Daily Mail revealed that Benn had tested positive for the banned substance clomifene in a random drug test conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). Later reports revealed that both teams had known about the positive test for a couple of weeks.

Once the British Boxing Board of Control received news of the violation, they issued an official statement prohibiting the fight from taking place.

A Matchroom statement read: "After discussions with various parties, we have taken the decision to formally postpone the bout between Chris Eubank Jr. and Conor Benn. It is undeniable that the British Boxing Board of Control's decision to withdraw their sanctioning was procedurally flawed and without due process.

"That remains a legal issue between the promoters and the Board which we intend to pursue.

"However, whilst there are legal routes to facilitate the fight taking place as planned, we do not believe that it is in the fighters' interests for those to be pursued at such a late stage, or in the wider interests of the sport.

"As promoters, we take our obligations and duties very seriously, and a full investigation will now need to take place. We will be making no further comment at this time and news for ticket holder refunds will follow."

Benn's A-sample tested positive for clomifene, a drug often used to boost testosterone levels in men, it was revealed on Wednesday. The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) said it would not sanction the bout because it was "not in the interests of boxing."

Co-promoters Matchroom Boxing and Wasserman Boxing were determined to keep the fight alive and sought alternative measures on Wednesday to get the 157-pound catchweight bout sanctioned, but their efforts fell short of the mark.

Share this story

must see