United Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAD) has officially confirmed that undefeated welterweight, Conor Benn, has formally charged with anti-doping violations following two failed VADA-administered anti-doping tests for the substance Clomifene before his pay-per-view scheduled encounter with Chris Eubank Jr, which was set to take place on October 8th at the 02 Arena, London. Ultimately the contest failed to take place due to the revelation of Benn’s failed tests being leaked by the Daily Mail and was eventually postponed by promoters Matchroom Boxing and Wasserman Boxing after the British Boxing Board of Control refused to sanction the contest due to Benn’s anti-doping issues. Benn was recently returned to the WBC welterweight rankings earlier this month despite the ongoing saga between himself & UKAD alongside the BBBofC.
Comments were made by Benn on April 18th following Boxing News’s editor, Matt Christie, reporting that Benn had been provisionally suspended by UKAD, which according to the anti-doping body, has left them with no choice but to confirm that Benn had been suspended on March 15th. The statement also confirms that he cannot compete in any world anti-doping code-compliant sport, not just professional boxing.
The statement published by UKAD reveals that Benn had been provisionally charged on March 15th and that on April 3rd, Benn was officially charged with an Article 2.2 violation for the alleged Use of a Prohibited Substance. The charges have now prohibited Benn from “participating in any capacity (or assisting another Athlete in any capacity) in a Competition, Event or activity organised, convened, authorised or recognised by the British Boxing Board of Control or any other World Anti-Doping Code-compliant sport.”
“Following a public consultation in late 2020, and having considered the results of that consultation, UKAD’s Board decided in February 2021 that UKAD will not routinely publicly disclose the fact that an Athlete has been charged or provisionally suspended before a charge has been resolved. However, it was also recognised that there might be limited and rare examples where it is appropriate to do so in ‘exceptional circumstances’, as set out in UKAD’s Policy on Public disclosure of provisional suspensions and charges available here.
Benn has responded to the public notification of his suspension in a combatant fashion, insisting that no one or governing body has sanctioned him and that he is not banned from boxing.
“Another day, another attempt to create a headline with my name…
“I am involved in a confidential procedure and I have respected my confidentiality obligations. Yet each day brings a new leak and a misrepresentation of what’s actually happening.
“There is no news. Being “charged” is a start of a process by which an athlete has to defend themselves.
“I have not been sanctioned by anyone & I’m not banned from boxing. I remain free to fight in events that are not sanctioned by the BBBoC. I don’t even have a BBBoC licence.”
The British Boxing Board of Control have previously stated that they will prohibit Benn from pursuing opportunities to resume his career in a foreign governing body, despite Benn relinquishing his boxers licence following the development of his anti-doping issues.
The BBBofC released a brief statement stating “The BBBoC relies upon UKAD to ensure that professional boxers comply with the UKAD Rules (as incorporated into the BBBoC’s Rules and Regulations) and awaits the outcome of the UKAD process in due course.”