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Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr WILL meet at today’s press conference with insiders adamant that Saturday night’s big fight IS STILL ON…even if the BBBC refuses to approve the fight
- British rivals Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr will still fight this weekend
- The pair will come face to face at Thursday afternoon’s press conference
- That’s despite Benn failing a VADA drug test in the run-up to the match
- It’s also despite the British Boxing Board of Control banning the fight
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Conor Benn and Chris Eubank Jr will meet at today’s press conference, with both sides still planning to fight this weekend.
Sources have told Sportsmail that despite the British Boxing Board of Control banning the fight, the fight is still in full swing at this stage.
Sportsmail broke news Wednesday morning that Benn had failed a VADA drug test, testing positive for the banned substance clomiphene, primarily intended to aid women in fertility but also known to provide steroid boosts for muscle development and rapid recovery from exercise. , among other benefits.
Conor Benn (right) and Chris Eubank Jr (left) will continue their press conference on Thursday
Benn has tested positive for banned substance clomiphene in the run-up to mega fight
However, promoters Eddie Hearn and Kalle Sauerland have yet to formally cancel the fight, with the former insisting the matter be discussed among lawyers for both sides.
Both Benn and Eubank Jr – who showed up at public training on Wednesday after the bomb unveiling – still want the fight to take place.
And Thursday afternoon, they will once again be in the public eye as their press conference continues.
The decision to go ahead with the fight, at this stage, has been massively scrutinized, especially as Sportsmail understands that a notice of the negative finding has already been given to all parties on September 23.
Crucially, while Benn has protested his innocence, Hearn has insisted that, at this stage, “there is no reason, in terms of suspension or violations, the fight should not take place.”
That’s because, although Benn has failed a VADA test – the A sample so far – the British Boxing Board of Control is governed by the UK Anti-Doping Agency, which is typically contracted by the boxers and promoters for a fee of five digits before a fight.
The 26-year-old has passed all of UKAD’s doping control tests, including one taken after the negative finding, according to Hearn.
Speaking at Wednesday’s public practice session, Benn said, “I wanted to say this in person. You have read what the Daily Mail has published about me today and I want you to hear it from me personally rather than read it in a statement from me and my team.
Benn has maintained that he has committed no wrongdoing and therefore says the fight must go on
‘The Destroyer’ spoke during Wednesday’s public training, which went ahead despite the circumstances
Sportsmail’s Riath Al-Samarrai broke Benn’s exclusive drug positive test this morning
“I have not committed any fouls, I have not been suspended, so as far as I am concerned the fight is still going on.
“I’ve spoken to Chris personally and we both want the fight to go on. We have both taken medical and legal advice and we both want the fight to take place in front of the fans.”
The fight is not only a legacy, but also has a huge financial incentive, with tens of millions of pounds that could be lost if the fight doesn’t go through. Both Eubank Jr and Benn had six-figure wallets.
Now, however, Benn’s reputation is also at stake, which according to ‘The Destroyer’ must remain intact.
He continued: ‘I’ve signed up for every voluntary anti-doping test out there, throughout my career all my UK tests have come up negative. I’ve never had any problems. Even leading up to this fight, my tests have come back negative.
“So my team will find out why there was a first negative finding in my test, but as far as I’m concerned the fight is still going on. I am a pure athlete and we will get to the bottom of this. I’ll see you all Saturday.’