>
Eddie Hearn says the British Boxing Board of Control leaked the results of Conor Benn’s failed drug test to the press before giving him a chance to clear his name.
Benn’s highly anticipated fight with Chris Eubank Jr was postponed after the first tested positive for traces of the fertility drug clomiphene, which boosts testosterone levels.
Hearn says the British Boxing Board of Control ‘satisfied with the results’ and ‘leaked them to the press’ before giving Benn a chance to hold a ‘hearing’ and clear his name as Dillian Whyte did in 2019 .
It was Sportsmail that broke the news that Benn had failed a drug test after traces of clomiphene were found in his system prior to his fight with Eubank Jr.
Hearn says people have “assumed Benn is guilty without any form of questioning” and blamed the British Boxing Board of Control.
Hearn said they experienced a similar situation with Whyte leading up to his points win against Oscar Rivas in 2019. However, Hearn praised UKAD for how they handled the situation.
He said UKAD conducted a confidential inquiry into Whyte’s results and gave the Body Snatcher the opportunity to clear its name as a hearing.
Hearn claims the British Boxing Board of Control denied Benn the same opportunity by leaking his results to the press.
Eddie Hearn has blamed British Boxing Board of Control for leaking Conor Benn results
Benn (R) failed a drug test ahead of the canceled clash against Chris Eubank Jr (L)
Speak with TalkSPORTHearn said, “First, nothing was kept quiet. This is a very important fact. People feel like this has been brushed under the rug.
“But the British Boxing Board of Control, our governing body and the regulators – who decide whether a fight will take place or not – knew all the information on all counts.
All information surrounding the test will be released by Conor Benn in due course. It’s very important to us. A few weeks before the battle, we were faced with a decision to receive this information from WADA.
“Please also understand that the UK Boxing Board of Control has their own regulatory testing board, UKAD. We pay for additional testing to keep the sport as safe as possible – that’s WADA.
Benn tested positive for banned substance clomiphene in the run-up to mega fight
WADA is not recognized by the UK Boxing Board of Control. One of the problems with this is that WADA is a hotline. WADA therefore reports to the athletes.
That was at the request of Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn. They said they would like additional testing for this competition.
“When we got the information, it came back to Matchroom, to Conor Benn, to Wasserman (Chris Eubank Jr’s promoter), to Chris Eubnak Jr and the British Boxing Board of Control.
‘So everyone was aware of the results at the same time. From there we had to make a decision. We spoke with Kalle Sauerland, Chris Eubank, Conor Benn and the British Boxing Board of Control.
“We said, look, we have a situation here. From that moment on, medical advice and specialist advice were extracted from those results.
Hearn says they discovered Benn’s test results at the same time Eubank Jr (pictured) did
Kalle Sauerland and Wasserman did their own research on that information and at that point Chris Eubank Jr had the right to end the fight.
However, it is ultimately up to the British Boxing Board of Control to approve the fight. Chris Eubank and Wasserman came back and said that based on the information we received during the test, we are happy to continue the fight.
“We had a similar situation with Dillian Whyte. He had a hearing before his fight. UKAD gave him permission to fight. He had a hearing and he was acquitted.
“Conor Benn never had a chance to be heard before the fight. They sat on it and leaked it to the press and moved on from there.”
Sportsmail has contacted the British Boxing Board of Control for comment.
Hearn has said Benn will release a statement confirming the ‘facts’ within 48 hours
Hearn went on to say that Benn would release a statement within the next ’48 hours’ revealing all ‘facts’.
He said: ‘Conor Benn has an ongoing lawsuit and we can’t say too much about it because it detracts from that. But I would say that in the next 48 hours you will see a full statement from Conor Benn on that lawsuit with his confirmation of all the facts.
“From our point of view, I have no problem talking about it and the process that unfolded leading to the final decision of the British Boxing Board of Control.
‘Conor Benn is found guilty immediately without any form of questioning, because that’s how it usually works in these kinds of situations.
“Sometimes that’s fair, but Benn has a big fight to save his career.”