UKAD Won’t Appeal; Benn ‘Cleared’ To Fight

November 29, 2024

2 days

UKAD Won’t Appeal; Benn 'Cleared' to Fight

UKAD has chosen not to appeal the removal of Conor Benn’s suspension, meaning he is cleared to fight.

The National Anti-Doping Agency lifted Benn’s suspension recently after he had tested positive for Clomiphene following VADA tests. It prevented the Chris Eubank Jr. fight from happening. UKAD suspended Benn as he engaged in a legal case lasting at least two years. UKAD suspended him, but only for the National Anti-Doping Agency to reverse that.

This meant Benn could only box outside the UK as he did not have a British Boxing Board of Control license. He faced off against Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson, beating them via unanimous decision wins in the US. But UKAD suspended him again, only for the National Anti-Doping Agency to remove it. UKAD had the right to appeal, having 21 days from the decision.

“As someone who is so passionate about boxing and an advocate for clean sport, I hope now I have been cleared it can be understood why I have maintained my innocence so strongly throughout. As a man of God I bear no ill will toward UKAD or the British Boxing Board of Control, we have a shared ambition of a clean sport and I look forward to reconciling with the Board and moving forward together,” Conor Benn

UKAD’s Response

“The Panel concluded that it was ‘not comfortably satisfied’ that UKAD had proved that Mr Benn had committed an Anti-Doping Rule Violation for the use of Clomiphene. The provisional suspension previously in place has been lifted and the charge against him has been consequently dismissed,” UKAD spokesperson

Now, UKAD has confirmed it will not do so. This means Benn can fight unless WADA appeals.

Nevertheless, there are a few things which still need resolving. Benn’s next opponent needs picking. He has been linked consistently with the Eubank Jr. fight. The first fight was scheduled at 157 pounds, which would have required Eubank Jr. to make his lowest-ever weight. His father, Chris Eubank Sr., was very outspoken against that fight from going ahead, saying it was not safe for Eubank to come down to that weight. Eubank Jr. will likely have more leverage in negotiations, meaning he may push for a fight at 160 pounds. That does place Benn at a huge disadvantage since he would be jumping up two weight classes from 147.

While it would secure him his biggest payday, there is a danger that he is biting off more than he can chew. He has also been linked with a fight against the WBC Welterweight Champion Mario Barrios. Barrios is coming off a draw against Abel Ramos in his last fight on the Jake Paul vs. Mike Tyson card. Barrios may have an incentive to run that back to get a win. There is also an argument that Benn has not done enough to justify a world title shot, especially after his return from a suspension. The perception on social media also shows he has a long way to go to win back his fanbase.