Wheels of Justice Turn Slowly for Conor Benn Drug Suspension

Conor Benn thought he was out of the woods. Online boxing news shows that he initially had his provisional suspension overturned following a ruling by the National Anti-Doping Panel in July 2023. However, the British fighter wouldn’t get out of it yet.

The United Kingdom Anti-Doping and the British Boxing Board of Control appealed the NADP ruling. While it took nearly a year, Benn’s career was once again put on pause pending a further appeal. That leaves a lot in the air for Benn. 

There is a chance that Benn could face a lifetime ban. There will be a lot determined about the young fighter’s future over the next year. The question will be, where do the appeals end?

Benn’s team was defiant when he was first charged. Benn still has plenty of avenues for appeal. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) is one place that Benn could go. His team could also try to negotiate the length of his ban. This would depend on how the UKAD views the seriousness of his offense. 

Benn’s fight has continued to drag on and he is hoping to salvage what appeared to be a path that was pointing toward potential success.

Benn’s Career Has Already Taken Hit

Benn, 27, hasn’t been able to fight in England for a little over two years. His initial issues with drug testing came in 2022 when he failed two VADA tests for Clomiphene. Clomiphene is used as a masking agent to hide the use of performance-enhancing drugs. 

Those tests have cost Benn more than one opportunity. The initial failed test prevented him from fighting Chris Eubank after the BBBoC refused to sanction the fight. That sent Eddie Hearn scouring the globe for other opportunities.

An offer was made to Abdul Wahid, formerly known as Gervonta “Tank” Davis, but he didn’t want the fight. It was strictly because of the alleged drug issues, but he wasn’t enamored with Benn after an underwhelming performance.

Despite the drug testing cloud hanging over him, Benn has still been seeking out high profile fights in the United States or otherwise. There have been reports of talks about him taking on former multi-division boxer Manny Pacquaio.

Benn is Son of a Fighter

Benn isn’t a fighter who used boxing to get out of a poor life. He is the son of Nigel Benn, who is a former two-division world champion. Nigel Benn was renowned for his outstanding power. He ended up winning 83 percent of his fights by knockout.

Nigel Benn won the WBO middleweight title and the WBC super-middleweight championship. During his career, Nigel Benn stepped into the ring 48 times and came away with 42 victories. Nigel Benn’s success ended up providing a nice life for his family.

Two of Nigel’s sons, Harley and Conor, became professional fighters. But Nigel strove to keep his kids humble.

Despite living in a mansion on a Spanish island, Conor Benn said that his dad worked to make his kids financially self-reliant. Benn started out as a painter and decorator. He started training with one of his dad’s friends, Tony Sims. Benn showed some promise as a boxer and turned professional in 2016.

After turning pro, Benn picked up his first win with a TKO win over Ivailo Boyanov in 2 minutes and 7 seconds. He would quickly stack up victories, improving his record to 12-0 by 2018.

Becoming a Regional Champion

Benn’s technical skill and punching power drew the attention of some of the top competitors in Europe. Benn had an opportunity to fight for the WBA Continental (Europe) welterweight title. When Benn got on the big stage, he didn’t miss his opportunity.

Benn did enough to outpoint Cedrick Peynaud for the WBA crown. Over the next four years, Benn would successfully defend the belt eight consecutive times. But Benn’s championship run would soon be halted.

Failed Tests Change the Game

Initially, Benn and his team were defiant about the two failed tests. Benn’s people released a statement that said he hadn’t been charged with a rules violation and that he was still free to fight. However, Benn soon changed his tune.

He would end up voluntarily giving up his boxing license and spend a tremendous amount of time out of the ring. Benn took 525 days off before returning to fight in Orlando, Florida, against Rodolfo Orozco in September 2023.

Benn didn’t seem to have too much ring rust. He boxed effectively and was able to put up enough pace to win a unanimous decision. Benn followed up the win over Orozco by winning a fight in Nevada against Peter Dobson in February 2024.

Being banned from fighting in England would be a humiliating defeat for Benn. While he was reigning as a regional WBA champion, Benn won all nine of his title fights in England. 

Benn Still Has Respect in the Community

Benn may not be able to box for a little bit, but his career record has spoken for itself. He is No. 3 in the WBA welterweight rankings. Benn is ranked only behind Errol Spence Jr. and Shakhram Giyasov.

The WBC has him as the No. 2 contender behind Souleymane Cissokho. Benn is No. 12 in the WBO rankings. There is a great demand to see Benn fight.

There has been plenty of scorn across many sports about athletes who used PEDs. However, with MMA latest updates showing UFC changing its drug testing organization and the Ryan Garcia controversy, there seems to be a changing opinion on what fighters should be allowed to do.

Benn being banned for life would be a major disappointment. Anyone looking at boxing news sites will show that people would like to see Benn continue. He’s 23-0 and has yet to fight for a unified title on a world stage.

It would be fun to see if he could reach the same heights as his dad.

Find all the latest boxing news and MMA breaking updates on boxingnews.com.

By Dean McHugh.