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Nick Parkinson
Conor Benn will still fight Chris Eubank Jr. on Saturday according to his promoter, Matchroom, despite confirmation on Wednesday that Benn has failed a random drug test for the banned substance clomifene.
Clomifene, a women’s fertility drug, can reportedly increase production of testosterone if taken on a daily basis by men.
But since Benn has yet to be banned by authorities, Matchroom says the fight at the O2 Arena in London will still go ahead on Saturday.
“The B sample has yet to be tested, meaning that no rule violation has been confirmed,” Matchroom said in a statement Wednesday.
“Indeed, Mr. Benn has not been charged with any rule violation, he is not suspended, and he remains free to fight.
“Mr. Benn has since passed a doping control test conducted by the UK Anti-Doping Agency, the anti-doping authority to which the British Board of Boxing Control has delegated its doping control testing for the bout. Mr. Benn has passed all doping control tests conducted by UKAD.
— Eddie Hearn (@EddieHearn) October 5, 2022
“Both fighters have taken medical and legal advice, are aware of all relevant information, and wish to proceed with the bout this Saturday.”
Clomifene is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and the doping test on Benn was carried out by Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), an organisation that offers anti-doping practices and programmes in boxing and mixed martial arts.
Benn’s fight vs. Eubank — an extension of their fathers’ 1990s rivalry — is expected to be one of the biggest boxing events in the United Kingdom this year, for a reported £3.5 million purse.
Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank twice met for world titles in 1990 and 1993, two of the biggest fights of the decade in British boxing.
The fight between their sons is set for a 157-pound limit, 10 pounds above the welterweight limit that Benn, 26, operates at. Eubank, 33, has to come down three pounds from middleweight.