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Mike CoppingerESPN
The British Boxing Board of Control announced on Wednesday that “allegations of misconduct” against welterweight contender Conor Benn were upheld at a Friday hearing.
Benn was slated to fight Chris Eubank Jr. earlier this month, but the event was scrapped after The BBBoC refused to sanction the 157-pound catchweight bout following Benn’s positive test for the performance-enhancing drug clomifene, a drug often used to boost testosterone levels.
According to The BBBoC, Benn voluntarily relinquished his boxing license on the morning of the hearing, which he was legally represented at.
Benn maintained his innocence ahead of the fight’s cancellation and tweeted, “I hope the apology is as loud as the disrespect.” Benn’s promoter, Matchroom Boxing, told ESPN on Wednesday that a statement is forthcoming from Benn.
The matchup between Benn and Eubank was set to revive one of the greatest rivalries in British boxing history. The fighters’ fathers, Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank, twice faced off in world title fights in the 90s.
“Clomid (the brand name for clomifene) is a fertility drug that will raise testosterone by 50%,” Victor Conte, the founder of BALCO, told ESPN. Conte served time in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute performance-enhancing drugs before founding SNAC, a sports nutrition company.
Clomifene is banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, and the doping test on Benn was carried out by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
Benn, a 26-year-old Londoner, is ESPN’s No. 8 boxer at 147 pounds. An explosive puncher, Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) is coming off a first-round TKO of Chris van Heerden in in April.