Promoter Eddie Hearn is not planning to cancel Saturday’s BBBofC-prohibited Eubank-Benn clash without a fight.
“It’s with the lawyers, going backwards and forwards right now,” said Hearn during a public workout today in London. “Both guys signed up to a multitude of testing for this fight. The UKAD testing, which is obviously the testing agency the British Boxing Board of Control use and are governed by, have all been clear and negative and there was an adverse finding on a VADA test previously. So there’s not been an official doping violation. There’s a process that has to be gone through.
“Conor Benn is not suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control. Ultimately, he can’t be because he’s passed all the tests from UKAD. But clearly, the British Boxing Board of Control will take a position on it and we’ll deal with the lawyers.
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“There is currently no reason in terms of suspension or violations that the fight should not take place. You remember a situation with Billy Joe Saunders, where he actually tested positive with VADA before the Andrade fight and the Board did not suspend him because they don’t recognize VADA, but Massachusetts did. So there’s a complicated process to go through.
“Eubank-Benn is the fight, ultimately if that fight doesn’t take place nor will the show. But we have to see where we go from here because if the board aren’t suspending Conor Benn and they won’t suspend Conor Benn – they don’t have the right to under their jurisdiction with the tests he’s been passing with UKAD – then if they’re not allowing the fight when do they allow the fight?
“Are we saying there’s a delay while you want to have a hearing and we postpone the fight for two weeks, three weeks, four weeks? You’re not going to suspend Conor Benn, so at some point the fight is going to take place!”
Let’s GO Eddie!!!!!! Make it happen!!!
Why bother with drug testing if you’re not going to do anything about it? If Benn got busted, he should be suspended.
Excellent point! Hearn more concerned over making a dollar than enforcing rules.
YA KNOW SCOOB IT’S ALWAYS BEEN ABOUT THE MONEY… NOTHING NEW HERE… THIS HEARN IS NO BETTER THEN ANY OTHER PROMOTER… HE’S FULL OF SHIT JUST ALL THE OTHER ONES…. YOU CAN TAKE ABRAMS OR KING AND IT ALL REMAINS THE SAME… BEEN THAT WAY FOR 60 YEARS… WHY WOULD ANYTHING CHANGE ALL OF A SUDDEN????
Pretty much sums it up. Someone asked VADA to test for some reason. One could assume Eddie backed this requirement.
But that said, if the suspension can only be issued by an organization that agreed to base suspensions on another PED testing organization then they have no authority to make a suspension.
Benn just said he spoke to Eubank and they’re both expecting the fight to go ahead. Benn is working out on YT right now.
Bullishhhhhhhhhhhhht, mate!
I read that Benn ate meat from a female Mexican cow that was on a program of fertility treatment.
Best Line of the Entire Year!!!!! Hilarious……!!
So he had dinner with Canelo
So this fight is prohibited, but Hearn is planning to go through with it anyway. In the event that one of the fighters gets seriously injured, and you have a guy in the ring who failed a drug test, seems like this is a little risky for Hearn. Not clear if there’d be any liability for Hearn or anybody else though because of the conflicting UKAD/VADA tests. Can’t believe there’s a gray area here. Seems they would have considered the possibility of this happening in advance and the following steps to be taken would have been clear to all parties involved.
Curious what the difference is between the UKAD & VADA tests?
That’s the same thing I was wondering USF. They go through with this fight and it doesn’t go Eubank’s way, he may have lawsuits for quite a few different people. That’s why I think that the BBBC was so quick to “prohibit” it.
I watched most of the media workout, they talked to both fighters and the hosts mentioned that Eubank might use the positive test as a way to remove either the way limit at 157 or the rehydration clause. I think he has a good case in either one if they do end up fighting.
Any chance this ends up a No Contest?
1. Hearn making the argument that his other fighter failed a drug test and the fight went on is a bad argument.
2. Most times when you find trace amounts of drugs its because they were used, masked and have already done what the fighter / trainer wanted. Sometimes the masking agent works in hiding it for 99% of its span in your system and a few fighters get caught in that unmasked window.
3. Benn is always wound up like he is ready to explode! That could be natural energy or enhanced energy. Any of us gym rats have seen this first hand.
4. Chris 100% wants this fight now because its a no lose fight. If Chris wipes the floor with him he can say he knew this was an easy fight all along. If Benn wins its because he cheated.
5. I could see Chris coming in heavy now saying I let you get away with cheating, dont worry about my weight.
maybe cause no one cares to see it? you thought about t that Eddie?
I told you stay away from Mexican meat. What is it about Hearn fighters and testing? Hearn only wants test results enforced if it’s not his fighters. Must be nice to test positive by VADA and then say we don’t recognize VADA so the positive test doesn’t count? We need a governing board ie commissioner boxing only sport without a league office. Didn’t a young man die last week? Boxing is dangerous enough without the Mexican meat wink wink.
Lets not be stereotypical here. Its not all Mexican meat thats bad. Its just the Mexican Beef.
Why bother drug testing if there are no consequences right?!! Otherwise it’s just window dressing for the sport/fans!! Eddie Hearn is no different than the rest of these promoters!
When was Hearn different from “the rest of these promoters”? Hearn is a promoter – full stop.
Make it happen Eddie!
VADA is the gold standard in drug testing. The UKAD is a joke. In the UK a fighter can basically take what ever he wants as long as it doesn’t show up 24 hours before the fight. This reminds me of another drug cheat BJS.
Thanks for the insight. Also,
When were the UKAD tests done? I thought I heard that VADA was sampled in August.
Did the UKAD tests miss it because it cleared his system or because the tests are less sensitive?
If it cleared his system, is the performance enhancing benefit gone?
The argument that the BBBoC should not have scuttled the fight because it doesn’t administer VADA is a silly argument, much like those who complained that Zidane should not have been shown the red card in the 2006 final because the referee saw the head butt on the replay board, not live, and there was no rule allowing VAR at the time.
Fight shouldn’t happen, he could be totally innocent, but he’s been found to have a drug in his body that boosts testosterone… He’s also got a body that’s grown a lot of muscle, very very quickly, I mean it could be purely coincidental….. But what are the odds?
Eddie should be punch by a guy on PED.