By Sam Volz: Conor Benn has reportedly been removed from the WBC 147-lb rankings after his two positive tests for the banned PED clomifene while the WBC investigates the case, says WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn believes there will be a hearing soon for the 26-year-old Benn (21-0, 14 KOs) and the BBBofC.
Hearn still thinks the two tests are a contamination issue despite the tests coming months apart. We’ll see if the British Boxing Board of Control buys that excuse.
You can’t rule out Benn being cleared. If the experts can prove that it was a case of contamination during both tests, Benn will be cleared and his career will resume as it was before.
Hearn maintains Conor’s tests were contaminated
“Because he hasn’t even had a hearing yet,” said Eddie Hearn to the media when asked why he feels Conor Benn shouldn’t be banned. “It doesn’t matter [that Benn tested positive].
“When you get accused of something, you have to have a hearing. You can’t automatically ban someone without a hearing, especially when you’ve got the evidence that we have. It would be outrageous to do that.
“I go back to Dillian Whyte. If we didn’t have a hearing, you guys would have slated him. You guys would have never forgiven him, and he had a hearing, and he was completely cleared. No one ever apologized, by the way. So let Conor Benn have his hearing.
“He was never asked to enroll in the clean boxing program. It’s really the responsibility of the manager to enroll. Conor Benn knew nothing about it, and as soon as that came out, he enrolled the next day.
“What I said was that if you look at the levels in the test, and in terms of the testing around that, scientifically, there’s every chance that this is a contamination issue. It is impossible, based on the substance, based on how long things stay in your system, for him to be on a cycle or using this to the extreme.
“When you’re talking to experts, and there are going to be a lot more bodies coming out to support Conor Benn in due course because they’ve been looking at this as well. These are the levels, and these are the issues you’re looking at when the tests are so close together,” said Hearn.