Conor Benn’s ranking reinstated as drug testing issue resolved

[Master]

Simon Jordan has given a furious reaction to the latest developments from Eddie Hearn and Conor Benn.

The talkSPORT host attended Anthony Joshua’s win over Jermaine Franklin at the O2 Arena on Saturday night, where the controversial welterweight contender made headlines once again.

Benn, who is refusing to co-operate with the BBBofC (British Boxing Board of Control) and UKAD (UK Anti-Doping) investigation into his positive drugs tests, was ringside for AJ’s win.

During the undercard, he refused an interview from Gareth A Davies by slapping his talkSPORT microphone away.

Jordan described Benn as a ‘raging, snarling ball of Fury’, but said on talkBOXING: “What enraged me, and it did enrage me, wasn’t the fact that Conor did that.

“Because Conor’s got this frame of mind. And to some extent I can understand why he’s got this frame of mind.

“If he feels the world’s against him, he’s gonna be angry…

“What is outrageous and preposterous is the position of his promoter.

“And I don’t want to make this an Eddie Hearn rant again because it gives him far too much credence, but there has to be something said about this.

“Because nobody has hammered Conor Benn. Everybody has sat here and suggested that they want an outcome for this boy, they want this kid to clear his name.

“And so for the promoter that should’ve had the commercial and moral responsibility to have guided this kid the right way then to have the audacity to stand in front of the media and say you’re going to take him somewhere else and fight him around the world rather than get him to meet his responsibilities – it’s a f***ing disgrace.

“It’s a disgrace. And for Eddie and his little gang to have the ability to position themselves as Conor Benn’s saviour, when they are the absolute polar opposite.

“This kid’s got himself in s*** and what he needed was proper grown-up, sophisticated, caring advice that looked at the long-term position for this boy and what was right for him.

“They didn’t, they looked after themselves, they ran for cover, they’ve dropped him in the s***, they’ve given him bad advice.

“And for Conor to be raging at people who have just simply said, ‘You’ve got to answer it,’ and then it to be fuelled and stoked and misrepresented by those around him is an absolute disgrace.”

https://talksport.com/sport/boxing/1...rn-conor-benn/

[Master]

Benn – son of British boxing icon Nigel – apologised for his reaction to the episode.

“I was a little bit bitter towards the public, I was a little bit bitter towards the boxing community,” Benn said. “I was angry. I’m emotional – I can’t help it, people know I’m emotional. It’s just the way I am.

“I’m an emotional guy, I wear my heart on my sleeve, and I say what I feel like I want to say. Maybe it wasn’t the right thing, maybe the way I dealt with it wasn’t right; I know it wasn’t right.

“I apologise to the public. They deserved more from me, but in my head I’m bitter and angry, because I’m seeing this every day: ‘He’s guilty, he’s guilty, that’s it, he’s done it.’

“I responded with a cold shoulder, and I never should’ve responded like that, but how do you tell a 26-year-old how to respond? [...] It was a hard period, I didn’t deal with it great, but I apologise. I do regret the way I felt – the bitterness and the anger.”

At the time of his failed drug tests, Benn was accused by some of trying to ‘harm’ Eubank Jr, but the 26-year-old told Seconds Out: “I would rather lose a fight than seriously hurt someone, because I don’t think I could live with that.

“I’d rather lose a fight than know I’ve put someone in a coma who’s got family, because I’ve seen the damage; I’ve seen it cause pain, I’ve seen it hurt people.”

Benn also said in recent months that he had no intention of fighting in the UK in the near future, but he retracted that suggestion on Thursday.

“I’d like to fight back home. Me saying in an interview, ‘I have no plans on returning to England immediately,’ I take that back. That’s my home. There’s a lot of supporters there, and I’m not turning my back on them.”

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...2c05a188&ei=86

[Master]

https://twitter.com/i/status/1659989260664025088

[imp]

5 year ban minimum.

[Master]

Conor Benn has been dropped from the WBC’s world rankings.

His reintroduction back into the WBC's ratings had been contentious as Benn still has not publicly resolved his position with the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) or had a British boxing licence reinstated after failing drug tests last year.

Benn had been provisionally suspended from fighting by UKAD after he twice tested positive for female fertility drug clomiphene ahead of a proposed fight against Chris Eubank Jr last year.

But the WBC have now removed him from their rankings due to the length of time he has gone without boxing, with no date yet set for a return to the ring.

WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told Sky Sports: "The WBC ratings committee decided to remove Conor Benn due to the 15-month inactivity which is part of the ratings criteria.

"It seems there is no scheduled fight at this moment but Conor may contact the WBC to explain his case and his ranking situation may be addressed as a rating appeal [in] its process."

Benn had been returned to the WBC's rankings after the sanctioning body concluded his "highly-elevated consumption of eggs" was a "reasonable explanation" for failing a test.

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/sport/boxi...1c57ce58&ei=17

[Master]

UK Anti-Doping and the British Boxing Board of Control have appealed against a decision to lift Conor Benn's suspension from boxing.

Benn, 26, failed two voluntary tests for female fertility drug clomifene before his cancelled October bout with Chris Eubank Jr.

UK Anti-Doping issued a suspension in March; the independent National Anti-Doping Panel lifted it after a hearing.

Benn reacted by saying he was "disappointed" to learn of the appeal.

"I'm disappointed at the news of an appeal being made, having already been cleared by both the WBC and National Anti-Doping Panel to continue my career without restriction," the boxer said.

"I am innocent. Nothing has changed and I remain confident in my position."

A UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) statement read: "UK Anti-Doping can today confirm that it has filed an appeal in respect of a decision handed down by the independent National Anti-Doping Panel regarding anti-doping proceedings brought by Ukad against Mr Conor Benn.

"As confirmed previously in Ukad's statement on 28 July 2023, Mr Benn is no longer subject to a provisional suspension."

The tests were conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada), which until this case had operated independent to the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).

The board employs Ukad to do its testing, but elite fighters such as Anthony Joshua hire Vada to add an extra layer of testing.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/boxing/66537167