Conor Benn doping suspension finally lifted, but the saga may not be over yet
Conor Benn's provisional suspension has been lifted again by the UK's National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP), and the charges against the British boxer have been dropped, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) confirmed Wednesday.
Benn posted a statement Wednesday morning on social media announcing the news.
"I am thankful that after an incredibly challenging 2 years the National Anti-Doping Panel has today finally cleared me of any wrongdoing," Benn wrote.
#TeamBenn pic.twitter.com/mGvcPraQHi
— Conor Nigel Benn (@ConorNigel) November 6, 2024
UKAD stated Wednesday that Benn's charge was dismissed because the NADP were "'not comfortably satisfied' that UKAD had proved that Mr. Benn had committed an anti-doping rule violation for the use of clomifene."
Benn failed two drug tests for clomifene in 2022, which forced the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) to cancel his second-generation superfight with Chris Eubank Jr. He was provisionally suspended as a result of the failed tests, but the suspension was lifted in July 2023 due to a jurisdiction issue. The offending samples had been collected by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency, which is not a signatory to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), and therefore it was argued that the WADA-compliant UKAD could not rule on the samples.
UKAD and the BBBofC, however, successfully appealed this decision, and Benn was provisionally suspended again this past May, pending a full hearing. Benn managed to fight twice in the United States in the period between his initial suspension being lifted and UKAD winning the appeal. He scored dominant points decisions over Rodolfo Orozco and Peter Dobson.
Benn has now won his latest hearing, but the saga may not be over yet. UKAD has 21 days from the date of Wednesday's decision to file an appeal, a point that was reiterated in UKAD's statement confirming the decision.
For the time being, the British welterweight is free to explore his long-awaited all-British clash with Eubank Jr., or any other fight he wishes to pursue.
The sons of boxing legends Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr., Benn and Eubank Jr. faced off after Eubank Jr.'s win over Kamil Szeremeta in October, and Turki Alalshikh revealed intentions to make the fight on a Saudi Arabia-backed "Riyadh Season" show.
"He came into my changing room before the fight and said, 'This is all I care about. You and Benn, this is what we want,'" recalled Eubank Jr. to Uncrowned's "The Ariel Helwani Show."
Whether Benn will be licensed by the BBBofC if an appeal is launched has yet to be seen. The BBBofC refused to license Benn in 2023 even after Benn won his case before the NADP because it was appealing the matter. Should Wednesday's decision be appealed, Benn may still find himself unable to box in the UK or Saudi Arabia, where events are licensed under the BBBofC.
