Whether or not Conor Benn knowingly took clomiphene, a hormone and metabolic modulator which can increase testosterone levels, is by now a secondary concern to the mind-boggling timeline of events that followed its discovery in his system.
BoxingScene understands that Benn, more than two years after failing two tests, is yet to explain to any drug enforcement body why clomiphene was discovered in his body on two separate dates, more than five weeks apart, in 2022. Perhaps more pertinently, he’s not been asked to and it’s increasingly likely he won’t be.
Last week, for the third time in two years, Benn announced that he is clear to fight again. The social media address came six months after he was placed under provisional suspension for the second time, nine months after he outpointed Peter Dobson in Las Vegas, 14 months after Rodolfo Orozco was decisioned in Orlando, 19 months after he was placed under provisional suspension for the first time, and 25 months after his London date with Chris Eubank Jnr was canned because Benn had failed two separate performance-enhancing drug tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
Prior to the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) ruling on November 6 it was “not comfortably satisfied” that United Kingdom Anti-Doping (UKAD) had proved that Benn committed an anti-doping violation, and the latest provisional suspension being lifted, the fighter’s name occupied lofty positions in the welterweight ratings of all four rankings bodies. The 28-year-old, however, has not fought at 147lbs since he pummelled Chris van Heerden 31 months ago; his victories over Dobson and Orozco occurred at junior middleweight.
One of those rankings bodies – the WBC – ‘cleared’ Benn in February 2023 when they deemed it plausible that excessive egg consumption might be why clomiphene appeared in his system even though Benn, barely weeks later, objected to that scenario in a statement, instead claiming contamination had occurred during the testing of his samples.
The first VADA test was carried out on July 25, 2022, as part of the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program (thus the only test that the WBC investigated) and prior to the Eubank Jnr fight being signed. The other, on September 1, came after that fight had been agreed for October 6. Benn subsequently passed at least one test conducted by UKAD.
On March 15, 2023, he was provisionally suspended by UKAD due to those two failed tests. That suspension was lifted by the NAPD in July 2023 after an appeal – which questioned the legality of UKAD making a ruling on tests conducted by VADA – and then readministered in May 2024 following a successful appeal by UKAD and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC) against that NAPD ruling.
BoxingScene understands that NADP’s most recent decision is the result of procedural concerns with the testing. Following the hearing, Benn stated in part on social media: “As a man of God I bear no ill will toward UKAD or the British Boxing Board of Control, we have a shared ambition of a clean sport and I look forward to reconciling with the Board and moving forward together.”
Though both UKAD and the BBBoC confirmed that Benn’s suspension had been lifted, neither have been quick to reciprocate the fighter’s goodwill. “UKAD will now carefully review the Panel’s accordance with its appeal rights under the UK Anti-Doping Rules,” a UKAD spokesperson said. They were given 21 days, from that November 6 ruling, to make an appeal.
The Board, who are now at the mercy of UKAD regarding their decision-making in this matter, stated in part: “The BBBoC refers to the statement published in response by UKAD… We are considering our position. All enquiries regarding this matter should be directed to UK Anti-Doping.”
One might therefore conclude that, after both parties pursued a satisfactory conclusion at significant cost, this is not the outcome that either party would deem as such. Should both UKAD and the BBBoC – after being privy to the finer details of Benn’s case – been convinced of his innocence, why would they have gone to such lengths to object to previous clearances? After all, it is in neither party’s interest that Benn, a highly marketable fighter, should remain inactive if no wrongdoing was committed.
Yet what shouldn’t be ignored in all of this is that Benn has now been cleared three times (whether he’s been cleared of any wrongdoing or been cleared to fight, two entirely different things, we’re yet to decipher); twice by the NAPD and once by the WBC, though the ruling of a rankings body is contextually inconsequential.
However, the two rulings of the NADP, particularly the most recent one, should demand further investigation. For that to occur, Benn would need to approve the disclosure of the case.
Accompanying the UKAD statement were the following notes: “In accordance with Article 8.5.2 of the UK Anti-Doping Rules, UKAD is unable to publicly disclose the decision of the independent National Anti-Doping Panel at this time without Mr Benn’s consent.”
Benn has vehemently claimed complete innocence throughout. The fact he passed at least one UKAD test during the period in question is rarely reported. Therefore, there remains the possibility that the testing process was at fault and the reason why a dark cloud has lingered over him for the last two years. And should that be true, only a deeper understanding of the case can prevent this from happening again.
Furthermore, thanks to Benn’s wealth, he was able to pay industry-leading lawyers to fight his case. Not many boxers can boast such financial resources. For the sake of all boxers, and a desire for a clean and fair sport, one hopes that the precise reasoning for Benn being cleared is made a matter of public record. Should the testing process be at fault, this is a far wider issue than mere boxing.
The greater concern, as always, is how certain influential figures within the sport conducted themselves, without fear of reprimand, throughout this sorry saga. As recently as October, three weeks before the suspension was again removed, Benn was invited into a Saudi Arabian ring to reignite interest in a fight against Eubank Jnr. It is not known if any other sport would parade an athlete who was under suspension for failing drug tests as a marquee attraction.
Matt Christie, a lifelong fight fan, has worked in boxing for more than 20 years. He left Boxing News in 2024 after 14 years, nine of which were spent as Editor-in-Chief. Before that, he was the producer of weekly boxing show, KOTV. Now the co-host of The Opening Bell podcast and regularly used by Sky Sports in the UK as a pundit, Matt was named as the Specialist Correspondent of the Year at the prestigious Sports Journalism Awards in 2021, which was the seventh SJA Award he accepted during his stint in the hot seat at Boxing News. The following year he was inducted into the British Boxing Hall of Fame, he’s a member of the BWAA and has been honored several times in their annual writing awards.
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