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The investigation into Conor Benn’s two failed drugs tests has been delayed due to a lack of cooperation from the boxer’s team. The WBC rankings body and a separate probe led by UK Anti-Doping and the British Boxing Board of Control are looking into the positive tests that resulted in the cancellation of Benn's October fight with Chris Eubank Jnr.
Benn’s side submitted a 270-page dossier to the WBC inquiry, but they have not fully cooperated with the more meaningful UKAD and Board of Control investigation that will determine if Benn faces a doping ban. The Board of Control reportedly requested the dossier from Benn's team, but it has not been shared with their investigation.
Benn has repeatedly protested his innocence over two failed tests for the female fertility drug clomifene. The positives were found in samples collected by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association on July 25 and September 1 and have not yet been explained by the 26-year-old. Benn has indicated that contamination could be the cause, with his team believed to be exploring the links between the substance and heavy consumption of chicken eggs.
Despite the lack of cooperation, Benn is set for an imminent return to the WBC rankings after receiving a favourable verdict in a conference call last week. Benn's legal effort is being spearheaded by Mike Morgan, the lawyer who famously got cyclist Chris Froome off a potential two-year ban.
In a social media post last month, Benn said: “Been through hell and back. Thank God for science. The evidence doesn’t lie. No holes in the truth.” He wrote in a further tweet last week: “I’ve never taken a PED in my life and never would...there is a reason the WBC haven’t banned me, keep that energy when it’s all said and done and I’m proven innocent.”
Benn has not yet been charged by any body and is free to continue fighting. The outcome of the investigations will determine the future of his boxing career.