Conor Benn: ‘More And More Athletes Will Test Positive For clomifene’

• Conor Benn says ‘more and more athletes will test positive for clomifene’.

Briton Conor Benn has said more fighters will test positive for clomifene, as he prepares to make his return to boxing this weekend.

Benn faces Rodolfo Orozco in Florida on Saturday in his first fight since the lifting of a provisional ban imposed when he tested positive for clomifene.

The 26-year-old, who has not fought since April 2022, said the fertility drug was consumed through food.

“There’s no holes in the truth. There’s nothing to hide,” said Benn.

Benn failed two Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) tests in the build-up to his fight with Chris Eubank Jr last October but insists he is innocent of intentionally doping.

Clomifene can be used to boost testosterone levels in men, and is banned inside and outside competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).

But Benn said strict liability, when a fighter is punished regardless of intent, should not be applied to it.

“How can that be strict liability if that’s in our food?” said Benn. “You can’t stop that.

“Look at the Wada website, because before people start saying poultry and eggs… the case study was done.”

Benn said he had “always been diligent” throughout his career.

“If you’re eating a banana and it says it’s a banana and it tastes like a banana… what else? How can that be strict liability?” he said.

“There should be more duty of care for athletes this does happen to, or has happened to, because how can everyone have the resources to fight this?”

‘More athletes will test positive for this’

Benn was provisionally suspended by UK Anti-Doping (Ukad) in March, but the National Anti-Doping Panel lifted the ban in July.

“More and more athletes will test positive for this,” he said.

“I hope I change the law on testing for clomifene. I still want to work with Ukad; we’re still going to work with Ukad.

“Hopefully everything I’ve been through changes how they test for clomifene.”

Benn said he had been tested “three or four” times before his fight with Germany’s Orozco, including a fast-tracked Vada test.

Promoter Eddie Hearn, who was with Benn on the media call, said there should be more education for fighters on “the dangers of contamination and adverse findings”.

“There needs to be a greater understanding from fighters on the educational side about what they put in their body, where they get their supplements from, what they have, where their protein shakes are mixed together in what gym.”

Prior to the Benn case, Vada had operated independently of the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC). The board employs Ukad to do its testing, but some elite fighters hire Vada to add an extra layer.

If Benn had failed a Ukad test, he would have faced strict liability, but the disciplinary path was unclear because of Vada’s involvement.

Hearn said there should be a “clear disciplinary procedure” after any adverse finding.

“We can do testing and we can see fighters produce adverse findings but we can’t be in charge of the disciplinary process,” he added.

Hearn targets Benn-Eubank in UK for December

The undefeated Benn will face Orozco on the undercard of Richardson Hitchins’ fight against Jose Zepeda in Orlando.

“We made a decision about a week to 10 days ago that he would fight on this card,” said Hearn.

“There was a lot of protocol that we had to go through. I know people have said that we went under the radar… not at all.

“This was never a case of jumping on a card late notice. This was a decision that was made by four different commissions to essentially prove and confirm he’s cleared to fight.”

Ukad and the BBBofC are appealing against the decision to lift Benn’s suspension, and he does not hold a boxing licence in the UK.

Hearn expects the BBBofC to grant one, and is keen to set up a fight with Eubank Jr in the UK in December.

“I don’t see how he can’t receive permission,” said Hearn. “Right now, he is clear to box everywhere in the world. There is no suspension on him, no penalty, no fine in any jurisdiction or any governing body.

“He can fight anywhere in the world and apply to fight in the UK as well… and that’s what we will be doing – speaking to the board straight after this fight.”

However, BBBofC chief Robert Smith said he does not think Benn should be boxing “until this matter is cleared”.

“Hopefully that’ll be done as soon as possible,” Smith told Talksport.

“We’ve decided to appeal a decision and once the appeal has taken place we’ll take it on board from there.

“He’s not licensed by the British Boxing Board of Control, there’s an appeal in process and until that is dealt with, obviously we can’t give him permission to box in this country for sure.”

Benn and Eubank Jr were scheduled to meet in October 2022, 30 years after their fathers – Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank Sr – fought.

“We want the Eubank fight,” said Hearn. “It’s the biggest fight in British boxing outside of Anthony Joshua-Tyson Fury and right up there with it.”