The WBC have officially confirmed that Conor Benn will be reinstated into their rankings after “no conclusive evidence” was found that he intentionally consumed the banned substance clomiphene.
Benn submitted a 270-page document outlining his defence to the sanctioning body in December.
The WBC also say “there were no failures in the procedures relating to sample collection, sample analysis, or violations of Mr Benn’s B sample rights that would justify questioning or invalidating the Adverse Finding.”
Benn’s consumption of eggs “during times relevant to the sample collection”, which the WBC describe as being “documented and highly-elevated”, was accepted as a reason for the adverse finding taken in a July 25th VADA test.
The July test was conducted under the WBC’s Clean Boxing Programme which requires fighters to sign up for around-the-clock testing in order to be ranked by the organisation.
The WBC say their nutrition team will “work with Mr Benn’s team to design a nutrition program geared to avoid the risk of a future adverse finding.”
Benn will also be tested regularly to “monitor the effect” of the program.
Consumption of eggs:
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) conducted a study in 2020 which founds eggs to be a source of minute amounts of clomiphene.
Benn had highlighted consumption of a large number of eggs, said to be around ’30-40 times a week’, as a possible reason for the adverse findings.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs however denied that the drug is permitted for use in the UK food chain when asked by Matt Lawton of The Times last year.
It is however possible the eggs consumed by the 26-year-old were imported from abroad.
Around 1.8 million tonnes were imported into the UK as per data from May last year.
UKAD/BBBofC Investigation:
The WBC’s investigation relates only to the first test conducted on July 25th, and not the second adverse finding which arose from a test taken on September 1st.
The second test was communicated to Benn and his team on September 23rd, along with the team of Chris Eubank Jr [who by this point Benn had signed to fight on October 8th] and the British Boxing Board of Control, who were sanctioning the fight.
The fight was not cancelled until Friday 7th October, two days after the BBBofC released a statement saying they would not sanction the bout with Eubank Jr as it would be “against the interests of boxing.”
UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) and the BBBofC are conducting their own separate investigation into the adverse findings.
The conclusion of the investigation could see Benn banned from fighting on British shores for up to four years.
General Secretary of the Board Robert Smith says Benn is yet to submit the same 270-page document to the Board, despite it having been communicated to the WBC over two months ago.
Smith recently told talkSPORT that Benn will not fight in Britain until the situation is resolved.
Featured image: Courtesy of Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing.
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