BOXING took a hit on Saturday night when Conor Benn, who is currently not licensed to fight in the UK due to testing positive for a banned substance, fought in Florida. The fight took place on the undercard of the Richardson Hitchins vs. Jose Zepeda bout, which was promoted by Matchroom and streamed on DAZN. Benn’s drug tests have been a topic of discussion in Boxing News and other publications. His fight against Rodolfo Orozco was only announced three days before the event and started at 3:10am UK time, causing many of his fans to miss it. However, the focus of the night was not the fight itself, but promoter Eddie Hearn’s attempt to test the waters for Benn’s return. The Matchroom media release claimed that Benn had been cleared by UKAD and the WBC in July, and his provisional suspension was lifted after a review by the National Anti-Doping Panel. However, this claim is misleading as Benn was initially suspended by UKAD after testing positive for Clomifene last year. He appealed the suspension, and on July 28, UKAD confirmed that he was no longer provisionally suspended due to a ruling by the National Anti-Doping Panel. The panel upheld the integrity of VADA’s testing process but stated that VADA’s test results could not be the basis for suspending Benn in the UK since VADA is not a national anti-doping agency. UKAD appealed this ruling on August 17, and the charges against Benn remain unresolved. Despite not being licensed to fight in the UK, he can still be licensed in other jurisdictions, such as Florida, where the fight took place. This decision by the Florida State Athletic Commission has drawn criticism from BBBofC general secretary Robert Smith, who believes Benn should not be boxing until the matter is cleared. Hearn and Benn have continuously distorted the facts surrounding the case, with Hearn claiming that Benn has “scientific evidence” to support his innocence. However, this evidence has been rejected by the British Boxing Board of Control and UKAD. Although Benn tested clean for the Orozco fight, it is worth noting that sophisticated tests may not detect illegal drug use due to microdosing. Furthermore, VADA tests fighters under different mandates, and some state athletic commissions limit their testing authorization to less than a full panel, as seen in Florida. The fight itself saw Benn dominate against Orozco, who proved to be a less formidable opponent. Two judges scored the fight 99-91 in Benn’s favor, with the third judge giving four rounds to Orozco. Some, including Paulie Malignaggi, believe that Benn should not be in the ring until the investigation is concluded. There are also concerns over DAZN streaming the fight, as the network has been struggling financially and has faced issues with its flagship fighters recently. Additionally, there are questions about DAZN’s moral compass, particularly in light of its association with the Saudi government and its decision to back Dmitri Bivol against Canelo Alvarez despite pleas from Vitali and Wladimir Klitschko. The focus of those involved in promoting the Benn-Orozco fight seemed to be on personal agendas rather than the well-being of the sport.
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