Conor Benn says he has been cleared by the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) and the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP), leaving him free to resume boxing in the UK.
In a statement published via social media on Friday, the British welterweight said he had been “vindicated for the second time” with the UKAD process now said to be officially at an end.
Benn’s promising career had ground to a halt in the aftermath of two failed drugs tests that forced the cancellation of his blockbuster catchweight fight with rival Chris Eubank Jr, which was scheduled to take place at London’s O2 Arena last October.
Benn tested positive for the female fertility drug clomifene, a substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) banned list which can boost testosterone levels in men, in voluntary anti-doping (VADA) tests undertaken in July and September last year, but has always protested his innocence and denied any wrongdoing.
Now he says he has been cleared after a UKAD and NADP hearing, stating that the last 12 months had been the “year from hell”.
You may see me Struggle but you will never see me Quit!!
— Conor Nigel Benn (@ConorNigel) July 28, 2023
With hardship comes ease, now it’s time to remind everyone WHO I AM!!#TeamBenn #TheDestroyer pic.twitter.com/Nso6AiN1D8
“Today marks the end of the of a gruelling 10 month process, during which the WBC had already decided that I was innocent of any wrongdoing,” Benn wrote on Twitter.
"After a hearing with the National Anti-Doping Panel and UKAD, I have now been vindicated for the second time.
"Hopefully the public and various members of the media can now understand why I have maintained my innocence so strongly all the way through.
"The UKAD process has now formally ended, and I remain free to fight. Naturally I am pleased that I can now put this behind me once and for all.
"As you can imagine the last 10 months have weighed heavily on me and I am anxious that if this happened to me it could potentially happen to any honest, dedicated and clean athlete like me.
"I would like to thank my fans that have kept the faith when many have turned against me, as well as my team, Matchroom, my friends and family, sponsors and also my legal team, all of whom have shared a belief in me and a commitment to ensuring the correct result being obtained and justice being achieved.
"Only with the strength of all this support have I been able to continue during this challenging time.
"I now intend to put this matter behind me and look forward. Which begins with fighting as soon as possible so I can remind everyone who I am."
Alongside the statement, he wrote: “You may see me Struggle but you will never see me Quit!! With hardship comes ease, now it’s time to remind everyone WHO I AM!!”
After Benn’s tweet on Friday, Standard Sport contacted UKAD for comment. A spokesperson for the organisation said in a statement: “In April 2023 UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) took the exceptional step of publicly disclosing details of Mr Conor Benn’s provisional suspension and charge following reports from the media and comments made by Mr Benn himself. UKAD’s statement also confirmed that the case would follow the Results Management process in accordance with the UK Anti-Doping Rules.
“UKAD notes that Mr Benn has made further public comments today regarding proceedings before the independent National Anti-Doping Panel. UKAD can confirm Mr Benn is no longer provisionally suspended under the UK Anti-Doping Rules.
“The UK Anti-Doping Rules detail limited circumstances in which UKAD is able to make public disclosures about ongoing cases. They also set out a clear process within which cases can be heard and decisions can be handed down by the independent National Anti-Doping Panel.
“Where case decisions are handed down by a panel, the Rules provide all relevant parties with a right of appeal. Under the Rules, UKAD has 21 days from the date of receipt of a decision to file any appeal. UKAD carefully reviews all decisions in its cases before deciding whether to exercise its right of appeal.
“UKAD is not able to make any further public disclosures in accordance with the UK Anti-Doping Rules at this time."
Speaking via Matchroom Boxing’s official YouTube channel, Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, stated that he expected him to reapply for his license from the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC), which he relinquished after the cancellation of his fight with Eubank Jr.
Hearn is plotting Benn’s comeback fight for September and then targeting a high-profile contest to take place in December. Despite having been free to fight overseas during UKAD’s investigation, Benn’s last fight remains his second-round stoppage of South Africa’s former IBO welterweight world champion Chris van Heerden at the Manchester Arena in April 2022.
“Conor Benn has been officially cleared by UKAD and cleared to box in the UK, which is a massive moment for him, for us,” Hearn said.
"It's been a brutal, painful year of work and belief and decisions to back an individual that we believed in. And I can't wait to see him fight.
"The nightmare is over and he can get back to his career. I hope everybody now can support the fact that he's gone through absolutely every process that was ever asked of him and he's done it's all, it's over.
"We look forward to return in the UK. Absolutely [he expects him to reapply for his BBBofC licence], that's the whole reason we went through this process.
"Now we sit down with Conor and we look at the plan. Maybe he has a slightly smaller fight first, he's been out of the ring for a year-and-a-half, but he wants the big fights ASAP.
"We'll decide what's right for him. I like him coming back and having a fight maybe in September, and then going into a huge fight in December.
"Right now Conor Benn sits before us - love him, hate him, I couldn't give a monkeys - he's one of the biggest names in world boxing and he's ready to light up the division."
