Conor Benn vs Chris Eubank Jr is being targeted to take place in the Middle East this summer despite the drugs test fiasco which surrounded their ill-fated fight.
Benn was scheduled to fight fellow son-of-a-legend Eubank Jr on October 8 last year but the grudge fight was cancelled after 'The Destroyer' returned two positive drug tests for the banned substance clomifene. Sun Sport has now reported the fight is close to being announced for June 3 in Abu Dhabi, as Benn is yet to be cleared by the British Boxing Board of Control following his positive tests.
The WBC [World Boxing Council] spent over a month breaking down a 270-page file submitted by Benn's team and have since cleared him of any wrongdoing, citing a "highly-elevated consumption of eggs" as an explanation for clomifene being in his system. Benn has since refuted the WBC's reasoning for his failed tests and is unhappy with the organisation's verdict.
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"I'm pleased that the WBC have finally cleared my name, with no sanction or ban of any kind and a reinstatement in the world rankings. I can now put this behind me and resume my career immediately. Whilst I welcome the ultimate outcome, I do not agree with everything said in the WBC's statement. That's something I am discussing further in my legal team," Benn wrote of the verdict.
Matchroom Boxing boss Eddie Hearn, who promotes Benn, is currently trying to clear his name in the UK as the unbeaten 26-year-old is yet to discover whether he will be able to box in the region. The promoter admitted they could have used a foreign governing body to keep Benn and Eubank Jr's ill-fated fight alive last year, but they ultimately decided against doing so.
“At the moment, he’s in a legal position with the BBBofC," Hearn told talkSPORT. "Now people say about my mistake of backing Conor Benn, I say this: I believe Conor Benn. There has been no benefit to me from a profile way or perceived integrity position to back Conor Benn. I believe the young man. 100 per cent. This kid has got a good heart."
Eubank Jr went on to fight Liam Smith after his fight against Benn collapsed, with the Scouser handing him the first stoppage loss of his professional career. Eubank Jr activated his rematch clause to face Smith again, but Hearn insisted their second fight is far from official as Eubank Jr would make more money by fighting Benn instead. "He’s not signed to fight Smith and the money [for fighting Benn] is two or three times what he would get to fight Smith," he added.
