Eddie Hearn declined to answer questions at a press conference following the cancellation of Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn.
The Matchroom Boxing boss was co-promoting this weekend's bout alongside Kalle Sauerland of Wasserman Boxing, but has been forced to call off the event after Benn tested positive for clomifene, a substance found in medication used to treat infertile women but which can also boost testosterone levels in men.
There had been a number of options put on the table for the fight to take place, including working with foreign governing bodies or branding the bout an exhibition. However, ultimately, the event was pulled with just two days to go after deliberation from both sides despite both fighters expressing their interest in fighting.
Hearn appeared at a press conference but declined to take questions and said: "It has been a very difficult day. We were looking forward to an event and a fight that had so much history. We wanted to come here today and formally announce it has been postponed. I want to make it clear that Conor hasn’t been suspended and we feel he hasn’t been given due process.
“I have seen reports about going to the High Court and bringing in foreign commissions but this is just not true, we took our time and made a decision that we felt was in the best interests of the parties involved. We were desperate for this fight to take place, but we felt we had to make this decision in the best interest of this sport and the British public."
Hearn's co-promoter Sauerland added: "I have obviously just come from Chris. He is hugely disappointed, he was ready and he was on weight. He was very much looking forward to this weekend. The matter was taken out of our hands, and the handling of it we feel was totally inappropriate. We now look at a case of rescheduling it."
Do you believe that Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn should have gone ahead? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!
Benn has passed UK Anti-Doping control tests after the date of his positive result, but VADA is considered the gold standard in testing. The fight was due to be one of the biggest events of the year on the British calendar, and its cancellation will be a massive blow to broadcaster DAZN who were expecting to sell a huge number of pay-per-views for the fight.
A statement from the BBBoC, who have otherwise been relatively quiet over the past few days, read: "On the evening of October 4, 2022, the Board of the British Boxing Board of Control Limited resolved that the contest between Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn scheduled to take place on October 8, 2022 is prohibited as it is not in the interests of boxing. That was communicated to the boxers and promoters involved on the morning of October 5, 2022."
