Nigel Benn has vowed to “get to the bottom” of his son Conor’s adverse drug test result after being left in “total shock” by the news.
The younger Benn’s proposed fight with Chris Eubank Jr has been postponed after news broke that Benn had returned what promoters described as an “adverse analytical finding for trace amounts of a fertility drug”.
The British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) subsequently withdrew their sanctioning of the encounter, which was due to take place in London on Saturday.
Benn maintains his innocence, insisting that he is a “clean athlete” despite returning an adverse result for the fertility drug clomifene.
His father, Nigel, has echoed his 26-year-old son’s stance, stressing that Conor would not “cut corners”.
“As you know, we are in total shock,” Benn said in a video released on social media. “I’ve been with my son for the last 10 weeks and training has gone just the best it could ever have been. He is a dedicated trainer, he leaves no stone unturned, and we’ll get to the bottom of this.
“I know he doesn’t cut no corners, he just goes straight at it, 100 per cent. We’ll keep you informed and let you know what the next step is. He’s a faithful trainer and he’s a clean athlete.”
The much-anticipated meeting would have seen the sons of Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank collide three decades on from the British middleweight pair’s own in-ring battles during their professional careers.
The elder Benn and Eubank clashed first in 1990, with Eubank the winner via TKO, before a split-draw result in 1993.
News of Saturday’s fight’s postponement came just days before the bout at a catchweight of 157lbs at the O2 Arena in London.
Matchroom promoter Eddie Hearn had been hoping to overturn the BBBofC’s decision after both fighters indicated that they still wanted the fight to go ahead, but the postponement was announced on Thursday afternoon.
Clomifene, used to treat infertility in women, can be used to boost testosterone levels in men. It is banned both inside and outside competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada).
Eubank’s promoter Kalle Sauerland revealed this week that both fighters had been aware of Benn’s drug test results for several weeks and that his client had been keen to proceed with the fight.
“We discussed it straight away with the most important person from our side, the athlete,” Sauerland said. “He was happy to continue and spoke to Benn directly.
“[Eubank is] hugely, hugely disappointed [with the postponement]. He was ready, he was on weight, and he was very much looking forward to this weekend.”
