[Gareth]

This will sell but will it even be a contest?

Eubank Jnr bigger, stronger, more experienced, better resume.

Thinking the agreed weight will need to be around 155, 156 to make this work.

 

[Gareth]

Haven't watched it yet nor do I have time to today but I assume it was a good one given the characters involved

Benn was standing on his toes trying to make himself taller.

 

[Gareth]

 

[Gareth]

 

[Gareth]

Eubank saying he will retire if Benn beats him.

 

[Gareth]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1569387514791690242

Eubank sr threatening to pull his son out of the fight.

That's some pretty emotional stuff on the part of Ubank Snr.

 

[Gareth]

Chris Eubank Jr responds to his father 'cancelling' Conor Benn bout in Instagram post - Daily Star

 

[Gareth]

I guess they have succeeded in having people talk about this fight. Even if it hasn't been for positive reasons.

 

[Gareth]

Will be interesting to see how many PPVs this sells. Sounds like they have sold all the seats.

Outside of their surnames this is really a nothing fight. They are from different weight divisions and any beef between the pair sounds very manufactured. There is also no title or pathway on offer for the winner here.

 

[Gareth]

Conor Benn v Chris Eubank Jr fight 'prohibited' by British Boxing Board of Control

EH is really having a good week isn't he.....

A logical decision by the BBBofC and the only responsible one under the circumstances.

It will be a disgrace if the fight goes ahead, and heaven help those involved if it goes ahead and there is an unfortunate outcome.

 

[Gareth]

Clearly Hearn and Sauerland on the same page. Nothing to see here.

Morally bankrupt, the pair of them.

 

[Gareth]

If Benn was an Olympic athlete, in fact probably anything other than a boxer, he would already be under suspension pending the result of the B sample.

Disgracefully, it sounds like Hearn and Sauerland are going to proceed with this fight despite the BBBofC washing their hands of it.

 

[Gareth]

Just heard the start time for the press conference has been set back. Perhaps there's hope commonsense will prevail yet but I doubt it. More likely the grubby promoters are scurrying around trying to get someone like the Luxembourg Boxing Federation to sanction the fight.

 

[Gareth]

No matter how hard Hearn and Sauerland tried to deliver one, boxing was finally spared a black eye it couldn't afford.

 

[Gareth]

....for now?

Sadly, money says there will probably be a next time but I hope not.

 

[Gareth]

Those interviews in which Hearn contradicts himself are coming back to haunt him. It's easy to play the righteous one. Until your stance impacts your bank balance that is.

 

[Gareth]

Chris Eubank Jr says drug testers were there to meet him when he returned to his hotel room after his fight with Conor Benn had been canceled.

How ironic would it be if Eubank tested positive as well?

 

[Gareth]

Have you ever read such garbage?

Hearn and Sauerland took the decision to postpone the fight because in the end they had no other option and they obviously pursued many.

They are also attempting to paint the BBBofC as the bad guys in this when the BBBofC are the only party who have acted appropriately.

As for 'the fighter's interests', the only interest Hearn and Sauerland had here was their bank balances.

 

[Gareth]

Yeah the statement is BS but the BBBC only withdrew sanctioning because the Daily Mail broke the story. @Dynamito has confirmed that the BBBC, like Matchroom Boxing and Wasserman, have known about this for weeks already, the cover up was well and truly on until the journalist let the cat out the bag.

I've watched a number of interviews with boxing people giving their opinions since the fight was postponed, of them all Dan Rafael's is the one I found most informative. He says that DAZN are the reason the fight was called off "100%" according to him. Now I want to know if DAZN knew weeks ago too, I wouldn't assume they did as they're just broadcasters but a definitive answer would be great

Yes, it does appear the BBBofC may have been somewhat complicit in the smokescreen but at least when things were made public they did act as the circuit breaker for the fight being cancelled. Or 'postponed' as the promotors are claiming. Sadly, their reward will probably be being sued.

As a result of the positive VADA test, someone has advised Benn to take a UK Anti Doping Agency test and it apparently came up clean. What I am really skeptical about is two things :

1/ Did the UK Anti Doping Agency actually test for fertility drug VADA found in Benn's system?

2/ Benn was tested by VADA in I think early August and the result for the test provided on I think August 23rd. When was the UK Anti Doping Agency test done? As the VADA test only detected a trace of the fertility drug, was there long enough between the two tests for that trace to be no longer detectable?

 

[Gareth]

OK so I cannot readily recall who said what now as I've watched so many interviews today with different people but

1) It's possible (though I don't know) that this fertility drug isn't on UKAD's prohibition list just like the Saunders nasal spray wasn't either, if that's the case then no doubt they wouldn't have screened for it
2) Dan Rafael said that the urine sample was taken on September 1st, you're saying August 23 so maybe VADA took it in August and UKAD in Sep? Although I'm pretty sure DR was talking about VADA testing because he was making the point that by mid-September the results would have been in

I think the public outrage at Matchroom's behaviour in trying to continue with the fight will save the BBBC from being sued, filing against them would be a terrible miscalculation of the public mood, Barry surely can see this even if Eddie is too blinded with rage.

I think there was potentially weeks and weeks between the VADA test being conducted and the UKAD test. So even if the UKAD test did include testing for the fertility drug, it may not have been detectable again after weeks and weeks previously having only been seen as a trace.