British Boxing
The O2 Arena clash in London on October 8 was never thrown into doubt initially, as promoters Matchroom Boxing and Wasserman released a statement within an hour of the report. Conor Benn was flagged for the banned substance Clomifene, as revealed on Wednesday, one day before the final press conference. Earlier, promoters had stated Eubank Jr. vs Benn will go ahead as planned while a failed drug test in the build-up goes through the B sample process. Finally, we journey back to 2004 when Miguel Cotto and Kelson Pinto came together in a bout that conclusively settled a rivalry stretching back to their amateur days. ALEX STEEDMAN is in Ibiza and surviving on two hours sleep a day. But even that herculean display of strength and stamina is nothing on Joe Joyce, who turned in the best performance of his career to stop Joseph Parker last weekend.
"However, this may not necessarily mean that shows can run. While the NHS is still fighting/recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic we cannot place any further pressure on the system. "As the immediate pressure on the NHS reduces some Medical Officers may be available to work at BBBofC shows. "The principle reason for this are the strict medical practices that the BBBofC has in place for the safety of boxers. ANTHONY JOSHUA and Tyson Fury have been told that boxing will not return to normal even when the coronavirus lockdown has been lifted. Meanwhile, American boxer Deontay Wilder has suggested that Anthony Joshua and his team did everything possible to avoid a showdown with him. Edie Hearn disclosed that plans are underway for AJ to return to the top as he will fight in the UK by December before taking on Dillian Whyte in 2023.
On Monday, the boxer officially announced an exclusive long-term deal with streaming service DAZN. Terence Crawford fights Shawn Porter, live on Sky Sports, in the early hours of Sunday morning. Tyson Fury says Anthony Joshua 'didn’t want' a world heavyweight title fight and hopes to 'smash' Derek Chisora in a December clash. Check out Mikaela Mayer's fight week preparation's as she prepares for her bout against Alycia Baumgardner at the O2 Arena on Saturday. "However, it is important to remember that professional boxing will not be able to resume as soon as the ‘lockdown’ and social distancing measures are lifted. And Wilder, who lost his WBC heavyweight title to Tyson Fury last year, opened up that Joshua did everything to avoid a clash with him.
The fight was thrown into doubt when Benn’s promoters, Matchroom, said he had “returned an adverse analytical finding for trace amounts of a fertility drug” following a random test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. "We have been made aware that a random anti-doping test for Conor Benn conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency returned an adverse analytical finding for trace amounts of a fertility drug," the Matchroom statement read. "The B sample has yet to be tested, meaning that no rule violation has been confirmed. Indeed, Mr. Benn has not been charged with any rule violation, he is not suspended, and he remains free to fight. Matchroom Boxing at home with the gormans issued a statement immediately following the BBBoC's refusal to allow the fight to go ahead, stating that both fighters still wished to fight.
While VADA was handling the drug testing for the fight at the decision of the fighters and promoters, Benn had passed all drug tests issued by the UK Anti-Doping Agency, which handles the BBBoC's "official" drug testing. Matchroom, and lead promoter Eddie Hearn, believed that was reason enough that the fight should be allowed to proceed. The British Boxing Board of Control said in a statement that the fight was "not in the interests of Boxing."
It was Anthony Joshua’s second loss in his pro-boxing career. The win made Oleksandr Usyk only the second boxer after Evander Holyfield to win unified world titles in both the cruiserweight and heavyweight divisions. Following Tyson Fury's retirement, The Ring Magazine heavyweight title will also be on the line, in addition to Oleksandr Usyk’s four heavyweight titles. The two heavyweight boxers were initially scheduled to face off earlier in the year but the match was postponed after Oleksandr Usyk listed himself in the Ukrainian army during the Russia-Ukraine conflict. The promoters are determined to stage the Conor Benn-Chris Eubank Jr. fight on Saturday in London as planned, sources said, despite Benn's positive test for a banned substance.
After his back-to-back loss to Oleksandr Usyk, British boxer Anthony Joshua is billed for a return as soon as December, according to boxing promoter Eddie Hearn. Matchroom involved their lawyers, attempting to force the fight through but were ultimately unsuccessful. Thursday's statement made it clear that Matchroom still considered the situation to be one that may need to be settled in court.
His massive clashes against Billy Joe Saunders and George Groves mean the former super-middleweight champion has done it all before. However, the levels are insufficient for Eubank to jeopardize a one million pound plus payday. The middleweight is willing to give Benn the benefit of the doubt, having passed the UKAD requirements.
An opponent was confirmed for Whittaker's heavily speculated placement on the undercard of this weekend's Oleksandr Usyk-Anthony Joshua rematch in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Lucas Browne Bashes BBBofC After Proposed Daniel Dubois Clash Rejected Lucas Browne is at an age where most fighters are either retired or well on their way out the sport. A harsh decision made on his latest proposed fight could push him in that direction.