Harley Benn, brother of Conor Benn, has been given notice of anti-doping procedures for his clash on the Floyd Mayweather undercard.
A day after Conor’s fight with Chris Eubank Jr. got canceled due to a failed drug test, organizers at Global Titans put out an alert from the event.
It read: “Harley Benn vs. Faizan Anwar – The Middle East Professional Boxing Commission has requested a full Anti Doping testing regime for this bout.”
In the headliner, Mayweather takes on British YouTuber Deji. The encounter occurs on Sunday, November 13, at the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Harley Benn anti-doping tests
Benn features in the eleventh professional fight of his career, if sanctioned. The other son of Nigel Benn looks to go 10-1 in the paid ranks.
Campaigning between super-welterweight and super-middleweight, Harley has lost once to Lee Hallett. At the time of their May 2019 bout, Hallett was 0-16 but still managed to pull off a four-round points triumph.
The fact Global Titans felt the need to point out the testing involvement for this fight is another blow to Conor Benn.
After a shambles of a week in London, Benn’s reputation has taken a battering after a VADA test came back with trace amounts of a woman’s infertility treatment.
The substance in question, clomifene, is also used to boost testosterone levels, according to medical descriptions of the drug.
When did Conor Benn fail a drug test?
News of Benn’s red flag got broken on Wednesday. It came a full fifteen days after event organizers knew of the adverse finding and over a month since the test was administered on September 1.
A catchweight fight against Eubank Jr. was worth seven figures to Benn. “Born Rivals” was due to be broadcast on Pay Per View this Saturday night in the United Kingdom.
Promoter Eddie Hearn attempted to keep the fight on despite the drug test failure. After trying to battle a prohibition ruling by the British Board of Boxing Control, Hearn admitted defeat after widespread condemnation.
Journalist Donald McRae, one of the most respected in the UK, gave a damning report of Hearn’s activities which he deemed came through “greed and incompetence.”
McRae said: “The legacy of this tawdry week in British boxing is more than mere embarrassment and humiliation.
“It reeks of greed, stupidity, incompetence, and danger. After such a debased charade, in which the ghosts of the past have been hard to shake.#
“We need change,” he added.
VADA adverse finding
Speculation is mounting regarding who broke the initial story of Benn’s failed test to The Daily Mail. Without it, the fight may have gone ahead without opposition.
In another twist, had Benn and Hearn not employed VADA for the clash, the BBBofC wouldn’t have been able to stop the fight from happening.
Chris Eubank Sr. was fiercely opposed to his son fighting Benn. However, Senior is yet to divulge if he was one of those who had prior knowledge of the VADA test.
October has been a bad month for British boxing. The fallout of Tyson Fury vs Anthony Joshua collapsing only adds to the woe.
Ironically, Frank Warren and Bob Arum blamed Hearn for that multi-million-pound super-fight falling apart at the negotiation phase.
As for Harley, it’s a small mercy for Benn’s sibling. The 26-year-old, born the same year as Conor, has a month until the spotlight hits Mayweather fight week.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
