Chris Van Heerden, the last man to face British welterweight Conor Benn, wants his knockout defeat scratched from the record.
“The Heat” lasted less than four minutes with Benn when the pair fought at AO Arena in a bout last April.
Airing his views on the second round loss, Van Heerden states, “Never in my career have I ever been dropped by a punch to the chin.
“Not by [WBA, IBF, and WBC champion] Errol Spence Jr., Jaron Ennis, or any other fighter. How can I not question it?”
Now, the South African former IBO belt holder wants the KO reverse removed from his official boxing record.
Chris Van Heerden questions Conor Benn
On reports that Benn tested positive, not once for the Chris Eubank Jr. fight but twice this year, Van Heerden couldn’t hide his disgust.
“This is so upsetting and unsettling,” he said: “This is getting out of hand.
“If this is proven, I need my fight to be a no contest, and action will be taken.”
Van Heerden added: “I have accepted my loss to Conor Benn like a man and never made any excuses.
“I had peace inside me, but now I guess I will never know if I truly and fairly lost to the better man or a cheat.”
Failure to enroll in testing
Asked by a fan whether drug testing was involved in their clash after Van Heerden said: “Jan 2022, just before our fight,” in regards to Benn getting removed from the WBC Clean Boxing Program and rankings for failing to enroll.
“There was a wee test after [the fight], yes.”
Clearly hurt, the boxer who relocated from South Africa to California in the United States gave a heartfelt statement.
“Losing to Conor has hurt my career. I sit at home, not fighting. Nobody gives a s*** about the loser.
“Bread is taken off my table while the rest make millions. The truth comes out.
“If it does, my team will do what is right. This is our lives being played with.”
Chris Van Heerden deserves answers
The Manchester Arena triumph for Benn in England may not be the only victory from the 21 he currently holds that will come under question.
All will be revealed once the extent of the failures gets revealed. An investigation by UK Anti-Doping [UKAD] and the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency [VADA], alongside the British Boxing Board of Control, is underway.
Gauteng, Johannesburg-born Van Heerden suffered the devasting loss of his murdered father in 2018. He can only wonder what the complete truth is about his last fight.
Like many in boxing, the former IBO welterweight title holder has questions that need answering.
The views expressed in this article are the opinions of Phil Jay.
WBN Editor Phil Jay has over ten years of boxing news experience. Furthermore, follow WBN on Facebook @officialworldboxingnews, Instagram, and Twitter @worldboxingnews.
