The return of Conor Benn may be rife with snags but that does not mean he or his promoters intend to stop trying.
After weeks of talk suggesting that the embattled British welterweight would return to the ring on June 3 in Abu Dhabi, it appears the new working date is June 17, according to Benn’s promoter Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing.
What’s more, Hearn, in a recent interview, seemed to suggest that the United States is now the preferred destination for Benn’s comeback. Benn is without a license with the British Boxing Board of Control, so he cannot legally box in his native country. Benn can technically fight in foreign territories, but the Board can recommend to other jurisdictions to not sanction him.
Benn has been roiled in controversy from the revelation of his two positive drug tests last year which lead to the cancellation of his high-profile fight with Chris Eubank Jr. In March, the 26-year-old was put under provisional suspension by United Kingdom Anti-Doping and subsequently formally charged by the agency with a doping violation. Benn could face a two-year ban.
“We’re looking at him fighting on June 17,” Hearn told ProBox TV, “but at the same time there’s a lot of conversations I’m not a part of—with his legal team and UKAD —that are going through that process. We can fight now, but I’m worried about him getting a fair crack of the whip in his hearing.
“I think people have made up their minds and made a decision. By necessarily rubbing people up the wrong way that might not help him either, but his team are talking to UKAD. He’s going through that process everybody wanted him to go through, and we’ll see what happens.”
Asked where Benn is likely to fight, Hearn said “America,” while confirming that he believes there is a greater than fifty percent chance of it happening there on June 17.
Hearn’s desire to stage a fight for Benn in America will largely depend on which state commission decides to approve Benn. BoxingScene.com can confirm that the heads of commissions in California, Nevada, and Texas have stated unequivocally, citing reciprocity principles, that they do not plan to license Benn so long as his investigation with the British board is still pending. Queries left with New York State and Florida have not been returned.
The Association of Boxing Commissions, which suspended Benn earlier this year, made it clear that any commission that moves forward with a card involving Benn under the current circumstances would suffer their censure.
“If in the event a commission decides to license Benn, we would 100% not condone them,” said Michael Mazzuli, the president of the ABC, in a statement provided to BoxingScene.com. “As president of the ABC, I would recommend that Benn not fight in the United States. Furthermore, it is the opinion of the ABC that he should not fight until he resolves the issues with the British Boxing Board of Control.”
Sean Nam is the author of the forthcoming book Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.