Eddie Hearn promoter for welterweight contender Conor Benn, is still aiming to match his fighter against middleweight Chris Eubank Jr. on a date in December.
There was an unexpected announcement on Wednesday, that Benn would return to the ring on a Matchroom card in Orlando on Saturday.
The bout will be the first for Benn since April 2022, when he knocked out Chris Van Heerden.
Benn was scheduled to face Eubank Jr. back in October of last year, but the fight was cancelled when Benn tested positive for a banned substance.
In April, Benn was formally charged by UK Anti-Doping. He was cleared to box in July by the National Anti-Doping Panel.
However, the British Boxing Board of Control and UKAD have appealed that decision.
“We want the Eubank fight. It’s the biggest fight in British boxing, outside AJ v Fury and right up there with it. We want to fight in the UK. Conor won his case. He was cleared, his suspension was lifted and I keep hearing this ‘he was not cleared’. If he wasn’t cleared he wouldn’t be allowed to fight on Saturday,” Hearn said.
“The Association of Boxing Commissions would not lift their suspension of Benn until it was confirmed to them by the British Boxing Board of Control that he was no longer suspended and therefore he was cleared to fight. So our plan, ideally, is to fight Chris Eubank Jr in the UK in December. We’ve already had offers from a number of international venues to stage that fight, but I would like to try and make that fight in the UK.
“We were made aware a few weeks ago or a month ago that there would be an appeal – we’ve heard nothing more, no dates for that appeal. We’re not sure if that will take place or when it will take place, but this man’s free to go back to work and that’s what we’ve decided to do.”