- Hearn says Conor Benn’s fight with Chris Eubank Jr will take place on February 3
- The Matchroom promoter has named Tottenham stadium as the like venue
- How do you get the biggest fight for an ailing AJ without huge risk? The Hook
Eddie Hearn has revealed Conor Benn‘s fight with Chris Eubank Jr will most likely take place at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 3.
The pair had been set to renew an old family feud stretching back decades when their highly anticipated bout was scheduled for October last year.
However, on the eve of the fight it was revealed by Mail Sport that Benn had twice tested positive for the banned substance clomifene in the build up to the fight.
The promoters of both fighters tried to keep the fight on, but when lawyers failed to obtain a High Court injunction the fight was shelved.
Benn maintained his innocence and spent ‘hundreds and thousands’ on scientists to clear his name after traces of clomiphene were found in his samples.
Eddie Hearn says Conor Benn’s fight with Chris Eubank Jr will take place on February 3
Benn’s grudge match with Eubank Jr (left) was axed last year after the failed drugs test
Hearn has named the Tottenham Hotspur stadium as the likely destination for Eubank vs Benn
A provisional suspension imposed by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) was lifted by the independent National Anti-Doping Panel in July.
But UKAD and the British Boxing Board of Control decided to lodge an appeal against that decision.
Mail Sport understands an appeal may not be heard, let alone resolved, until December or January at the earliest.
Therefore, Hearn wants Benn to be able to continue his career in the UK while the process remains ongoing and he is not suspended by UKAD.
So, the Matchroom promoter has decided to go ahead with scheduling the all-British bout between Benn and Eubank Jr.
Hearn has now revealed the fight between the pair will most likely take place at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on February 3.
Speaking to iFL TV earlier in the week, Hearn said there was still work to be done on the deal but insisted they were extremely close.
During an interview with Mail Sport last month, Benn revealed he had struggled to come to terms with the fact people will always associate his name with last year’s positive drug tests and revealed how his father slumped into deep depression during the height of his clomifene case.
When asked how he felt about the fact people will always associate his name with the adverse finding, Benn said: ‘You know what, it was really hard for me to accept at one stage. I was thinking, I don’t even want to fight. If this is how it’s going to be, I don’t even want to fight.
‘It took my love away from boxing. From everything. The quicker you come to terms with it, the quicker you accept it, this is what it is. If I could change the testing that they do for clomifene, then in the end, it will be have been worth it.
‘I still wanted to work with UKAD, irrelevant of the outside. I am willing to work with them and that goes without saying. I wouldn’t have spent all this money, hundreds of thousands on legal fees and scientists for nothing.
During an interview with Mail Sport last month, Benn revealed he had struggled to come to terms with the fact people will always associate his name with last year’s positive drug tests
‘So, if we can change the law on it that would be great. I can’t say it was worth it because it was so hard what I went through. But, I would feel better about the situations. That something good had come from this.’
Benn – who previously admitted to having suicidal thoughts after his career was thrown into jeopardy – went on to speak about the impact the situation has had on his family.
The 26-year-old said: ‘It definitely took it’s toll on my family. I don’t think I’ve ever seen my dad so depressed. I have never seen him in such a bad way. It’s been a tough time. Then there’s Tony, Eddie, everyone’s been getting heat for the past year for this.
‘It was no fault of anyone’s, it was just a situation that happened and there was nothing we could do to stop the situation from happening. Could we have dealt with the situation better? Yeah we could have but you live and you learn. That’s that. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, so here we are.’
