Conor Benn - What Next?

[Twinkle Toes]

Even Hearn in his latest interview is wanting to move on.

Benn isn't having it, but in reality you have to wonder if the people Benn is paying a lot of money too aren't just rinsing him, and will tell him whatever he wants to hear.

[handsofstone]

Gonna play devil's advocate here, what if he's genuinely innocent and there has been flaws in the testing or whatever, wouldn't you be pissed? A lot has been made about his conduct in the aftermath and if he's a drug cheat then he comes across as a total bellend and still a danger to the sport if he's in denial but what if he's innocent and has hd to listen to the constant backlash?

I believe he's probably guilty but who knows, I wouldn't trust the WBCs investigation, Sulaiman is a crook and didn't even know the basic facts in an interview regarding the eggs etc

Boxings filthy whether it be fighters, promoters, commissions and especially governing bodies, I'm gonna reserve judgement until this plays out, because I detest drug cheats in boxing he's making some outlandish claims, surely if he'd been cleared he'd let sleeping dogs lie

Maybe I'm being naive but none of us know if what's he's saying about VADA has merit

what reason would there be for vada to go filthy on him? why multiple fails? you rightfully wouldnt trust the wbc..........but theyre the ones who cleared him and have gone softest

if we give him a pass we gotta do it for pretty much every ped user, they all try to muddy the waters and his case has no more doubt than most of them. if we take that route, we just gotta say f@ck it we're not gonna test anymore

As I said I've no idea, I reckon he's gotta be guilty but I'm open all ears to what Benn's team has to say, on the one hand it's preposterous, on the other, would you be stupid enough to blame VADA? I'm intrigued but Benn or his team need to stop hiding behind lawyers and get on with it

Regarding the WBC, the cynic in me thinks maybe it's better to concoct the egg theory and clear Benn rather than admit maybe VADA could be culpable, imagine the sh1t show that would cause

[margaret thatcher]

to me it's just a gaslighting attempt............basically saying stuff so outrageous and confidently that people start to think you could only utter it if there were indeed some truth to it

i dont buy it for a second, doesnt add up

[handsofstone]

It's fckn bizarre, the fact that Benn would juice isn't that surprising, he looks jacked at times and failed to enroll in the WBC clean boxing programme a few years back but to accuse VADA looks madness, no team would back that without some substance, maybe it's fluff but as I said just get on with it, we know he's fighting again regardless

[Coco]

It's difficult to have Benn's physical form without help.
His body shape has def changed.

[KiwiRider]

It's difficult to have Benn's physical form without help.
His body shape has def changed.

So has his mental state.
When I saw his celebration after the Algieri KO, while Chris was still on the canvas struggling, I thought "this guy is roided up the jacksie"

[wrighty]

His face shape has changed and even his voice and the way he carries himself has also.

[Ruthless-RKO]

Even Hearn in his latest interview is wanting to move on.

Benn isn't having it, but in reality you have to wonder if the people Benn is paying a lot of money too aren't just rinsing him, and will tell him whatever he wants to hear.

Yeh. Talking bout getting him a license.

[coneye]

to me it's just a gaslighting attempt............basically saying stuff so outrageous and confidently that people start to think you could only utter it if there were indeed some truth to it

i dont buy it for a second, doesnt add up

Excatly what he's doing, Whats more its working , had a few discusions recently with people i won't call them casuals because i don't like that word , a fans a fan some just got the time to watch ,listen and learn more than others , but basicly were all either participants in the sport in one way or other or just fans .

But i'm amazed at the amount i've spoke to who actually think Vada the BBBC and Ukad are on a mission to get this guy some say because they don't like his father , can't believe the amount who say vada doctored the results or it really is because he ate a lot of eggs ,,, mind you the same people believe that theres wild boar still running around the streets of Morecombe and the fury familly catch them every saturday with a bow and arrow , for there Sunday afternoon BBQ at Johns caravan

[wrighty]

to me it's just a gaslighting attempt............basically saying stuff so outrageous and confidently that people start to think you could only utter it if there were indeed some truth to it

i dont buy it for a second, doesnt add up

Excatly what he's doing, Whats more its working , had a few discusions recently with people i won't call them casuals because i don't like that word , a fans a fan some just got the time to watch ,listen and learn more than others , but basicly were all either participants in the sport in one way or other or just fans .

But i'm amazed at the amount i've spoke to who actually think Vada the BBBC and Ukad are on a mission to get this guy some say because they don't like his father , can't believe the amount who say vada doctored the results or it really is because he ate a lot of eggs ,,, mind you the same people believe that theres wild boar still running around the streets of Morecombe and the fury familly catch them every saturday with a bow and arrow , for there Sunday afternoon BBQ at Johns caravan

That would be hilarious

[Controversial]

So how will they feel about VADA testing when they box on, he obviously has no trust in their process so what if he fails agains? That’s the problem with this argument because a clean result can’t be trusted either or is it only not right when it’s not clean? If he fails again then another failure in the process, cross contamination??

[gregregegg]

Testing positive from food is entirely possible. and no fighter should lose there carrer to it... But this dosent feel like it. Connor got his man stregnth (and mabey hughies too) too quick... and he just feels guilty.... Im not to fussed by any of the he sad she said of it, i just want the exact test specifics... Dates tests conducted, levles.... The rest i can research and make a decision on im ok with (which might well be "who the fvck knows")..

If there is 1 picto gram in his first test... and 1 picto gram in his 2nd, and there are clean tests all around it... then sure mabey he is just eating too many roided up eggs.....

but if that were the case im sure benns team would of released the test results....as said above, feels like there going for the gaslight/muddywater/overcomplicated technique...

[Controversial]

Testing positive from food is entirely possible. and no fighter should lose there carrer to it... But this dosent feel like it. Connor got his man stregnth (and mabey hughies too) too quick... and he just feels guilty.... Im not to fussed by any of the he sad she said of it, i just want the exact test specifics... Dates tests conducted, levles.... The rest i can research and make a decision on im ok with (which might well be "who the fvck knows")..

If there is 1 picto gram in his first test... and 1 picto gram in his 2nd, and there are clean tests all around it... then sure mabey he is just eating too many roided up eggs.....

but if that were the case im sure benns team would of released the test results....as said above, feels like there going for the gaslight/muddywater/overcomplicated technique...

He never blamed eggs, that’s what the WBC concluded but that drug isn’t allowed in eggs in the U.K. so that doesn’t even make sense.

This is what he said about his diet last year when interviewed, apart from egg fried rice he doesn’t mention even eating them.


DIET

The goal with my diet is to find a balance where I have all the energy I need to be a top fighter, while making sure I’m not gaining any weight. We're constantly monitoring it. Previously I tried being a vegetarian, the logic was I could eat a lot more food with less calories. I was having maybe 1800 calories, and I usually burn 3600-4000 a day. Initially this was great, but the diet quickly became repetitive, and I didn’t like that I was eating processed foods for protein. Also, I had a bit of fish after a fight, and though initially ill, I felt way better for it. Meat is too calorific, as much as I love it."

FISH BUT NO MEAT

"I'm a pescatarian now, and I need to be consuming around 2500-2800 calories a day in my opinion. I normally eat prawns, haddock or cod alongside the veggies. Generally it'll be in something like a stir-fry of tofu, courgette spaghetti, noodles, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chilli, and cod or prawns. I try to have fish two or three days a week, I might do an egg fried rice other days. Breakfast today was 200g of 0% yoghurt, one of those Whitworth ‘shots’ sachets which is 98 calories, mixed with a little bit of protein, and I added dates to it, sometimes I have blueberries. It's special.

CARB HEAVY DAYS

“On a carb-heavy day, for example when I’m sparring, I'll have a cinnamon bagel with peanut butter and honey or jam. Maybe white bread, a banana and honey. I won't go as far as to have a chocolate bar before sparring now, but earlier in camp I might have, the sugar spike is useful for 12 rounds, gives me energy, keeps my reactions high. I like to run fast, so I do that usually.”

FIGHT WEEK MEALS

"On fight week I have a private chef, which is expensive but worth every penny. It’s partly because it means I look forward to fight week, which not many fighters can say, because I get absolutely unreal food all the time. But also the meals are different to what I’ll eat in camp, and have a lot of really specific weights and ingredients going into the dishes which I don’t have the time to think about. Everything is weighed to the miligram and is designed to make sure I'm getting the exact nutrients I need to be fight ready. They'll also factor in hydration, anti-inflammatories, gut health and things I don't tend to consider. The menu is sorted in consultation with me and my coaches. Fight week is a dream for me.”

[gregregegg]

Testing positive from food is entirely possible. and no fighter should lose there carrer to it... But this dosent feel like it. Connor got his man stregnth (and mabey hughies too) too quick... and he just feels guilty.... Im not to fussed by any of the he sad she said of it, i just want the exact test specifics... Dates tests conducted, levles.... The rest i can research and make a decision on im ok with (which might well be "who the fvck knows")..

If there is 1 picto gram in his first test... and 1 picto gram in his 2nd, and there are clean tests all around it... then sure mabey he is just eating too many roided up eggs.....

but if that were the case im sure benns team would of released the test results....as said above, feels like there going for the gaslight/muddywater/overcomplicated technique...

He never blamed eggs, that’s what the WBC concluded but that drug isn’t allowed in eggs in the U.K. so that doesn’t even make sense.

This is what he said about his diet last year when interviewed, apart from egg fried rice he doesn’t mention even eating them.


DIET

The goal with my diet is to find a balance where I have all the energy I need to be a top fighter, while making sure I’m not gaining any weight. We're constantly monitoring it. Previously I tried being a vegetarian, the logic was I could eat a lot more food with less calories. I was having maybe 1800 calories, and I usually burn 3600-4000 a day. Initially this was great, but the diet quickly became repetitive, and I didn’t like that I was eating processed foods for protein. Also, I had a bit of fish after a fight, and though initially ill, I felt way better for it. Meat is too calorific, as much as I love it."

FISH BUT NO MEAT

"I'm a pescatarian now, and I need to be consuming around 2500-2800 calories a day in my opinion. I normally eat prawns, haddock or cod alongside the veggies. Generally it'll be in something like a stir-fry of tofu, courgette spaghetti, noodles, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, chilli, and cod or prawns. I try to have fish two or three days a week, I might do an egg fried rice other days. Breakfast today was 200g of 0% yoghurt, one of those Whitworth ‘shots’ sachets which is 98 calories, mixed with a little bit of protein, and I added dates to it, sometimes I have blueberries. It's special.

CARB HEAVY DAYS

“On a carb-heavy day, for example when I’m sparring, I'll have a cinnamon bagel with peanut butter and honey or jam. Maybe white bread, a banana and honey. I won't go as far as to have a chocolate bar before sparring now, but earlier in camp I might have, the sugar spike is useful for 12 rounds, gives me energy, keeps my reactions high. I like to run fast, so I do that usually.”

FIGHT WEEK MEALS

"On fight week I have a private chef, which is expensive but worth every penny. It’s partly because it means I look forward to fight week, which not many fighters can say, because I get absolutely unreal food all the time. But also the meals are different to what I’ll eat in camp, and have a lot of really specific weights and ingredients going into the dishes which I don’t have the time to think about. Everything is weighed to the miligram and is designed to make sure I'm getting the exact nutrients I need to be fight ready. They'll also factor in hydration, anti-inflammatories, gut health and things I don't tend to consider. The menu is sorted in consultation with me and my coaches. Fight week is a dream for me.”

My point is not egg specific. Roided up fish if he must.

Point is he weather he is claiming it’s the reason or not it appears he has been let off on diet contamination reasons. Which are entirely possible with sensitive enough testing, hence why I wanna see every single Connor Benn test result ever… if he releases that I can decide if I think he is possibly innocent.

[garethhop]

Matt Christie and Alex Steedman brilliant on this on the Boxing News podcast.

They focus on the fact of 2 failed tests. The Benn statement beginning with an untruth. The strict liability rule. WBC only being a sanctioning body not a regulator. The failure to appeal to UKAD and then the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Benn stating that the BBBC have attacked him publicly, when there is no evidence of this. The fact the B sample also appears to have been positive.

They want him to be innocent. No agendas. But they just uncover each of the points which puts Benn in such a dreadful position.

[polecateddy]

Testing positive from food is entirely possible. and no fighter should lose there carrer to it... But this dosent feel like it. Connor got his man stregnth (and mabey hughies too) too quick... and he just feels guilty.... Im not to fussed by any of the he sad she said of it, i just want the exact test specifics... Dates tests conducted, levles.... The rest i can research and make a decision on im ok with (which might well be "who the fvck knows")..

If there is 1 picto gram in his first test... and 1 picto gram in his 2nd, and there are clean tests all around it... then sure mabey he is just eating too many roided up eggs.....

but if that were the case im sure benns team would of released the test results....as said above, feels like there going for the gaslight/muddywater/overcomplicated technique...

To my mind the flip-side argument to any contamination defence is the strong possibility that only small amounts of the drug were found because Benn only marginally mistimed his last dosage and it hadn’t quite all left his system yet. Timing is usually everything for PED users and certainly the UKAD testing seems to be a lot more predictable than the more random VADA approach. Presumably a lot of British boxers use PEDs when ‘out of competition’ and not ‘in competition’ in that 8 week or whatever build up to a fight when they are likely to be under increased testing scrutiny. Out of interest the minimum amount WADA accredited laboratories test to is 20 nanograms per millilitre. The no doubt already extremely sensitive and expensive equipment can’t ensure accuracy below that amount. It would be interesting to know how many nanograms Benn had in each of his two failed tests?

[fizzjambo]

Matt Christie and Alex Steedman brilliant on this on the Boxing News podcast.

They focus on the fact of 2 failed tests. The Benn statement beginning with an untruth. The strict liability rule. WBC only being a sanctioning body not a regulator. The failure to appeal to UKAD and then the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Benn stating that the BBBC have attacked him publicly, when there is no evidence of this. The fact the B sample also appears to have been positive.

They want him to be innocent. No agendas. But they just uncover each of the points which puts Benn in such a dreadful position.

That’s it in a nutshell. I don’t care who the boxer is, just apply the same logic and the facts start making the picture clearer and clearer.

Boxing, in the long term, won’t suffer from any cheat being banned for life for using PEDS. Short term pain for long term gain in my eyes.

Logically, CB’s actions don’t stack up with the evidence available just now

[KiwiRider]

I think this behind the scenes look at the conversations between the crook behind the WBC and the Egg Man explains everything.

[Nightmare Roy]

I think this behind the scenes look at the conversations between the crook behind the WBC and the Egg Man explains everything.

Uncle Propa knows the Bobby, I'll give it a kettle later, BOSH!

[Ruthless-RKO]

[Ruthless-RKO]

[KiwiRider]

If that roided up arsewipe hurts our Manny, he's for the full wrath of my keyboard

[coneye]

If that roided up arsewipe hurts our Manny, he's for the full wrath of my keyboard

Shows his confidence level still picking old way past it guys ,

[blanca]

He's bashed more grannies than rooney

[Ruthless-RKO]

BBBofC Head Hopes Foreign Commissions Do Not Allow Conor Benn To Box Until Innocence Is Proven

The boxing business may be fragmented beyond repair, but Robert Smith gets the sense that the top commissions in the world tend to see eye to eye on the matters that count the most.

In a piece published in The Guardian this week, Smith, the head of the British Boxing Board of Control, the regulatory body that oversees prizefighting in the United Kingdom, expressed his belief in a sense of unity and congruence among boxing’s haphazard governing bodies.

Smith’s remarks were in reference to recent news that handlers for the embattled British welterweight Conor Benn are exploring preliminary ways for him to obtain a foreign license in a major jurisdiction, such as Las Vegas or New York, in order to resume his career, thereby skirting the fact that Benn cannot box in his homeland since he relinquished his license with the Board last year in the wake of his two failed drug tests.

Benn tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug clomiphene on two separate occasions and both were administered by the respected third-party testing agency, Voluntary Anti-Doping Association.

The Board and United Kingdom Anti-Doping are currently investigating Benn, although Smith has publicly complained that Benn’s legal team has not been forthcoming with certain information

In The Guardian interview, Smith expressed hope that commissions such as Nevada and New York will, like the BBBofC, not allow Benn to obtain a license until there is legitimate proof of his innocence.

“Obviously they’re (major commissions) aware of what’s going on with the Benn case,” Smith told The Guardian’s Donald McRae. “We don’t have any power to decide licenses elsewhere, but we can give any advice we have—which at this stage is very little because we haven’t received any documentation [from Benn’s representatives]. Ultimately these other commissions have to do their own investigations and it’s their decision [whether or not to license Benn].”

“The biggest problem with the sport,” Smith continued, “is that there is no world governing body. We all look after ourselves, [which is] a great shame. However, the big organizations, and I would like to claim we are one of the big organizations, along with the state commissions in Nevada, California, New Jersey and New York, tend to do the same thing.”

Benn recently became the beneficiary of some favorable news last month when the World Boxing Council ruled that it found “reasonable” the explanation that Benn’s positive tests could have been the consequence of “highly elevated consumption of eggs.” As a result, Benn has been reinstated into the sanctioning body’s welterweight rankings.

Not long after that, Benn recently informed a British tabloid that he was planning to sue the Board for damages to the tune of £3.5million in their handling of his drug tests.

Benn has also taken issue with the WBC’s ruling. In a lengthy statement, he said the sanctioning body did him a “disservice” by suggesting his positive drug tests were the result of contaminated eggs, and not, as he believes, errors in testing protocol.

Hearn told The Guardian in the same article that he is not interested in trying to obtain a license for Benn from a commission with low profile, only ones with “relevance”. Hearn also stated that Australia could also be an option, since Benn has family there. Hearn said he expects Benn to receive a license in “a couple of weeks.” Elsewhere, Hearn has said he hopes to have Benn return to the ring by June.

“I’m not going to Luxembourg or somewhere that doesn’t have relevance to his career,” Hearn said. “There have been preliminary talks with [US] commissions … about a month ago.”