Conor Benn, the embattled welterweight, may have to leave his native England for the second time in a row.
According to Benn’s promoter, Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Boxing, the Essex native will fight on Feb. 3, despite the fact that the bout with Chris Eubank Jr. scheduled for that date fell through last week.
But, unlike that bout, which was scheduled for Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, Hearn claims Benn’s next fight will take place in an entirely different jurisdiction.
Hearn stated that the nationality of Benn’s next opponent, as well as the lack of accessible venues in England, prompted the decision to have Benn fight on foreign soil.
“Because I think it will be an American opponent, an international opponent,” Hearn said in an interview with Boxing News when asked why Benn would not compete in England. “There are also no venues available on February 3rd.”
“This isn’t going to be a stadium brawl.” We know the O2 [Arena] has been reserved for [light heavyweights Joshua] Buatsi and [Dan] Azeez. We’ll use the UK time zone, but we’ll also travel overseas. It’s going to be spectacular.”
Of course, Benn does not have the approval of the British Boxing Board of Control.
Benn, who tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing substance clomifene twice last year, has run afoul of English regulators by mostly refusing to comply with their investigations into his illegal behaviour. Benn’s punishment was lifted in the summer, but the decision was challenged by UK Anti-Doping and the BBBofC; the appeal is still underway, but it is unclear what progress has been achieved.
Despite the controversy, Benn returned to the ring in September for the first time in nearly 18 months, facing Rodolfo Orozco in a 154-pound bout on a Matchroom-promoted card in Orlando, Florida.
The inclusion of Benn on that card sparked outrage and condemnation, with many accusing Hearn of “commission shopping.” Indeed, the Florida boxing commission was one of the few in the United States willing to approve Benn’s return. At the time, several notable heads of state commissions notified BoxingScene.com that their organisations would refuse Benn on any card in their state as long as his problem with the BBBofC remained unresolved.
In terms of Benn’s opponent, Hearn argued that the fight’s lead time was too short to bring in a viable B-side. Hearn
