Boxer Chris Eubank Jr. recently made a statement that set the world on fire just before his fight against Conor Benn in London this Saturday. Eubank Jr. said that if his colleagues who use performance-enhancing substances were banned for life, “half the boxing industry would disappear“.
Eubank Jr. speaks from a position that Conor Benn could not, thanks to the fact that due to his responsibility, the fight between them agreed to take place in 2022 is taking place until now, having tested positive for clomiphene, a performance-enhancing drug that raises testosterone levels, although in the end he was forgiven because it was found that this substance was in his body due to the excessive intake of eggs.
Eddie Hearn disagrees with Eubank Jr.
Notwithstanding the ‘authority’ from which Eubank speaks, the businessman and promoter of this event at the Tottenham Stadium in London, Eddie Hearn stepped in to dispel such a reckless claim in an interview with Mail Sport: “It’s absolutely ridiculous to suggest that 50% of the sport would be banned. If you look at the amount of testing that goes on in boxing now, especially for major fights, it’s exhaustive,” Hearn said indignantly.
And he continued the explanation of his argument: “All major championship fights are now subject to full VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) testing. In recent years, the level of testing has improved dramatically. If you look at the amount of fights that have been tested, there have been over 100 fights on the Riyadh cards, and only one negative result,” Hearn added.
Hearn defends boxing and ‘takes a shot’ at Eubank Jr.
The successful owner of promotional company Matchroom Boxing told the media outlet that there is a problem in all high-performance sports with substances to improve it, but at the same time highlighted the advances that at least there has been in boxing and with this he ended up ‘knocking out’ Eubank Jr.: “So to say that 50% of the sport would be banned is a huge exaggeration. The statistics just don’t add up. There has been a real improvement in testing, and I think we’re in a good place.”
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