Conor Benn v Chris Eubank Jr: Common sense prevails on 'grim day for boxing'
- Published
Conor Benn is now at the centre of a doping scandal
At around 14:00 BST on Thursday, 6 October the news begins to trickle through - Chris Eubank Jr v Conor Benn on Saturday night has been called off.
It is a decision that many gathered in the hotel lobby in the Canary Riverside Plaza Hotel have been waiting for since news broke of Benn's failed drug test on Wednesday morning.
Benn had tested positive for a banned drug on a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada) test, or returned an "adverse analytical finding for trace amounts of a fertility drug," as his promoters put it.
The lobby is still packed with media and undercard fighters including light heavyweight Lydon Arthur and bantamweight Shannon Courtenay.
Promoter Eddie Hearn appears suddenly and heads upstairs. Then quietly and out of sight of the press, Benn and his father Nigel make a hasty exit. Versace luggage is packed into a car.
In the same car park, about an hour and a half later, middleweight Felix Cash, who was booked to fight on the undercard, leaves. He shares a coach with Benn and he is visibly annoyed. Hearn has already left again.
Still Arthur and Courtenay remain in the lobby, unaware the entire card has been cancelled, not just the main event.
When the official announcement is made, it's a press release at 16:06. Hearn and Eubank's promoter Kalle Sauerland hold a news conference which lasts almost exactly four minutes.
There are no questions allowed from the media.
It brings a close to a damaging week for British boxing that could have been a lot worse, had Benn v Eubank Jr gone ahead.
In the end good sense prevailed, even if promoters Matchroom and its partners firmly pointed the finger at the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).
The Board "prohibited" the fight on Wednesday "as it is not in the interests of boxing", essentially saying it would not sanction the fight. It seems despite pressures, it stuck to its guns.
"It's been a grim day for boxing but the right result was reached," BBC Radio 5 Live's Steve Bunce said.
"They're businessmen so they wanted it to happen," Carl Froch added of the efforts from organisers to push ahead with the fight night.
"But the safety of the fighters is paramount in boxing, 99% of people will agree it's the right decision."
Eubank Jr v Benn: Fight postponed but promoters unhappy with situation 'handling'
Vast amounts of money have been invested in Conor 'The Destroyer' Benn. Some estimates this week put the fight's worth at £15m.
Benn, 26, is one of Matchroom's most marketable stars behind Anthony Joshua. He is front and centre in DAZN's boxing coverage in the UK.
He is the son of boxing legend Nigel and has gradually become a vicious knockout artist on the cusp of a world title shot at welterweight.
Benn's star was so bright fans and organisers were willing to overlook a three-weight difference between him and Eubank to make the so called "mega fight" this Saturday at the O2 Arena in London.
All the attention pre-fight week was on Eubank, 33, and his drop down from middleweight to 157lbs - a weight he has never fought at as a professional.
But with the fight cancelled in the wake of a positive drugs test, questions are swirling about boxing's anti-doping protocols. Benn is in the middle of that storm and now faces battle for his reputation.