Conor Benn fails a VADA test, but what does this mean for boxing?
Boxing is on its knees. The failed promise of the biggest fight in UK boxing history between Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua has embittered the British public. However, Conor Benn’s failed drug test has left fans wanting to throw in the towel on the sport. Despite boxing struggling to reach the 10-count, we may well look back on this moment in years to come, with this being the point that changed the sport for good.
What is in Conor Benn’s system?
In an article published by the Daily Mail, it was reported that Benn tested positive for the banned substance known as clomifene. While this is primarily used as a female fertility drug, it can also be used for males to boost testosterone.
This is not the first time an athlete has tested positive for this drug. Before UFC 200, Jon Jones tested positive for clomifene. This resulted in a year’s suspension and postponing his rematch with Daniel Cormier.
For all boxing events in the UK, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) tests fighters using UK Anti-Doping (UKAD). The problem with this case is that this drug was caught by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA). They have a different set of banned substances from UKAD. Therefore, if VADA testing wasn’t in place, the fight between Eubank Jr and Benn would have likely taken place on 8th October.
VADA tests a fighter through a combination of urine and blood samples. The system is much more efficient as it tracks fighters’ whereabouts and can conduct a test eight weeks before a bout. In contrast, UKAD solely tests fighters through urine samples where the window of detection for most substances is 2-3 days.
The suspicions of this case grow further as, earlier in the year, Benn was removed from the WBC’s rankings as he failed to sign up for their year-round ‘clean boxing programme’ supported by VADA.
The flaw in the system was highlighted by none other than Benn’s own doctor, Dr Usman Sajjad. On the Quality Shot podcast, Dr Usman claimed that “80-90%” of elite boxers are taking drugs.
Dr Sajjad noted that “you have to be an idiot to fail a drug test in England because urine testing is just 72 hours”.
“You can get around the random drug testing because between the hours of 11 pm and 7 am, they are not allowed to come to your house. A lot of athletes can take fast-acting testosterone or growth hormones which can only be in your body for seven to eight hours. You could take it at 9-10 pm and it would be out of your system by 7 am,” he continued.
Yet, with all the doom and gloom surrounding the situation, this may be a watershed moment for the sport.
What should be done about it?
Following these comments, the BBBofC are reportedly set to investigate the comments made by Doctor Usman.
This all suggests that the current drug testing system in the UK is flawed and needs to change.
The UKAD drug testing programme is clearly not up to scratch. As outlined earlier, it can only detect banned substances two to three days after the test has been taken which is also easy to get around. As well as this, UKAD is not boxing specific, whereas VADA is.
Therefore, a suggestion could be for the BBBofC to use VADA as their testing programme, like the WBC’s year-round ‘clean boxing programme’.
VADA’s drug testing programme manages to catch any substances that may be in a fighter’s body one month before the test is taken. If any fighter does not enrol, they are immediately dropped from the rankings.
If a fighter should not sign up for this or fails to give a sample, the BBBofC should immediately ban them. This was the case when Rio Ferdinand missed a drug test back in 2003 and was subsequently banned for eight months. If the BBBofC does implement this strategy, for a sport as brutal as boxing, this ban should be at least two years.
This testing all year round would also enable fighters to be caught out of competition instead of eight weeks before a given bout. Many fighters below the elite level never get tested by VADA due to there not being enough money generated in their fights for VADA testing to be implemented.
Boxing is in a precarious place with fans debating the governance of the sport. Whilst this is a precarious moment, this could be a point in boxing history we look back on as a moment of fundamental change.
If the BBBofC is serious about the sport, they will invest in these changes and give UK boxing a fighting chance of a meaningful comeback.
