One of the best posts I've read. I have friends who are half interested In boxing and there reaction to big situations is a good barometer to me as to how the sport is viewed by a wider public. They are in disbelief that multiple test failures are being treated this way - basically they now view the sport as corrupt and are disinterested. The damage this behaviour has done to the sport is saddening
Not sure how you can call out UKAD for this. Do any other sport have these sorts of issues with UKAD?
It's hard to get a read on the situation. On one hand Eubank posted Friday morning that he was fighting Smith, leading people to believe that he had heard something. Benn has however carried on as normal on IG and has been in the gym and talking up a fight with Brook. Benns team normally leak like a sieve but we've heard nothing. Hearn says a decision has been made, but he doesn't know what it is. WBC have removed him from their rankings, which is odd because they would do anything to keep him ranked as they want the 3% on his next fight. Feels like they're doing a deal in the background.
I see Harlem Eubank is calling Benn out now. Anything to keep the family feud alive! And to give Kalle another bite at the PPV money
The shambles that ensued when Tyson Fury tested positive and just last year Amir Khan. It took a year to resolve the Khan situ from what I can remember. That may have been lawyers though dragging it out as much as possible by being awkward.
The Khan situation. was resolved quite well wasn't it? They charged him then let him present a case which takes time to prepare if you use proper people. The Fury one was odd as he was made aware of it over a year after the test. Very suss.
Boxing is not a sport it's a business, and it has no integrity. It has always been a murky business as best. Hearns and co just don't bother to hide their contempt for boxing fans any more, the fans are the mark, and the ONLY place your opinions register are at the box office. Expecting boxing to follow some sort of moral compass is like expecting hollywood to. It's the entertainment business and they couldn't give a fck about some notion of "the integrity of the sport" I'm not attacking your opinion, I think it's a noble ideal to hold, but it isn't grounded in reality. There's no integrity, it's the fight game, the fight business, it's about selling tickets and ppvs. Whatever it takes to do that. These guys don't care what you think about BENNE as long as you are interested in his next fight. Look at some of these characters they wheel out representing the ZONE, most of them look like crackheads. If I've ever seen a morally bankrupt organisation based on the embodyment of it's staff members, it's this one. Soulless, vampiric. I'm just calling it as I see it.
You'd assume if Benn was imminently about to be cleared and he knows this, word would have got to Eubank, Sauerlands etc to hold fire just a little bit longer as there's way more money in that fight and let's face it they aren't one to turn down the extra cash. I don't know if you can read anything in the fact that Eubank has chosen the Smith fight after this hearing has taken place and wasn't willing to wait any longer to announce it.
If Connor Henn beats the system I'm probably done with boxing besides the super fights. The way Hearnz Jnr and Henn tried to bully their way out of this was shades of the mafia when they ran the sport in America.
I feel very similar, very disillusioned. If they bully their way out of this it may well be final straw for me
It certainly suggests that - although the Benn fight will always be there for him so I wonder if he has just gone for both pay days. With how desperate they are to get this fight across the line I'd imagine Eubank can pretty much name his price and take a giant split
I agree 100%. Nice to read this post. Professional boxing is a rotten business where the health of the boxers comes second. Many boxing promoters run a pure godfather style where they financially cheat the boxers and only think about making as much money as possible for themselves.
Benn first tested positive on July 25th, the anniversary of which is only a few days away. Is there anything we should be reading into that? Perhaps a backdated 12 month suspension will be announced on the anniversary. Meaning he has already served his time. What an absolute f...ing disgrace it would be if that turns out to be the case.