Conor Benn’s doctor may reportedly face an investigation after claiming that a lot of fighters are doping. The comments were made after Saturday’s fight with Chris Eubank Jr. was called off due to Benn failing a drug test.
The Daily Mail reported that the remarks from Dr. Usman Sajjad were made on the Quality Shot podcast. Sajjad supposedly claimed that the majority of boxers are doping and that only an “idiot” could fail a drug test in the United Kingdom.
“If you are an elite level boxer, you know, pay per view, world-class, European level, 80 to 90% are doing it [drugs] from what I’m seeing. When I say doping, it’s not just steroids. You’ve got IV fluid infusion after weigh-ins, you’ve got diuretics, you’ve got growth hormones, you’ve got testosterone replacements.”
He went on to say:
“You have to be an idiot to fail a drug test in England, because urine testing is just 72 hours. Whereas the one that trips up a lot of athletes is if you sign up to the random drug testing, which WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] do. They will track you where you are and can turn up to your house whenever and do a blood test. With a blood test, they can catch things that have been there a month.”
The general secretary of the British Boxing Board of Control, Robert Smith, reacted to Sajjad’s words. He told the Daily Mail:
“We obviously will be investigating his comments which we take very seriously.”
Watch the full statement of Dr. Usman Sajjad, Conor Benn’s doctor, below:
What will happen to Conor Benn?
Conor Benn's positive drug test for a banned substance put the boxing world into a frenzy. The fighter and his team have vowed to get to the bottom of the adverse findings in his drug test, which turned positive for trace amounts of clomifene in the lead-up to his fight with Chris Eubank Jr.
Clomifene is an infertility drug that is said to increase testosterone in men. Boxing Social reported that it's included on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned list and with it comes a potential ban from the sport of up to four years.
This could be the worst-case scenario for Benn should a formal investigation take place. He is currently unable to clear his name or provide a valid reason for the positive drug test. If this happens, Benn will not be able to compete until he’s 30 years old.