The return of Conor Benn is apparently not up for debate, according to his promoter Eddie Hearn.

The head of Matchroom Boxing unambiguously indicated in a recent interview that his embattled charge would return in the first six months of 2023.

“Conor Benn’s gonna return either early 2023, or mid-2023, that’s a fact,” Hearn said on The DAZN Boxing Show earlier this week.

Benn was originally scheduled to face fellow Briton Chris Eubank Jr. in a 157-pound catchweight bout last October in what was supposed to be a generational reprise of the storied British boxing rivalry between their fathers, Nigel Benn and Eubank Sr., in the early 1990s. But three days out from the fight, Benn tested positive for a banned substance, clomifene, leading to the cancellation of the event.

The adverse test result, which was produced by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency, was known to the fighters, the organizers (Hearn and Eubank promoter Kalle Sauerland), and the British Boxing Board of Control, the regulatory body for prizefighting in the United Kingdom, for nearly two weeks before the Daily Mail, a British newspaper, published their findings during the week of the fight. Hearn and Sauerland were both keen on moving forward with the event, despite the revelations and the widespread public outrage, and were, at one point, considering solutions such as obtaining a court injunction or enlisting the services of an outside boxing commission.

Thereafter, it was revealed that Benn had tested positive for the same substance earlier in the summer. Clomifene, the banned drug in question, is used for fertility purposes; when used by men, it can boost testosterone levels. Neither Benn nor Hearn divulged this information at the time of the first-known failed drug test, leading to the view that they deliberately misled the public.

In another move interpreted as a sign of guilt, Benn voluntarily relinquished his license with the BBBofC on the morning of what was supposed to be a misconduct hearing. The WBC also dropped Benn from their welterweight rankings.  

Recently, Benn reportedly submitted a nearly 300-page document to the WBC and VADA in a bid to prove his innocence. He went on social media recently to vent his exasperation with the time it has taken to produce a resolution.  

Hearn seemed to suggest that he may be willing to take Benn on the road, if he ends up being unable to fight in England.  

“Conor is very frustrated right now,” Hearn said. “Tough luck … But he submitted all the evidence to clear his name and now we’re waiting on VADA and the WBC to make their decision. We want that decision as soon as possible. But the fact is that Conor Benn can fight—not anywhere in the world—but most places in the world right now. He’s not banned by anyone. He can apply for a license [anywhere]. We don’t want that. We want the hearing.

“This is why we want to go through the process so that people can see the facts. A decision can be made, it can either clear his name, he can receive a ban, which I do not think will be the case, and he can progress with his career. He can progress with his career now. But we want his case to be heard because otherwise you’ll have people just accept that.”

“That’s why you’ve seen the social media activity from Conor Benn” Hearn continued. “C’mon guys, make your decision. We’ve submitted all the evidence that we needed to. When do I fight out? The fact remains that Conor Benn will resume his career in 2023.”  

Already looking toward matchmaking possibilities, Hearn floated the idea of pairing Benn with Eubank and, in one of the more curious matchups, Baltimore lightweight star Gervonta “Tank” Davis later this year. For Eubank’s part, the veteran middleweight is still very much open to fighting Benn. Eubank will take on Liam Smith Jan. 21 in Manchester.

Talk of Davis and Benn possibly fighting each other erupted recently after the two went back and forth on social media in the wake of Davis’ domestic violence charge. Davis is still set to fight Hector Luis Garcia this Saturday at Capitol One Arena in Washington D.C. in a Showtime Pay-Per-View main event. A Davis-Benn fight, in any case, is unlikely as Davis’ handler, Al Haymon, and Hearn are business rivals.    

“I love the fight between Gervonta Davis and Conor Benn,” Hearn said. “Why not? Gervonta Davis has boxed at lightweight and I’m sure he wouldn’t mind fighting at 147 or close to [it].”

“I think that the Chris Eubank fight is one of the biggest fights in boxing,” Hearn continued. “Gervonta Davis is another huge fight. I’ve never even thought about that fight and now you see the back and forth and you think yeah, yeah, those two together would be fireworks.”