Eddie Hearn has been throwing stones in glass houses, as he reacts to an “atypical” finding by VADA, regarding a recent test sample from Artur Beterbiev.
Since the test from December, there has been two concurrent tests which have been negative, as far as I’m concerned, Artur Beterbiev is a clean athlete until further notice.
So, why do I think this is a case of throwing stones in glass houses? Simply; Conor Benn is a boxer that is promoted by Eddie Hearn, and has tested positive twice.
In my opinion, it is best to reserve judgement, until a positive sample can be found; with that being said, fighters can potentially cycle substances to evade testing positive. I do not think Beterbiev’s team have been doing this.
This has been raised shortly before the Callum Smith vs Artur Beterbiev fight, could this insinuate that there is a lack of confidence from the Smith team? Quite possibly.
The following is a quote from Dr Margaret Goodman, VADA founder and president: “Atypical findings are fairly common in PED (performance enhancing drug) testing and do not constitute an adverse test result”
Please refer to the following source for further information: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/boxing/article-12954149/Artur-Beterbiev-atypical-finding-drugs-test-month-world-title-fight-Callum-Smith-unbeaten-Russian-Canadian-clean-athlete.html
This suggests that such findings are a frequent occurrence, and should not elicit concern.
Artur Beterbiev had the following to say in response to the reaction:
“I have never tested positive for a banned substance throughout my career. Any attempt to imply otherwise, through innuendo or suggestion is slanderous and libellous. This conduct is beyond acceptable trash talk. Callum is already searching for excuses, looking for a way out. See you Saturday.”
What I will say in Hearn’s defence, is that he hasn’t yet made an accusation, but has stated that he would like more transparency; personally, I will digress and say there appears to be enough transparency, but I’m just an outsider looking in, Eddie Hearn of course, deals with issues such as this directly. So his opinion is more informed than my own.
Hearn’s reaction isn’t libellous, as he hasn’t made the claim that Beterbiev is cheating; however, it is clear that he is indeed suspicious of the findings.
Both Hearn and Benn assert innocence regarding the two negative samples; however, as there’s been two, I think it is much less likely that this is the case.
Now, lets look forward to the fight, which in the UK, will be live on Sky Sports Arena Sunday morning, estimated broadcast time is 4:00am.
Fight Prediction
Finally, on to my prediction for this weekend; I think Beterbiev will win by TKO/KO in the latter stages of the fight, namely, the championship rounds.
Artur Beterbiev to win by TKO/KO appears to be the betting favourite, but this means the potential returns are relatively low.
Alternatively, I think going for Beterbiev after 8-rounds, would be a better bet; however, this will of course mean that an early KO will result in a loss of money on that bet.
As I think there’s potential for this fight to go the distance, the over 8-rounds pick I think is sensible. Choosing over 8-rounds for either fighter is another option, but the reduced specificity will reduce the potential returns.
Please refer to my page: This Week’s picks, for other picks I have made for this week