Former world champion Chris Algieri claims he heard a rumour that Conor Benn ‘was not a clean athlete’ before getting knocked out by him in 2021

Former WBO junior welterweight champion Chris Algieri claims he heard rumours that Conor Benn was doping ahead of their fight last year.

In December, Algieri travelled to England to provide what many believed would be the toughest test of Benn’s fight career at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool.

A former world champion who holds a high-profile win over Ruslan Provodnikov and had been the distance with Manny Pacquiao and Amir Khan – Algieri was certainly a big step up in opposition for Benn.

However, the fight turned out to be straightforward for ‘The Destroyer’ who bossed the first three rounds before spectacularly knocking the New York native out with one shot in round four.

The 26-year-old Englishman went on to beat Chris van Heerden before setting up a mouth-watering domestic clash with Chris Eubank Jr which was supposed to take place at the O2 Arena in London on Saturday night.

On Wednesday, the fight was put in jeopardy when it was revealed that Benn returned an adverse finding for clomifene after being tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association in August.

A day later, the fight was officially called off as a result of the British Boxing Board of Control ‘prohibiting’ it from taking place despite all parties involved in the bout wanting to press ahead with DAZN’s pay-per-view event.

After hearing of Benn’s recent drug test issue, Algieri insisted he was not surprised as he had heard rumblings that the son of ring legend, Nigel, was a cheat.

“Initial thoughts? Not surprised, not surprised one bit,” he told Jomboy Boxing.

“I had heard around the time when I was fighting him that he was not a clean fighter and I like to give fighters the benefit of the doubt.

“This is about competition. I don’t want to take away from anyone who steps into that squared circle, it’s the most dangerous thing you can ever do. I respect every fighter who steps into the ring. I do not respect cheaters.

“For me to hear this, it hits hard, it hits home. Again, not surprised. Hearing this was not anything that shocked me. It shocked me because he got caught, it didn’t shock me because it’s a reality.

The 38-year-old explained why he was happy to go ahead with a fight against Benn after hearing that his opponent could have an unfair and potentially dangerous advantage.

“I’ve beaten unclean fighters before. I’d beaten guys who were cheating before, and I’ve always been willing to do it again,” Algieri added.

“It didn’t matter to me at the time because I’m in the mindset that I’m going to fight soon and I’m preparing to fight that man.

“It is what it is but in hindsight it isn’t the smartest thing because when you’re preparing for a fight your mind is kind of preoccupied.”

Algieri also took to social media to talk about his experience of fighting Benn in England which he called ‘scary’ because of how lax – in his opinion – officials were when it came to ensuring everyone was playing by the rules.

“When I fought in Liverpool I was astonished how little official oversight there was fight week and in the locker room. It was scary honestly,” he tweeted.  

“No one followed me to p*** or watched my hands being wrapped. Def gave me the impression it was very easy to cheat

“Certainly not the oversight I am used to fighting over in the States. Especially in NEW YORK where the commission is top notch.”

Van Heeden has also weighed into the debate and admitted he will never know if he was beaten fairly or not.

“I have accepted my loss to Conor Benn like a man and never made any excuses. I had peace inside me BUT now I guess I will never know if I truly and fairly lost to the better man or a cheat.”

I have accepted my loss to Conor Benn like a man and never made any excuses. I had peace inside me BUT now I guess I will never know if I truly and fairly lost to the better man or a cheat.#Boxing

— Chris van Heerden (@TheHeat001) October 7, 2022