Conor Benn update on new date for Adrian Granados fight after Covid postponement
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Conor Benn wants to reschedule his Covid-postponed date with Adrian Granados for August 14.
But promoter Eddie Hearn warned he may have to wait to face the American on the undercard of Josh Warrington's clash with Mauricio Lara on September 4 in Leeds.
Benn, 24, was set to kick off Hearn's triple Fight Camp series this weekend against Granados at Matchroom HQ in Essex but he tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday morning.
Hearn said: “He wants to fight on August 14 and he’s got no symptoms apart from a little bit of a headache but realistically Leeds is where it’ll land.
“This morning he was like, 'I’m fighting. I said, 'You can’t mate, you’ve failed a Covid test'.”
Hearn confirmed Benn was due to take his Covid vaccine after the fight but does not believe it would have saved the fight if he was already vaccinated.
He said: “I know a dozen people who have Covid and are double vaccinated – it doesn’t matter. If a fully-vaccinated person fails a Covid test, he can’t fight.
"Conor was booked in for his vaccine after this fight because a lot of fighters don’t want to have it during camp because they’re worried about feeling rough for three or four days.
“And they’re also worried about testing positive around the vaccination.
"It should always be your decision, that’s my opinion on it."
This Saturday's card will go ahead with Nottingham's Leigh Wood taking on Can Xu for a version of the WBA featherweight title as the headline bout.
But the Benn news has sparked fears over more major fights getting cancelled following Tyson Fury's clash with Deontay Wilder being pushed back to October because of Covid in the Gypsy King's camp.
Anthony Joshua is set to face Oleksandr Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on September 25 but both fighters will still be subject to Covid-19 tests.
Hearn said: “Joshua has had Covid, I believe he’s still got the antibodies.
“Now the testing is more relaxed but we need to test.
“The reality is, if Conor Benn hadn’t tested, he would have boxed.
“Physically he’s saying he’s fine to box so people start saying, 'Why are the fighters still testing when there is no requirement?' But it is the right decision.
“The only thing is: guys like Josh and Usyk, they have teams of people that are testing them every day.”
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Hearn is still awaiting guidance from the government on whether 'vaccine passports' will be needed for fans attending Joshua's clash with Usyk.
He does not expect them to be compulsory for Warrington's clash with Lara at Headingley.
He added: "If the government come to us and say: all your shows, you can only have crowds that are fully vaccinated then we’ve got no choice."
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- Anthony Joshua
- Deontay Wilder
- Eddie Hearn
- Tyson Fury
- Boxing
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