Chris Eubank Jr is 'absolutely gutted' after his fight with Conor Benn was postponed, according to promoter Kalle Sauerland.
Saturday's DAZN PPV main event between Eubank Jr and Benn has been called off after it emerged that the latter had failed a drugs test.
Both men were reportedly still keen to proceed with the bout despite Benn, 26, returning 'adverse analytical finding for trace amounts of a fertility drug.'
But Matchroom Boxing and Wasserman Boxing were left with no choice but to cancel the show following the British Boxing Board of Control's decision to prohibit the fight from taking place.
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Boxing News - Kalle Sauerland reacts to Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn being postponed
Chris Eubank Jr's fight with Conor Benn has been cancelled
And Sauerland, who promotes Eubank under the Wasserman banner, expressed his disappointment after holding a joint press conference with Benn's promoter Eddie Hearn to confirm the news on Thursday.
"I've come from being with Junior this morning and this afternoon," he told iFL TV. "He is absolutely gutted.
"He was ready to fight, he was on weight, despite all of the pre-fight banter and different posts that were put out. But he was absolutely on weight and ready to fight. Super tough camp in just the most difficult of conditions for him.
"So that's my first and foremost thought right now, together with all of the guys and girls on the undercard, each and every single of them who had gone through a camp to be on what was supposed to be a huge night of boxing on Saturday night. Just pure disappointment."
READ MORE: Chris Eubank Jr vs Conor Benn: Frank Warren backs BBBoC's decision to prohibit the fight
Hearn had earlier stated that he would not promote the event 'with a foreign commission or alternative governing body.'
However, Sauerland appeared to contradict this statement as he insisted that they wanted to make sure they had exhausted all options before cancelling at the last minute.
"Yeah it was absolutely discussed," he added. "It was looked into until even this morning between all parties and we looked at different things but ultimately we wanted to follow it from the beginning to the end to the letter of the law.
"And that matter was taken out of our hands, we still feel that the handling of it was inappropriate, and it's something that doesn't sit right.
"Ultimately it's now at the stage where we look at rescheduling it and that's something we'll address now."
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