Whyte ‘devastated’ after Joshua fight cancelled
Britain’s Dillian Whyte said he used to be devastated after an “detrimental finding” from his random dope take a look at led to the cancellation of next week’s heavyweight fight with ragged world champion Anthony Joshua.
The two had been because of meet at London’s O2 Enviornment on Aug. 12 in a rematch of their 2015 bout, received by Joshua, on the same venue.
Promoters Matchroom said in an announcement on Saturday that the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) had educated them that Whyte “returned detrimental analytical findings as section of a random anti-doping protocol.”
“In gentle of this news, the fight will be cancelled, and a tubby investigation will be conducted.”
Per Reuters, Whyte, who lost a title scenario to WBC world champion Tyson Fury in April 2022, reacted to the news on messaging platform X, formerly is called Twitter.
“I can confirm with out a shadow of doubt that I possess no longer taken the reported substance, in this camp or at any level in my existence,” he said.
“This is never any longer the first time that I were reported as having an detrimental finding for a substance which I possess no longer taken, and as I did final time I will again level to that I’m fully harmless.”
Whyte served a two-yr ban from 2012 to 2014 after testing sure for a banned stimulant contained in a nutritional supplement.
In 2019 he tested for traces of a banned steroid however used to be cleared of any wrongdoing by the UK Anti-Doping Company (UKAD), which withdrew a fee of a doping violation.
Joshua lost his WBA, WBO, IBF and IBO belts to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Usyk in September 2021.
The cease outcomes of the Joshua v Whyte fight will possess put either fighter in the frame for a profitable clash with ragged WBC champion Deontay Wilder.
Matchroom were caught up in one more anti-doping controversy currently appealing British welterweight Conor Benn , who failed two voluntary pills assessments final yr.
UKAD said in July that Benn, who had been because of fight Chris Eubank Jr in London final October, used to be now no longer below suspension.
