Dillian Whyte cleared to resume boxing career after cause of positive drugs test before Anthony Joshua fight explained
03/03/2024 15:01
Dillian Whyte has been cleared to resume his boxing career, it has been reported.
Whyte has been sidelined since failing a pre-fight drugs test before his proposed rematch with Anthony Joshua last August.
The fight was cancelled with Robert Helenius stepping in for Whyte on short notice to save the card.
According to Sky Sports, Whyte has been cleared by the Texas Commission, who deemed a contaminated supplement caused his failed test.
A leading forensic expert concluded that: “[M]y expert view is that Mr. Whyte was the victim of a contaminated supplement that did not disclose [the contaminant] among its ingredients and he did not ingest the [contaminant] intentionally.”
Whyte himself said: “It’s been really tough, because I knew I was innocent, but then you can’t talk, you can’t say nothing.
“You have to be professional, trust the process, trust the lawyers and trust the people around you. It’s been tough, but tough times make tough men.
“First of all, I’m relieved more than anything, but of course I’m angry as well because it’s cost me so much. The most important thing is it cost me the chance to beat AJ. Everything else after that is secondary but you know it’s a mix of emotions.
“I’m angry and I’m disappointed as well because people in this game don’t give you a chance to prove yourself. Everybody is quick to say, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ instead of giving people a chance.”
This is wasn’t the first time Whyte has returned adverse findings in a drug test though.
Whyte tested positive for the banned substance Methylhexaneamine after his victory over Hungary’s Sandor Balogh in 2012 which resulted in him being handed a two-year ban.
Seven years later, he tested positive for another banned stimulant in a UK-Anti Doping (UKAD) test but also returned negative tests administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
UKAD initially charged Whyte but that was later withdrawn after undergoing an investigation with which the Brit cooperated fully.
A statement made by UKAD five months after the Rivas fight affirmed they had ‘accepted the explanation provided by Mr Whyte’.
