The fight between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte has now been cancelled after a failed drug test result.
Promoter Eddie Hearn announced that Dillian Whyte returned ‘adverse analytical findings in a VADA test. This announcement was made one week before the fight was due to take place.
A statement from Hearn’s company Matchroom read: “Today, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) informed Matchroom, the Association of Boxing Commissions and the British Boxing Board of Control that Dillian Whyte had returned adverse analytical findings as part of a random anti-doping protocol.
“In light of this news, the fight will be cancelled, and a full investigation will be conducted. Further information on the event will follow.”
It remains unknown as at press time whether AJ will seek a replacement opponent.
Filip Hrgovic vs Demsey McKean will take place on the undercard next Saturday, though Joshua could decide to just wait for a showdown with Deontay Wilder which looks likely for January in Saudi Arabia.
This is not the first time Whyte will fail a drug test. After having 9 wins and 0 losses on his record in 2012, he tested positive for the banned stimulant methylhexaneamine in a UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) test.
He was banned for two years from boxing by the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP), despite the panel accepting his claim that he accidentally took the substance because it was an ingredient in an over-the-counter supplement he ingested.
Whyte returned to the ring in 2014, became a household name after his defeat to AJ in 2015 and later spent many years campaigning for a WBC world title shot.
Also, he tested positive for the metabolites of a steroid (reported to be Dianabol) in a UKAD test before his win over Oscar Rivas in 2019.
He was permitted to fight regardless and news of the positive test became public after his victory.
After a long legal process behind the scenes, Whyte was cleared of every wrongdoing by UKAD and got no ban over this positive test, so resumed his career.
He finally got his WBC world title shot in 2022 but was knocked out by Tyson Fury.
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