Dillian Whyte has reportedly been cleared to resume his boxing career after a contaminated supplement was found to have been the cause of his positive drugs test.
Whyte returned ‘adverse analytical findings’ in a pre-fight drugs test carried out before his rematch with Anthony Joshua by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
The positive test led to the cancellation of the fight at London’s O2 Arena.
Sky Sports reported that Whyte has now been cleared following an investigation, with the 35-year-old’s positive caused by a contaminated supplement.
‘[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,’ the leading forensic expert in the investigation wrote.
Dillian Whyte has been cleared to resume his boxing career after a contaminated supplement caused his positive drugs test
Whyte’s positive drugs test had led to his fight with Anthony Joshua being cancelled last year
Whyte had vowed in the immediate aftermath of his positive test to ‘prove I am completely innocent’, having said he was ‘shocked and devastated’ by the positive test.
The British boxer had previously served a two-year ban after testing positive for the banned stimulant Methylhexanamine following a win over Hungary’s Sandor Balogh in October 2012.
In 2019 he was charged by UK Anti-Doping after a sample provided in June that year showed the presence of two metabolites of a banned steroid Dianabol. The charge was withdrawn due to the ‘extremely low’ levels of the metabolites.
Whtye told Sky Sports that the process to clear his name had been ‘tough’ and admitted he is ‘relieved’.
He also expressed disappointment at missing out on the chance to face Joshua last year.
‘It’s been really tough, because I knew I was innocent, but then you can’t talk, you can’t say nothing,’ Whyte told Sky Sports.
‘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.
Whyte is reportedly seeking damages from the company that manufactured the supplement
‘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.’
Whyte is reportedly seeking damages from the US company that manufactured the supplement.
After seeing his rematch of a 2015 bout with Whyte cancelled, Joshua eventually faced Finland’s Robert Helenius last August.