Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte will no longer clash after the latter tested positive for a banned substance.
Two-time former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua made waves after scoring a silver medal for England in the super-heavyweight category at the 2011 World Championships. He emerged as a promising prospect following his impressive win representing Great Britain at the 2012 Olympics. He’s coming off a commanding victory over Jermaine Franklin Jr. in his last bout. He put on a clinic to earn a dominant unanimous decision on the judges’ scorecards and get back in the winning column following two consecutive losses to champion Oleksandr Usyk.
Anthony Joshua v Dillian Whyte Canceled After Failed Drug Test
Matchroom Boxing took to Twitter to announce the heavyweight clash between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte, scheduled for next weekend, Aug. 12 in London, England, will no longer happen after Whyte failed a drug test.
There was anticipation going into the now-scrapped bout between Anthony Joshua and Whyte. The pair first clashed at the O2 Arena in Dec. 2015 with Joshua coming out on top by TKO.
“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,” wrote the promoters. “In light of this news, the fight will be cancelled, and a full investigation will be conducted. Further information on the event will follow.”
Official Statement on #JoshuaWhyte2 pic.twitter.com/V4BtFaEDuU
— Matchroom Boxing (@MatchroomBoxing) August 5, 2023
Whyte vehemently denies taking any PEDs
Whyte issued a statement strongly denying the use of PEDs (performance-enhancing drugs) after the news of the fight’s cancellation broke on his Instagram.
“I am shocked and devastated to learn of a report by Vada of adverse findings relating to me,” he wrote. “I only learned of it this morning and am still reacting to it. I have also just seen that the fight is being cancelled without having any chance to demonstrate my innocence before the decision was taken. I can confirm without a shadow of doubt that I have not taken the reported substance, in this camp or at any point in my life. I am completely innocent and ask to be given the time to go through the process of proving this without anybody jumping to conclusions or a trial by media.”
“I insisted on 24/7 Vada testing for this fight, as I have done voluntarily and at my own expense for all of my fights for many, many years. This is not the first time that I have been reported as having an adverse finding for a substance which I have not taken, and as I did last time I will again prove that I am completely innocent. All I can do is express my extreme disappointment to boxing fans, who will miss out on what was sure to be a great event.”
Now that the fight is off, a new matchup could be in the works for Joshua while Whyte works on proving his innocence.
