Amir Khan Banned for Cheating.
Amir Khan was banned from all sports for two years after testing positive for a prohibited drug during his fight with Kell Brook last year, but he has denied any wrongdoing.
Khan, 36, tested positive for the anabolic substance ostarine after losing to Brook in Manchester on February 19, 2022, according to UK Anti-Doping.
Khan, who announced his retirement in May of last year, admitted to breaking anti-doping laws but claimed he had not eaten the chemical on purpose, an explanation confirmed by an independent panel during a hearing in January.
A
UKAD statement said: "Mr Khan's two-year ban is deemed to have commenced
on April 6 2022 (the date his provisional suspension was imposed) and will
expire on April 5 2024."
When
asked about the verdict by Sky News, Khan was defiant, replying: "I have
never cheated.
"I
am a retired fighter. You can see by my performance against Kell Brook [that
it] wasn't the best. I lost the fight. If I went in there and knocked Kell
Brook out it is different. I have never cheated in my life, I am the one who
wanted the testing done.
"The amount that was in my system could have come from shaking
peoples' hands. I don't know what the drug was in my system. I will give my
views, but, like I say, I have never cheated in my life. I would never cheat. I
am a retired fighter, and I have got this two-year ban now, which is quite
strange. I have already retired anyway. No comeback plans at all."
An independent tribunal accepted Khan's argument and ruled out
"deliberate or reckless conduct" in a written decision dated February
21 2022, and imposed a two-year ban, rather than a more severe four-year
suspension, from all sport due to "strict liability".
"Strict liability means athletes are ultimately responsible
for what they ingest and for the presence of any prohibited substances in a
sample," UKAD chief executive Jane Rumble said.
Ostarine is a selective androgen receptor modulator that can aid muscle building and is intended to have comparable effects to testosterone, according to UKAD.
Throughout a 40-fight career that included 34 victories and six losses, Khan unified world championships at super-lightweight and challenged pound-for-pound studs Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
After capturing an Olympic silver medal at the 2004 Athens Games, the Bolton boxer began his professional career in 2005.
Khan won the WBA super-lightweight championship in July 2009 by defeating Andriy Kotelnik on points, and he added the IBF title two years later by stopping Zab Judah.
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