BBBoC chief "frustrated" with the actions of U.K. Anti-Doping amid Amir Khan suspension
Amir Khan's ban has resulted in the BBBoC chief being a bit frustrated with U.K. Anti-Doping.
'King' has been out of action since his clash with Kell Brook last February. While the two had been rivals for nearly a decade preceeding their matchup, the fight didn't match the hype.
In their bout last year, 'Special K' dominated the entire time. Brook beat Khan from pillar to post, eventually getting a merciful stoppage in the sixth round. Following the fight, both men retired. Granted, Brook recently announced his plans to unretire to face Conor Benn.
This was one way traffic. It was all Kell Brook. I hope Amir Khan hangs them up. He's got plenty of heart but it's time to retire IMO 🥊 #KhanBrook
https://t.co/0F5fNyHxRY
Nonetheless, over a year after that fight, Amir Khan was suspended by the British Boxing Board of Control. UK Anti-Doping found a sample from the former champion that had traces of ostarine after the fight. As a result, he's been suspended for two years for that positive test.
Some fans and pundits were understandably confused by the long wait between the positive test and suspension. BBBoC's Robert Smith addressed the wait in a recent interview with TalkSport, where he stated that the UKAD held the process up.
He admitted:
“When you say ‘sit on it’, we didn’t sit on it. UKAD deal with all our disciplinary matters with regards to anti-doping. They have a process in place for any other sport in the country, we have to abide by that. We’ve signed up to them, as have every other sport in the country. I’m as frustrated as anybody else, but that’s what we’ve signed up to. They have a process and that’s how the process works."
Amir Khan ban: 'King' discusses positive test
Amir Khan's ban has already been discussed by the former champion.
If one believes 'King', there were few more surprised by the positive test than him. He was informed of the positive test weeks after his defeat to Kell Brook, and after he had already announced his retirement from the sport.
Nonetheless, the former champion was sentenced to a two-year ban earlier this week, effective from when he took the test. The 36-year-old discussed the situation in a recent interview with Sky Sports.
There, Amir Khan stated that he had no intention of using any banned substances. Furthermore, the former champion hopes he's not remembered for using the drug, stating:
"I have to take some sort of responsibility. End of the day it's been found in my system. I can honestly say this is something I would never ever do [cheating]... I should have maybe taken more precautions. I don't want to remembered for something like this. That'll hurt me."
See his comments below:
Amir Khan insists he has ‘never cheated’, after testing positive for a banned substance following his fight with Kell Brook last year. https://t.co/YrrwtijEJn