Amir Khan, the former British-Pakistani light-welterweight world champion, has received a two-year ban after testing positive for the banned substance ostarine during an anti-doping test following his fight against Kell Brook in February 2022.
Amir Khan is a legendary British boxer who rose to fame by winning a silver medal at the Athens Olympics in 2004 when he was only 17 years old. Throughout his career, he became a world champion and fought some of the greatest boxers, including Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez and Terence Crawford.
Khan, who announced his retirement from boxing in May, acknowledged his violation of anti-doping regulations but maintained that it was an unintentional mistake.
An independent tribunal accepted Khan’s defence, ruling out any intentional or reckless misconduct by the 36-year-old athlete. Khan expressed his disappointment over the ban but reaffirmed his stance on cheating and his commitment to the sport’s integrity.
Despite his defense, the United Kingdom Anti-Doping Agency (Ukad) rejected his argument that the ostarine was transmitted by a contaminated supplement or human contact. However, Ukad accepted that the dose was too small to have provided any performance benefit, and ruled out any “deliberate or reckless conduct” by the retired boxer. The ban from all sports began on 6 April 2022 and will end on 5 April 2024.
The ban serves as a warning that Ukad will aggressively pursue anti-doping rule violations to safeguard clean sport, Ukad chief executive Jane Rumble said. The boxing event promoter, Boxxer, expressed disappointment over the ban and was keen to note that it is against the use of illegal or performance-enhancing substances taken by athletes.
In a related news, Conor Benn, another British boxer, failed two voluntary drug tests for clomifene, a female fertility drug, before his cancelled bout with Chris Eubank Jr in October. Although the World Boxing Council allowed Benn back into the rankings, the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) and Ukad are still investigating him. He currently lacks a boxing license, making him unable to fight in the UK.
