Dillian Whyte Cleared of Any Wrongdoing by UKAD
UKAD (UK Anti-Doping) has absolved British heavyweight contender Dillian Whyte of any wrongdoing after previous assertions of “adverse findings” during a drug test in July 2019.
Whyte was initially charged with an anti-doping violation before his WBC heavyweight title eliminator win over Oscar Rivas on July 20, 2019. However, news broke of the failed test only after the conclusion of the bout.
Though the 31-year-old maintained his innocence throughout, he was removed by the WBC as the mandatory challenger for WBC Heavyweight Champion Deontay Wilder as a result of the news.
After an investigation in the months ensuing Whyte’s win over Rivas, UKAD has released a December 6 statement:
Whyte will fight Mariusz Wach December 7 on the undercard of Ruiz – Joshua II in Saudia Arabia. Following UKAD’s decision, he went to Twitter to once again maintain his innocence, but left a message to those who doubted him.
With this ruling, the question begs his status with the WBC. The governing body has declared Whyte will not be named as the WBC mandatory challenger until February 2021. Tyson Fury now holds the mandatory position.
Wilder and Fury are set to fight a rematch on February 22, 2020. Given the recent ruling by UKAD, the WBC should declare the winner of Wilder-Fury II to next fight Dillian Whyte. However, this is boxing and the WBC… that would make too much sense. Here’s hoping they do the right thing.
By: Michael Wilson Jr.
