09 August 2023 , 19:00
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Anthony Joshua has explained why he wasn’t surprised when Dillian Whyte was forced out of their rematch due to a failed drugs test.
Former two-time heavyweight champion Joshua was scheduled to meet familiar foe Whyte this Saturday at The O2 arena, but an “adverse analytical finding” in a pre-fight drugs test cancelled their rematch. ‘AJ’ will now face short-notice replacement Robert Helenius, who fought just last weekend at a 15th century medieval castle in Finland.
Whyte served a two-year ban in 2012 for a banned stimulant and also failed a drugs test after his fight against Oscar Rivas in 2019, but was later cleared of any wrongdoing. Joshua said of his latest test failure: “We had two options, do we go ahead with the show or do we cancel the show?”
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“It happens in boxing, it’s not the first time so no, I wasn’t so surprised to be honest. It’s not disgusting and I hope it’s a mistake but that’s why I have to invest in these tests so now I asked my team if they can get Helenius VADA tested as well. I actually don’t know what Dillian Whyte was caught with but I’m not going to fight him on drugs, no way.
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"It’s not morally right. They must be doing it without knowing because I think the money is better than a ban. Why would you go through a whole training camp to dope at the end and get banned? I just think they’re not being careful. If you don’t do your research it can lead to a positive drug test."
Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte were set to fight again on Saturday (Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing via Getty Images)It’s not the first time Joshua has been forced into a short-notice fight because of a drugs testing issue, as he lost his heavyweight titles to Andy Ruiz Jr in 2019 after Jarrell Miller was pulled from the event due to multiple failed tests. ‘AJ’ doesn’t hold any ill will towards Whyte but thinks his reputation has taken a hit because of the adverse finding.
“I don’t wish Dillian any bad, but his reputation is tarnished and it’s not good for his career. Now I’m in a situation where a late replacement isn’t good for anyone, but [Helenius] is a good fighter and he’ll keep me on my P’s and Q’s,” he added. “It damages the fight, we nearly lost a card because of this situation. I don’t think we need longer bans, I think we need to get it at the root. It’s hard to test everyone because there’s so many fighters, but maybe the top 50? I don’t know the solution.”