British Boxer Banned for 2 Years
 

John Donnelly Banned after Testing Positive for Banned Substance

John Donnelly, the former British bantamweight champion, is the latest in a spate of boxers to have been banned in the last year for testing positive for a banned substance.


By Gareth A Davies, BBC Boxing Correspondent
06 Mar 2013

Donnelly was handed the 24-month ban after he produced a positive test for the stimulant benzoylecgonine, a metabolite of cocaine, on November 9 last year. The 28-year-old was tested in the wake of his first round defeat by Paul Butler in their British super flyweight title clash at Liverpool's Olympia.

Donnelly was informed about his failed test and provisionally suspended from all competitions on November 27 last year. The Liverpudlian verbally confirmed to the UK Anti-Doping agency earlier this month he accepted the charge and its consequences.

Last year, heavyweight Ali Adams and Larry Olubamiwu were banned, the latter after multiple anti-doping rule violations.

Olubamiwu admitted to taking 13 banned substances, including human growth hormone and anabolic steroids. Olubamiwu admitted to using 13 banned substances, including human growth hormone and anabolic steroids, over a six-year period. During this time he competed as an amateur and professional boxer.

In the United States, middleweight Andre Berto tested positive for a steroid, and earlier this year, Amir Khan's world title re-match with Lamont Peterson was called off 19 days before the contest when it emerged the American had taken a form of synthetic testosterone. Khan is still chasing a re-match with Peterson.