England-based Nigerian-born heavyweight boxer, Lawrence Okolie has put the blame of his failed drug test on an elbow injury he suffered during training ahead of his scheduled fight this weekend in Paris, France.
READ ALSO: Victory Godah Delivers Solid Performance at Gary Wilson Invitational
Sports247 reports that the organisers have been forced to call off the entire fight schedule, following the drug test that ruled Okolie out of the main event, which would have been a challenge bout with Tony Yoka of France.
Okolie failed the test just four days before the bout in France, and Frank Warren’s promotion company was forced to cut the entire bill, following the medical verdict as released by Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).
The former cruiserweight world champion was due to tango with the 2016 Olympic Games gold medallist in the French capital on Saturday, but he tested positive for a banned substance in his system, which he blamed on pain killers.
He could eventually be banned for up to four years if he cannot explain the trace of the banned substance, GHRP 2, which helps a regular user to increase muscle mass in the body, improve recovery and speed up fat loss.
Okolie disclosed in a media statement: “Before anyone starts imagining the worst, following my bicep injury last year, I sustained an elbow injury on the same arm during this camp. I had a treatment on it and now we are here.
“I truly hope sense prevails. I will of course be fully cooperating with all relevant authorities and I’m confident any investigation will clear my name. I won’t be making any further comment at this time. Thank you for all your support.”
Sports247, however, confirmed that the 33-year-old Okolie faces up to a four-year ban after the Human Growth Hormone stimulant was found in his system when VADA returned an adverse analytical finding in his doping test.
The Nigerian-born boxer, who looked stunning in his knockout of Ebenezer Tetteh last December, is now set for the cooler, after his A-sample was flagged for GHRP 2 and its M8 metabolite.
Medical experts reveal that GHRP 2 is a synthetic substance that stimulates the body to release Human Growth Hormone from the pituitary gland and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1).
