Former light-welterweight world champion Amir Khan has been handed a two-year ban from all sport after testing positive for a prohibited substance. The Bolton-born boxer says he did not intentionally take the substance.
UK Anti-Doping said Khan, 36, returned a positive result for the anabolic agent ostarine following his loss to Kell Brook in Manchester in February 2022.
Khan, who announced his retirement in May last year, accepted a violation of anti-doping rules but said he had not intentionally ingested the substance, an argument accepted by an independent panel following a hearing in January. The ban is deemed to have begun on April 6 of last year and will run to April 5 next year.
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A UKAD statement said: “Mr Khan’s two-year ban is deemed to have commenced on April 6 2022 (the date his provisional suspension was imposed) and will expire on April 5 2024.” The panel ruled out 'deliberate or reckless conduct', reports say.
Speaking to Sky News reporters outside his home, Khan insisted that "I've never cheated".
"I've never cheated. I'm a retired fighter - you could see by my performance, my performance against Kell Brook wasn't the best. I lost the fight. I've never cheated in my life."
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