Leigh Dawney / Queensberry

3

8h ago

The British heavyweight returned an adverse finding ahead of his scheduled eliminator with Tony Yoka in April. The contest, set for Paris, was cancelled while Okolie – then ranked No. 1 at heavyweight by the WBC – maintained his innocence.

In a joint statement issued Friday, the WBC said it had considered evidence supporting Okolie’s position that a third party caused the prohibited substance to enter his system without his knowledge or consent. The case was settled through an Adjudication Agreement under the WBC Clean Boxing Program.

“Clean sport has always been extremely important to me,” Okolie said in the statement. “I have cooperated fully throughout the process and remain committed to the highest standards of integrity in boxing.

“I look forward to the next chapter of my career and to being actively involved in the sport in the months ahead, while also using this experience to help educate other athletes about the importance of understanding and monitoring everything that enters their bodies.”

The WBC stated: “Throughout the process, Mr Okolie cooperated with the WBC’s review and provided extenuating evidence supporting his position that the prohibited substance entered his system as a result of the actions of a third party, without his knowledge or consent.”

As part of the agreed resolution, the 23-1 (17 KOs) Okolie must remain open to additional testing and to work with the sanctioning body in support of anti-doping education.