According to BBC Sport, British Olympic boxer Muhammad Ali has been banned for two years after testing positive for a banned steroid.
The 21-year-old tested positive for anabolic steroid Trenbolone during the World Series of Boxing in Morocco in April of last year. Trenbolone, which supports muscle growth, is on the World Anti-Doping Agency's prohibited list.
Ali was provisionally suspended in October and has reached a "settlement agreement" with the International Boxing Association (AIBA), which is the governing body over amateur boxing.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Ali competed as a flyweight and was eliminated in his opening fight - but there was a lot of hype about him from amateur coaches and he was being pushed to be a part of the British squad for the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo.
Ali - who was named after the legendary heavyweight fighter - was being trained at his home gym in Bury under Amir Khan’s former coach Mick Jelley.
It is the first time since GB Boxing was established in 2008 that one of its fighters has tested positive.
A GB Boxing spokesperson told The Guardian: “This is the first time that a member of the GB Boxing squad has tested positive for a banned substance. GB Boxing is committed to clean sport and we work in partnership with UK Anti-Doping and our International Federation to provide extensive education and support to our boxers on anti-doping rules, the anti-doping obligations upon them as athletes and the importance of adhering to the principles of clean sport.”
Ali won the silver medal at the 2014 AIBA World Youth Championships, losing the final to Shakur Stevenson. Ali was selected for the Great Britain team at the 2014 Summer Youth Olympics held in China. And while he lost his semifinal to Shakur Stevenson in another meeting between the two, Ali recovered to win a bronze medal by beating Gaurav Solanki of India.
In 2015 Ali won the silver medal at the European Amateur Boxing Championships. Also in 2015 he won the British amateur championships, beating Matt McHale by TKO in the 2nd round of the final. At the 2016 European Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament held in Samsun, Turkey, Ali beat Armenian Narek Abgaryan in the gold medal bout.
2023-10-20 10:59:18
