WBA Heavyweight champion Lucas Browne has denied taking any banned substance following his March 5 title win over Ruslan Chagaev in Russia, according to Dan Rafael of espn.com.
“I would like to assure all my fans, the whole of the boxing world and all of Australia that I am not a drug user or a drug cheat,” Browne said in a statement. “The news of this positive test has shocked and devastated me, and I will be fighting for as long as it takes to clear my name.”
“Prior to (Tuesday) I had not heard of the drug Clenbuterol and had no idea what it was used for,” Browne said. “I am now aware that it is essentially a weight-stripping drug, and as a heavyweight boxer the idea of me using it is utterly ridiculous. I am a staunch long-time opponent of any drug use, performance-enhancing or otherwise.”
“My team and I were well aware of the many risks involved in going to a place like Chechnya to fight a reigning champion, and believed we had taken sufficient precautions,” Browne said. “In addition, it was at our insistence that VADA testing was implemented for the fight. I will be in a position to release more details and make further comment in coming days. Thank you.”
“Ricky Hatton and Hatton Promotions Ltd. were made aware late (Monday) night that Lucas Browne delivered a positive A sample drug test following his world title win over Ruslan Chagaev,” Hatton Promotions said. “We believe strongly that boxing should be free from performance-enhancing drugs. However, we believe Lucas Browne to be a clean athlete who arrived in Chechnya a clean athlete. We are therefore conducting our own further investigations and cannot comment further at this time.”
