Artur Beterbiev is safe with the WBC following concerns over drug testing by his opponent Callum Smith and his promoter Eddie Hearn.
The three-belt world light heavyweight champion was the subject of a media campaign by Hearn. The Matchroom raised questions during fight week about the December test.
He told several reporters that Beterbiev showed an “atypical finding.”
However, despite Hearn wanting “more information” and greater scrutiny, the World Boxing Council says there is nothing to see here.
After ten years in the sport, Hearn saying he needed more information about “atypical findings” is a concern, especially for a promoter who has regularly dealt with adverse findings from his own fighters.
Artur Beterbiev acquitted
Revealing its findings after a brief investigation, the WBC clarified that Beterbiev was safe.
“Several press reports were published about the results of anti-doping tests carried out on champion Artur Beterbiev. This came in connection with his WBC world light heavyweight’s upcoming defense against Callum Smith; The WBC is now clarifying the situation.
two samples [one urine and another blood] were collected on December 6, 2023. They returned analytical “outlier findings” for 5b-androstanediol and hGH [human growth hormones].
An atypical finding is not a positive result for a banned substance. The World Anti-Doping Agency [WADA] defines an atypical finding as a report from a laboratory or other WADA-approved entity that requires further investigation.
That is precisely what the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association [VADA] did in this case. They are the entity that administers the WBC Clean Boxing Program.
In response to the atypical findings, VADA immediately ordered additional anti-doping tests on champion Beterbiev.
Samples
To do this, VADA ordered samples to be collected in Beterbiev. They were taken on December 15, 2023. [urine]December 21, 2023 [blood and urine]and then again on January 3, 2024. [blood].
All of these samples returned absolutely negative results.
Matchroom, Top Rank, the Quebec Commission and all sanctioning bodies involved [WBC, IBF, and WBO] were notified. Additionally, the Association of Boxing Commissions [ABC] He received notifications of all the results of the anti-doping tests Beterbiev underwent and of all follow-up procedures.
It is well known that there is no way to conclusively identify the origin of an atypical finding.
In the case of 5b-androstandiol, it has been reported that anyone can experience atypical results. They may be due to the speed at which certain people’s bodies metabolize natural testosterone-type compounds.
In the case of hGH, the WADA provides specific criteria for accredited laboratories to report hGH levels as atypical or adverse findings.
Testosterone levels
In the case of champion Beterbiev, the level of hGH detected did not meet the WADA criteria for an adverse finding. Therefore, it constitutes an atypical one.
Because the source of an atypical finding is very difficult to identify, the WADA recommends further testing to monitor any abnormal variations in testosterone levels.
In the case of champion Beterbiev, follow-up tests came back negative. They produced constant levels of testosterone without any increase.
There was nothing that could have suggested that exogenous intake of performance-enhancing substances had been detected.
In short, the testing protocol and the results of champion Beterbiev only lead to one conclusion. There were no adverse findings.
In light of the testing measures taken and all results obtained, the WBC has not and will not take any adverse action in this matter.
The fight continues.
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