Retired British boxer Amir Khan has been banned from all sports for two years after the prohibited substance ostarine was detected in his sample following his fight against Kell Brook last February, the UK Anti-Doping agency said on Tuesday.
Khan, the former light-welterweight world champion, announced his retirement last May following a sixth-round stoppage loss to fellow Briton Brook on Feb. 19. If he returns, he won’t be able to fight until April 2024.
According to the UKAD website, ostarine is a drug that mimics the effects of testosterone. It is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list as an anabolic agent and is always prohibited in sports.
Khan, who had expressed concerns about a lack of drug testing before his fight with Brook, admitted to breaking anti-doping rules but claimed it was not intentional.
“I’ve never cheated in my life,” Khan said, according to Sky Sports. “As evidenced by my performance against Kell Brook… It would be different if I went in there and knocked Kell Brook out.
“I was the one who wanted the fight tested. The amount in my system could have come from shaking people’s hands… “I have no idea what drug was in my system.”
In a written decision dated Feb. 21, 2022, an independent tribunal accepted Khan’s argument and ruled out “deliberate or reckless conduct,” imposing a two-year ban from all sports due to “strict liability.”
“Strict liability means athletes are ultimately responsible for what they ingest and the presence of any prohibited substances in a sample,” UKAD CEO Jane Rumble explained.
Khan’s ban began on April 6, 2022, and will end on April 5, 2023.
“I’m a retired fighter; ironically, they’ve now given me a two-year ban,” Khan added.
Khan won a silver medal as a teenager at the 2004 Athens Olympics before turning professional a year later.
He won the WBA light-welterweight title in 2009 by defeating Ukraine’s Andreas Kotelnik, and he added the IBF title in 2011 by defeating American Zab Judah.
Khan retired with a record of 34 wins and six losses, though the panel disqualified his loss to Brook.
