Anthony Joshua: British heavyweight says 'boxing clearly has a doping problem'

Anthony Joshua (left) volition combat precocious replacement Robert Helenius (right) successful London connected Saturday

Anthony Joshua says boxing "clearly has a problem" with doping aft Dillian Whyte failed a voluntary drugs trial and was pulled retired of Saturday's all-British heavyweight contest.

Asked by BBC Sport if boxing has an contented with doping, Joshua said: "I don't cognize however they're going to benignant it retired oregon what their solution is to this problem. But it intelligibly has a problem."

For the 3rd clip successful 12 months, boxing is facing superior questions astir the sport's credibility and its anti-doping protocols.

In October past twelvemonth Conor Benn's bout with Chris Eubank Jr was cancelled successful combat week aft it emerged Benn had failed 2 voluntary cause tests. Benn has ever protested his innocence, arsenic does Whyte.

Amir Khan was banned for 2 years aft an anti-doping trial revealed the beingness of a banned substance pursuing his combat against Kell Brook successful February 2022.

The lawsuit was not heard by an autarkic tribunal until January 2023.

On Tuesday it was confirmed Joshua would instead combat Helenius. It is the 2nd clip Joshua has had to propulsion an hostile from a combat owed to an anti-doping violation.

• I didn't privation to fto anyone down - Joshua
• 5 Live Boxing with Steve Bunce: In speech with AJ

In 2019 Andy Ruiz Jr stepped successful connected a month's announcement erstwhile American Jarrell Miller tested affirmative for respective banned substances.

Joshua has paid for other investigating by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association for respective years to spell hand-in-hand with UK Anti-Doping Agency's (Ukad) testing.

In their latest report, Ukad carried retired 213 in-competition tests and 133 out-of-competition tests connected fighters connected to the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBoC).

However, successful planetary boxing determination is nary standardisation of anti-doping rules, starring to fighters, similar Joshua, choosing to importune connected further steps to supply regular testing.

But Joshua accepts not each combatant has the funds to guarantee other investigating and his promoter Eddie Hearn said regular investigating beneath the elite level of boxing is needed.

Hearn, CEO of Matchroom, has been progressive with some the Whyte and Benn cases. He promotes some fighters.

Other precocious illustration athletes to neglect tests and service suspensions see Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez successful 2018 and Tyson Fury successful 2015 - with some blaming the depletion of fishy meat.

Joshua, however, says helium is not amazed by doping scandals successful boxing.

"The happening is, radical bash wonderment 'how agelong has this been going on?'.

"It makes maine wonderment 'how agelong has this concern been going on?'. In a way, I'm not shocked anymore successful boxing."

The two-time satellite champion added: "It's not lone the loop you're competing for, it's leaving this crippled with your faculties. Boxing is simply a dangerous, unsafe game. Even connected the broadside of it wherever anti-doping is involved, radical bash instrumentality it for granted."

Hearn calls for planetary assemblage to streamline investigating & punishments

Conor Benn past fought successful April 2022 erstwhile helium stopped Chris van Heerden successful 2 rounds

Welterweight Benn failed 2 voluntary tests for pistillate fertility cause clomifene earlier October's cancelled bout with Chris Eubank Jr.

Benn was suspended by Ukad pending their probe earlier his suspension was lifted connected 28 July.

The lawsuit whitethorn not beryllium afloat resolved - the assemblage said it had 21 days to measure whether it wanted to entreaty against the decision, which was taken by the autarkic National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP).

Benn and Whyte accidental they are guiltless of intentional doping. Both cases, however, item the disorder astir drugs investigating successful British boxing and rise questions connected punishments for fighters who neglect voluntary cause tests.

Both Britons returned "adverse findings" successful tests carried retired by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada), but the BBBoC is guided by Ukad testing.

Matchroom and Benn were unsure if the BBBoC had jurisdiction erstwhile it came to Vada investigating and truthful didn't instantly cancel the fight. Eubank Jr was blessed to proceed with the bout, earlier the board's determination to unsanction the combat forced it to beryllium cancelled 2 days earlier the event.

In Whyte's case, the combat with Joshua was cancelled instantly aft Matchroom were notified by Vada.

Hearn says this was down to Joshua's refusal to combat Whyte aft learning of the results astatine 07:00 BST connected Saturday morning, but besides said they had learned from the mistakes made regarding Benn's tests.

But disorder remains regarding what happens to a combatant who fails voluntary cause tests. The BBBoC reason they bash person jurisdiction and suspended Benn connected that basis. But an autarkic NADP lifted Benn's suspension aft proceeding the case.

The details of their determination is chartless and Ukad could yet entreaty the ruling.

For a failed Ukad test, a combatant is fixed a two-year ban, careless of intent - arsenic seen with Khan's lawsuit earlier this twelvemonth wherever the tribunal ruled retired "deliberate oregon reckless conduct."

"Vada's a reporting agency. So from here, however does Dillian Whyte wide his sanction oregon effort to bash so?" Hearn asked.

"I don't cognize the reply to that. He's not licensed by the BBBoC, he's licensed by Portugal wherever helium lives. What are they going to bash astir it?"

There is nary planetary autarkic assemblage that sets standards crossed the athletics - thing Hearn says needs to change.

A cosmopolitan assemblage that could oversee accordant testing, rules and punishments for doping offences.

"There are governing bodies successful each authorities successful America which person their ain acceptable of rules," helium says. "The British committee person rules and adjacent that isn't clear.

"I deliberation we request a wide acceptable of rules for the athletics globally - which is easier said than done".