Promoter Ben Shalom of Boxxer is shocked at the recent news that Amir Khan tested positive for a banned substance in connection with his February 2022 grudge match with Kell Brook.
In what was a one-sided bout, Brook stopped Khan in the sixth round. Khan retired a few months later.
Shalom’s company promoted the big pay-per-view affair.
News broke on Tuesday, that testing agency UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) had banned Khan for two years, because the retired boxer tested positive for the banned substance ostarine.
According to I News, Khan was first advised of his UKAD ban on April 6, 2022 and confirmed his retirement the following month.
An independent hearing took place on January 24 with the National Anti-Doping Panel. Khan was found guilty of two violations.
Shalom is very frustrated with the entire situation, as he was never advised of the positive test or even informed of Khan’s legal proceeding early this year.
Shalom, like many others, found out about Khan’s positive test when the news broke on social media Tuesday morning.
“I called the board [British Boxing Board of Control] today when I saw it on social media and said, ‘Do you know about this?’ and they said, ‘I only found out yesterday,’” Shalom told I News.
“We didn’t even know there was a process. We didn’t even know [Khan] failed a test. It’s completely insane. And it’s dangerous. There should be no getting out of failing a drug test. It doesn’t matter whether it’s intentional, doesn’t matter what it was. That’s it. A strict liability ban. And it needs to be governed by a world governing body not multiple different people having different opinions with different rules. It is just communication and it’s bullsh!t. I’m shocked.”