|
 The 36-year-old former bouncer won the "regular" version of the
World Boxing Association (WBA) heavyweight title when he knocked out
Russian Ruslan Chagaev in Chechnya on March 5.
A letter from the Las Vegas-based Voluntary Anti-Doping Association
(VADA) confirming that Browne's "A" sample had contained traces of
Clenbuterol was leaked to ESPN on Tuesday, however.
"I would like to assure all my fans, the whole of the boxing world
and all of Australia that I'm not a drug user or a drug cheat,"
Browne (24-0-0) told reporters in Perth on Wednesday.
"The news of this positive test has shocked and devastated me and
I'll be fighting for as long as it takes to clear my name."
 Clenbuterol is a performance-enhancing substance sometimes found in
weight-loss pills that is on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)
banned list.
VADA, which provides anti-doping programs for boxing and mixed
martial arts, has said that Browne will have to pay for his "B"
sample to be tested.
Browne said he was seeking legal advice.
"I wouldn't be able to live with myself deep down if I knew that I
had cheated and tried to get away with it, sort of thing. I know I'm
innocent and that's all that matters," he added.
[to top of second column] |
Trumpeted in the Australian media as the country's first heavyweight
world champion, Browne would have been hoping that his victory over
Chagaev would have earned him a fight against Briton Tyson Fury or
Luis Ortiz.
Fury is considered the WBA world champion as he also holds the World
Boxing Organisation (WBO) title, while Cuban Ortiz holds the
"interim" WBA world heavyweight title.
The WBA, which will change the result of the Browne-Chagaev fight to
a "no-decision" if Browne's "B" sample confirms the positive test,
said their tournament involving the three fighters to "recognize one
world champion" was "on hold".
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney; Editing by John O'Brien)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.]
Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
