Robert Helenius Tested Positive For Banned Substance Clomiphene
Robert Helenius, like Conor Benn and Alberto Puello in 2022/2023, tested positive for the banned substance ‘Clomiphene‘, NoSmokeSport understands.
Clomiphene can dramatically increase testosterone levels in men and aid healing, which gives athletes a competitive advantage.
Numerous high-profile athletes including the two aforementioned boxers have returned positive tests for clomiphene in recent years with many attributing it to contamination.
Robert Helenius – The Latest Case In Boxing’s Doping Problem
Robert Helenius replaced Dillian Whyte to face Anthony Joshua on five days’ notice after Whyte also failed a drug test for an experimental drug, Molidustat as first reported by NoSmokeSport.
Matchroom Boxing confirmed on Friday that Robert Helenius returned an adverse analytical finding in a drugs test taken one day before the fight on August 11. The test was carried out by the Voluntary Anti-doping Association (VADA).
BoxingScene’s Jake Donovan was first with news of the banned substance.
Anthony Joshua opponent Robert Helenius fails drug test but has denied knowingly taking the substance in a statement.
“I want to say something very clear in my own words right now with absolutely no exception. I did not use any performance enhancement now or ever. I have been tested my entire career. I was just told that I tested positive for the presence of a non-steroid substance in my system and I wanted to send an immediate direct message to Anthony Joshua and boxing fans that I didn’t cheat and never would.”
Helenius, represented by Tom Brown’s TGB Promotions, is the latest fighter to fail a drug test in a very bad 12-month period for boxing in terms of doping cases.
Zolani Tete, Conor Benn, Alberto Puello, Dillian Whyte, Alycia Baumgardner and Michael Rivera are just some of the other fighters featured in high-profile fights that have failed drug tests recently and it’s led people to believe that boxing is undergoing the same doping problem cycling had around a decade ago.
By NoSmokeSport