Antonio Tarver refutes failed drug test, says he took nothing illegal

Antonio Tarver reportedly failed a drug test for his August 14 bout with Steve Cunningham in New Jersey, and we know now that the banned substance in question is synthetic testosterone. Tarver, however, says he took nothing illegal, and that he's going to fully comply with the follow-up process.

"I have no idea how my urine sample tested positive because I didn't take anything illegal," Tarver said via press release. "Either the test was contaminated, or mixed-up with another sample. We believe in the process and I will fully comply. Further analysis will prove I'm 100 percent innocent because I've done nothing wrong."

This is a stance we've generally heard from athletes in all sports when they've failed drug tests, and very similar to what Tarver said in 2012 when he failed a drug test in California for the steroid drostanalone, that time claiming a "false positive." He was suspended for one year by the California commission, and given a chance to have the "B" sample of that test analyzed if he wanted California to reconsider. Tarver did not fight again for 17 months.