Dillian Whyte reportedly failed drug test before Oscar Rivas fight

DIllian Whyte’s dream of a WBC title shot may have just gone up in smoke. News broke last night that “The Body Snatcher” failed a drug test ahead of his recent victory over Oscar Rivas, and the details that have emerged since paint an unpleasant picture.

Promoter Eddie Hearn’s statement neither confirms nor denies the report, but merely claims that “[b]oth fighters were cleared to fight.”

The British Boxing Board of Control was similarly noncommittal.

The failed test reportedly came three days ahead of last Saturdays’ bout.

When told about the initial positive, Whyte asked for his B sample to be tested, as is his right, which would not have been possible until this week. This meant Ukad, the sport’s governing body the British Boxing Board of Control, and the World Boxing Council’s chosen testing body the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency had little option but to allow him to fight.

The key, damning detail: Rivas (26-1, 18 KO) and his team were not informed of the failed test.

Team Rivas had already filed a protest over what they alleged to be shady gloving practices before the fight even happened.

As far as the substance itself, veteran journalist Thomas Hauser reports that Whyte (26-1, 18 KO) tested positive for two metabolites of the anabolic steroid Dianabol. Whyte had previously served a two-year suspension for the stimulant methylhexaneamine in 2012.

I do want to stress that we have not received official confirmation or denial from Whyte, his team, UK Anti-Doping, or the BBBofC. Neither have we gotten the results from Whyte’s B sample. Even if said sample winds up exonerating Whyte, however, the lack of transparency with Rivas’ team is inexcusable.

We’ll have more as this develops.