Heavyweight Robert Helenius received a stiff two-year ban for a positive test on the banned substance clomifene during his last fight against former two-time Champion Anthony Joshua on August 12, 2023, at the O2 Arena in London.
Helenius was a substitute opponent for Joshua and was not competitive before being stopped in the seventh round of one of AJ’s four comeback fights after losing twice to Oleksandr Usyk.
According to Sky Sports, UK Anti-Doping [UKAD] administered the testing, which showed a positive result for the 40-year-old Helenius (32-5, 21 KOs). The Finish heavyweight was unable to show how the prohibited substance got into his system.
“However, following a request by UKAD, Mr Helenius was unable to provide any evidence that the eggs and chicken meat he had consumed in advance of the bout originated from hens that had been administered clomifene,” UKAD said via Sky Sports.
A two-year ban will affect Helenius’ career because he’s not young enough to be inactive for that time without it having a major impact. Since 2022, Helenius has been knocked out in two of his last three fights.
The ban will end on September 17th next year. Helenius was given credit for being provisionally suspended since September 18, 2023. He will still be inactive for two years.
It could be the end of the road for Helenius because he will have difficulty continuing at 41 when the ban ends.
Former WBC heavyweight champion Deontay Wilder stopped him in the first round on October 15, 2022. That was Wilder’s last win.
Helenius looked impressive in 2021, stopping Adam Kownacki in six rounds in their rematch. In their previous fight in March 2020, Helenius knocked out Kownacki in the fourth round.
That fight caught the attention of many boxing fans because of how powerful Helenius looked. His second knockout paved the way for him to be used as Joshua’s replacement opponent last August.
Last Updated on 07/19/2024