Lawrence Okolie has returned an adverse analytical finding from a VADA Anti-Doping test ahead of Saturday’s clash with Tony Yoka.
Lawrence Okolie (23-1, 17ko’s) was set to fight Olympic gold medallist Tony Yoka (15-3, 12ko’s) this Saturday in Paris.
The man from Hackney has has a brilliant start to his time at heavyweight.
His standout win in the blue ribbon division was against heavyweight gatekeeper Kevin Lerena (31-4, 15ko’s).
Despite tearing his bicep, Okolie won close to every round on his way to a shutout unanimous decision victory.
The 33 year old is ranked healthily with the WBC, and is only behind interim champion Agit Kabayel (27-0, 19ko’s) in line for a shot at Oleksandr Usyk’s WBC title.
A win over Tony Yoka would have opened the doors to potential mega fights at heavyweight for Okolie.
However, in a statement by Queensberry Promotions: “Last night the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) informed Queensberry that Lawrence Okolie returned an adverse finding following an anti-doping test conducted ahead of the show in Paris this Saturday. A further update regarding the event will be made in due course.”
As of right now, the event has not been discontinued.
A WBC junior middleweight title eliminator between Queensberry’s new acquisition Bakary Samake (19-0, 11 KOs) and Ermal Hadribeaj (22-0-1, 8 KOs) is the card’s big attraction outside the main event.
Whether this clash will be elevated to main event is yet to be seen.
This is a developing story, more news to follow…
Want to get the latest boxing news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
