Lawrence Okolie’s career in serious jeopardy.
Yesterday morning, it was revealed that Lawrence Okolie had failed a drug test four days out from his scheduled showdown with Tony Yoka in Paris.
His upcoming heavyweight encounter was set to see the meeting between two former 2016 Summer Olympians in his opponent’s hometown of the French capital.
And right around the time the former cruiserweight and bridgerweight world champion was getting into his groove as a heavyweight, everything went pear-shaped.
Okolie tested positive for GHRP-2, a synthetic substance that results in the secretion of human growth hormone, as well as an increase in muscle growth and recovery.
GHRP-2 generally does not stay in the system for long (between 15 minutes to an hour), which is why its metabolite M8 (which stays in the system longer) is tested for. Okolie also tested positive for M8.
Initially, Queensberry Promotions were seeking a replacement for Okolie, with Frank Warren stating he wanted another British opponent to take his place. Additionally, David Adeleye openly stated he would happily be the man for the job.
Alas, the entire card was pulled shortly after, and there was to be no heavyweight action for French fans to enjoy.
Okolie was quick to comment on the matter, implying that treatment on an elbow injury in camp was responsible for his positive test result.
Nevertheless, Okolie is now staring down the barrel of a very hefty gun. For if he is unable to prove how the banned substance was found in his system, he will potentially be facing a ban from all competition for up to four years.
But even if he manages to prove how he tested positive for the prohibited substance, he could still potentially serve a ban of two years under the strict liability rule.
What this means is that the WBC #1-ranked fighter at heavyweight is in a very sticky situation, and the future prospects of his career rest heavily on what happens next.
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