Dillian Whyte’s suspension lifted by WBC – but will be forced to wait even longer for title shot
Whyte’s suspension has been lifted after he was last week cleared by UK Anti-Doping
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Dillian Whyte’s suspension has been lifted by the WBC, after he was last week cleared by UK Anti-Doping.
Whyte defeated Oscar Rivas on July 20 to win the WBC’s interim heavyweight championship, but was “provisionally suspended” when he subsequently provided a doping sample that contained traces of a banned steroid.
However, UK Anti-Doping announced that their charge against him had been withdrawn as the levels in his sample were “very low” – freeing the 31-year-old to resume his career.
Whyte then defeated Mariusz Wach on the undercard of Anthony Joshua’s victory over Andy Ruiz Jr and the Brixton heavyweight has now been cleared by the WBC.
“On December 6, 2019, UKAD made a public announcement withdrawing its charge against Dillian Whyte,” the WBC said in a statement published on Monday afternoon.
“Based on limited but detailed research and information gathering, including the WBC’s consultation with two independent experts, the WBC found that there was no sufficient or conclusive evidence that Whyte intentionally, or even knowingly, ingested a banned substance with the purpose of enhancing his performance in any fashion.
“In light of the WBC’s own finding and of UKAD’s withdrawal of the claim against Mr. Whyte, the WBC has closed its internal investigation.
“The WBC is hereby lifting its provisional suspension and confirming its recognition of Mr. Whyte as WBC Interim World Heavyweight Champion.”
Despite regaining his interim title, Whyte will however be forced to wait even longer for his opportunity to win the world championship from reigning WBC king Deontay Wilder.
Whyte has sat at No 1 in the WBC’s rankings since October 2017 but his mandatory challenge was given to Tyson Fury in his absence, meaning Whyte will not receive his shot at the full title until February 2021.
The WBC statement concluded: “Consistent with the WBC Board of Governors’ Ruling at last October’s 57th WBC Annual Convention, Interim Champion Whyte shall become the Mandatory Challenger of the division immediately after Champion Deontay Wilder’s mandatory defence against current Mandatory Challenger Tyson Fury, with the mandatory defence against Whyte being due on or about February of 2021.”
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments