Kell Brook has given his verdict on long term rival Amir Khan’s failed doping test following their grudge match.
News broke earlier this year that Khan had tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine on the night of his fight with Brook in February of 2022.
Despite responding angrily to the news – mostly about being kept in the dark but also at the failed test itself and what he branded ‘disgusting’ actions on the part of Khan – ‘Special K’ has reflected on the situation and told Boxing Social via freebets that he now believes his old foe did not intentionally cheat.
“Looking back now, and reading about the drug that he was on, it’s a drug that you get the benefits from, months and months out from the fight.
Me and him got tested many, many, many times for that fight and he passed all them, he failed on fight night. It makes me believe his explanation, he’s obviously picked something up at the last minute.”
“You would not get any benefit from taking that drug on fight night. You could see in his performance, it didn’t help him out in any way, did it? He got beat up in there. So, I don’t think that he was on drugs in that fight, I don’t believe it, I believe what he is saying.”
Khan said he had no idea how the drug entered his system and that the amounts were so small it could have been contamination via hand shaking.
The case was referred to the National Anti-Doping Panel and considered by an independent tribunal, which found that Khan had not knowingly taken the banned substance.
However, UKAD operate with a strict liability policy, meaning the athlete is responsible for anything that enters their body so Khan was still handed a two year ban.