Page 19 - Aruba Today
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Thursday 31 March 2016
WBA champ Browne again
says he’s innocent of doping
PERTH, Australia (AP) — Anti-Doping Association athlete.” In this March 5, 2016 file photo, Australia’s Lucas Browne cele-
WBA heavyweight boxing and the test came back Browne said at the Perth brates his victory over Uzbekistan’s Ruslan Chagaev in their WBA
champion Lucas Browne negative, proving he was media conference that world heavyweight boxing title match in Chechnya’s provincial
again insisted that he’s in- “a clean athlete” when he he was prepared to take capital Grozny, Russia.
nocent of doping, saying entered the country. a polygraph test and hair
on Wednesday that a urine He said his team was inves- drug test, if necessary, but Associated Press
and blood test he took tigating the period in be- was not confident of keep-
six days before his fight tween his arrival and the ing his WBA belt because
against Ruslan Chagaev night of the fight to deter- the decision was out of his
was negative. mine why the second test hands.
The Australian boxer tested was positive. “It’s the same with boxing,
positive for the banned I like KOs (knockouts), not
steroid clenbuterol, which “I made it clear to the pub- decisions, because it is in
boosts one’s metabolism lic last week that I intended someone else’s hands,” he
and burns fat, after beat- to do all that I can to clear said.
ing Chagaev in the 10th my name after the devas-
round of their fight in Gro- tating news of the positive Last week, Browne suggest-
zny, the capital of Chech- drugs test,” Browne said. ed he might have been a
nya in Russia, on March 5. “I am now able to report to victim of sabotage.
On Wednesday, Browne you that on Feb. 29 shortly “My team and I were well
said he was randomly after arriving in Chechnya, aware of the many risks in-
tested on his arrival to Rus- I was subjected to a ran- volved in going to a place
sia on Feb. 29 by the Las domly timed drugs test by like Chechnya to fight a
Vegas-based Volunteer VADA. This was a test of reigning champion and
blood and urine. The post- believed we had taken
fight test was a urine-only sufficient precautions,” he ‘B’ sample will have any ognized world belt in the
test. said. different results to the ‘A’ heavyweight division with
“I would like to again stress sample.” his win over Chagaev, the
it was myself and my team On Wednesday, he reiter- “I maintain that I did not reigning WBA heavyweight
who requested the bout ated his innocence, add- knowingly consume any champion from Uzbekistan.
be subject to VADA test- ing that he didn’t believe banned substance,” he Browne, 24-0 with 21 knock-
ing. I now hold clear and having his “B’’ sample added, “including the outs, was knocked down in
unequivocal evidence that tested from the post-fight clenbuterol found in my the sixth round but fought
this was a negative test test would make any differ- system in that time.” back and knocked Cha-
and shows clearly that I ar- ence because “I have no The 34-year-old Browne gaev to the canvas in the
rived in Chechnya a clean reason to believe that the became the first Austra- 10th. The referee stopped
lian fighter to hold a rec- the fight later in that round.
