Robert Helenius has been suspended for two years. Due to an anti-doping rule violations for using a prohibited substance before his bout against Anthony Joshua in August 2023, UK Anti-Doping said Friday.
Robert Helenius has been handed a two-year ban for failing a drugs test after his fight with Anthony Joshua last year. pic.twitter.com/cy5w2AruoT
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) July 19, 2024
Former heavyweight world champion Joshua beat Helenius with a seventh-round knockout punch at the London O2 Arena.
Robert Helenius’ sample from a voluntary drug test the day before the bout tested positive for clomifene, which the Finnish boxer said may have originated from consuming eggs and chicken.
Helenius, now 40, was provisionally suspended, and UKAD said he was unable to provide proof that “the eggs and chicken meat he had consumed in advance of the bout originated from hens that had been administered clomifene.”
“Mr. Helenius was therefore unable to identify the source of clomifene in his sample and therefore unable to reduce the applicable period of ineligibility of two years,” UKAD said.
UKAD said that since Helenius was provisionally suspended on Sept. 18. That he has already served 10 months of his ban, which will expire Sept. 17, 2025.
What’s next for Helenius?
Without a doubt this most likely is the end of the road for Helenius. He’s never getting another title shot or will be in contention. By time the suspension is over he’ll be 42 so retirement could be imminent.
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Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
