Another day has brought the news of another case of doping in boxing.
Lucian Bute tested positive for the banned substance Ostarine in a post-fight drug test after he fought to a draw with WBC super middleweight titleholder Badou Jack on April 30 at the DC Armory in Washington, D.C.
The WBC announced the news on Thursday afternoon in a statement after it had been informed by the D.C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission of the test result. Bute was a replacement for Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., who was in talks to face Jack but pulled out of the Showtime-televised card with a foot injury.
?The D. C. Boxing and Wrestling Commission will follow its rules and regulations regarding antidoping and will be in consultation with the WBC and its Clean Boxing Program,? WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said in a statement of its partnership with VADA. ?Further news will be known in the coming days.?
A source at the D.C. Commission said that Bute could be fined or suspended and may be called in to have a hearing to be questioned on his actions. The commission also plans on contacting the WBC when it comes to meting out punishment to make sure they are both in agreement, the source said.
Ostarine, which is also known as Enobosarm, can be used by athletes for the purpose of improving stamina and endurance, mirroring the results that one can get by using steroids. It was put on WADA?s banned list in 2008.
The 36-year-old Bute (32-3-1, 25 knockouts) came on late in the fight with Jack, showing a resurgence in the championship rounds. Jack (20-1-2, 12 KOs)) was making the second defense of his WBC title against Bute, a former IBF super middleweight titleholder of Romanian-Canadian descent.
