Britain's Dillian Whyte said he was devastated after an "adverse finding" from a random dope test led to the cancellation of next week's heavyweight fight with former world champion Anthony Joshua.
The two were set to meet at London's O2 Arena on August 12 in a rematch of their 2015 bout, won by Joshua, at the same venue.
Promoters Matchroom said in a statement on Saturday that the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) had informed them that Whyte "returned adverse analytical findings as part of a random anti-doping protocol".
"In light of this news, the fight will be cancelled, and a full investigation will be conducted," they added.
Whyte, who lost a title challenge to WBC world champion Tyson Fury in April 2022, reacted to the news on messaging platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
"I can confirm without a shadow of doubt that I have not taken the reported substance, in this camp or at any point in my life," he said.
"This is not the first time that I have been reported as having an adverse finding for a substance which I have not taken, and as I did last time I will again prove that I am completely innocent."
Former world champion Joshua had also been linked with a fight against Deontay Wilder in Saudi Arabia.
Joshua's win over Whyte almost eight years ago avenged a defeat to his Jamaica-born rival when they had met as amateurs.
Whyte recovered from his defeat to Joshua by winning his next 11 fights and after losing to Alexander Povetkin in 2020 he gained revenge by stopping the Russian in a rematch.
Defeat to defending WBC champion Tyson Fury at Wembley in 2022 was followed by a points win over Jermaine Franklin the following November.
What it means to be a conservationist
Who is Enric Sala?
Enric Sala is an expert on marine conservation and is currently the National Geographic Society's Explorer-in-Residence. His love of the sea started with his childhood in Spain, inspired by the example of the legendary diver Jacques Cousteau. He has been a university professor of Oceanography in the US, as well as working at the Spanish National Council for Scientific Research and is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on Biodiversity and the Bio-Economy. He has dedicated his life to protecting life in the oceans. Enric describes himself as a flexitarian who only eats meat occasionally.
What is biodiversity?
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, all life on earth – including in its forests and oceans – forms a “rich tapestry of interconnecting and interdependent forces”. Biodiversity on earth today is the product of four billion years of evolution and consists of many millions of distinct biological species. The term ‘biodiversity’ is relatively new, popularised since the 1980s and coinciding with an understanding of the growing threats to the natural world including habitat loss, pollution and climate change. The loss of biodiversity itself is dangerous because it contributes to clean, consistent water flows, food security, protection from floods and storms and a stable climate. The natural world can be an ally in combating global climate change but to do so it must be protected. Nations are working to achieve this, including setting targets to be reached by 2020 for the protection of the natural state of 17 per cent of the land and 10 per cent of the oceans. However, these are well short of what is needed, according to experts, with half the land needed to be in a natural state to help avert disaster.
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Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Punchy appearance
Roars of support buoyed Mr Johnson in an extremely confident and combative appearance
