Ali Banned 2 Years

Muhammad Ali

British Olympic boxer Muhammad Ali has been banned for two years after failing a drug test.

The 21-year-old tested positive for the anabolic steroid Trenbolone during the World Series of Boxing in Morocco in April last year.

Ali was provisionally suspended in October and has reached a “settlement agreement” with the International Boxing Association (AIBA).

A flyweight, Ali lost in the first round of the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Trenbolone, which supports muscle growth, is on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s prohibited list.

BBC Sport has learned that as part of the settlement, AIBA acknowledged that Ali – who argued he may have eaten contaminated meat in Morocco – had not taken the substance with the intention to cheat.

Ali believes the length of his ban is “extreme” and said it “couldn’t have been any worse”.

He added: “All they caught me with was two nanograms. I can’t explain it.

“I was trying to make 52kg and I wouldn’t want to put muscle on. I was literally trying to cut weight. It doesn’t make sense.”

Ali, a silver medallist at the 2016 European Championships, added: “I didn’t leave my bedroom for five months. I was so depressed, but it is what it is. I’ve just got to do my time and move on.

“I thought it would be a six-month suspension or something.”

He is now targeting the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.

“It 100% makes me more hungry – I want it more than ever now – not 1% of me thought this would ever happen to me, ” he said.

“There’s going to be people saying this and that. I don’t want anyone thinking I’m a bad guy. ”

 

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