British Boxer Muhammad Ali has learned that he has been banned from boxing for two years for failing a doping test according to BBC Sport.
The news broke this morning amid an ongoing concern in professional boxing that doping might be a bigger, more widespread problem than was first suspected.
British Olympian Muhammad allegedly tested positive for Trenbolone, an anabolic steroid in April 2017 during a World Series of Boxing event that took place in Morocco.
The result as per the BBC this morning was a two-year ban for the flyweight.
It was understood that a provisional ban had been put in place last October but after a meeting today it is understood the AIBA reached a final settlement with the boxer regarding the matter.
Following the news today here is what Muhammad Ali said a short time ago on his officially verified Twitter account:
It is thought that Ali is now targeting the 2020 Olympic Games that are due to take place in Tokyo.
However boxing as a sport has actually come in for some heated feedback at amateur level from the IOC (International Olympic Committee).
The organisation have told the IABA they are not happy with their governance of the sport – and that they reserve the right to exclude boxing from the 2020 Olympics pending a satisfactory review due this April.
(Image source and credit: Muhammad Ali Twitter account)
