Lucas Browne Fails Drug Test
Lucas Browne gained a lot of respect in the boxing fandom after recovering from a knockdown to defeat Ruslan Chagaev earlier this month. The bout showcased Browne’s grit and fortitude, and also bagged him the WBA crown, making him the first Aussie to hold a world Heavyweight championship.
But Browne’s victory has since been tainted following a post-fight drug test, with the VADA identifying the drug Clenbuterol in his sample. Browne denies any wrongdoing and is seeking legal aid at present, however, with Ricky Hatton (of Hatton Promotions) firmly backing his fighter’s innocence. Hatton Promotions will be launching their own investigation into the matter.
“Prior to today I had not heard of the drug clenbuterol and had no idea what it was used for,” Browne said in a statement to World Boxing News. “I am now aware that it is essentially a weight-stripping drug, and as a heavyweight boxer the idea of me using it is utterly ridiculous. I am a staunch long-time opponent of any drug use, performance-enhancing or otherwise.”
Dominick Guinn to Face Hughie Fury
The whole Hughie Fury vs TBA situation has gotten awfully messy this week. Fury, who was all set to face Nagy Aguilera (who’d already replaced original choice Alexander Ustinov), will now be facing Dominick Guinn at the weekend. In a nutshell, Aguilera got injured, pulled out of the fight and Guinn filled in.
Guinn isn’t the ‘world-ranked’ opponent (whatever that even means nowadays) Fury’s promoter Mick Hennessy had promised, but in fairness, the match-making process has been plagued since day one here. Anyway, Guinn will be facing Fury with just a week’s notice, with the bout supporting the night’s headliner between Chris Eubank Jr and Nick Blackwell. The British Middleweight title will go home with the winner.
Going in, the unbeaten Fury will carry 18 wins and 10 knockouts, and Guinn a colorful 35 wins, 10 defeats, 1 draw, 25 knockouts.
Roy Jones Jr (Legally) KOs a Fan
Is it a bad day for boxing when one of its veteran fighters knocks out a man who grew up idolizing him? I don’t think I need to actually answer that question. For Roy Jones Jr, that was actually a payday on Sunday night when he partook in a freak show-type event where a ‘lucky’ fan got the opportunity to win $100,000 if they beat him.
The fan selected was Vyron Phillips, and can now boast being a KO victim of former pound for pound king, Jones. Phillips was concussed by a single right hand in the closing minute of the 2nd round, and that was all it took to end the contest. The bout, which was part of a larger show featuring wrestling and other…stuff…was a URShow.tv online Pay Per View event.
For what it’s worth, Phillips came to the ring with a record of 5-3 in MMA, had no pro boxing experience, and got his chance to topple Jones after winning a Facebook poll. Jones now improves (officially?) to 63 wins, 9 defeats, with 46 knockouts. This awful-sounding-Rocky-esque-story is one every combat sports fan will surely be eager to forget.
What’s your opinion on the Lucas Browne drug scandal, this weekend’s easy night’s work for Hughie Fury, plus Roy Jones Jr’s pasting of a ‘lucky’ admirer?
