Olympic champion given suspended ban for missed drug tests
Olympic boxing super heavyweight champion Tony Yoka has been handed a one year suspended ban for missing four drug tests within 12 months, according to a report on the Daily Mail.
The French international converted into a professional fighter after securing the gold medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The French Boxing Federation is yet to find him guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs but have temporarily given him a suspended ban for missing various drug tests.
The ban will be triggered if the 25-year-old commits another violation but his representatives have strongly denied the claims that he has used drugs.
The news is expected to create a lot of controversy in France, with Yoka scheduled to take on former French heavyweight champion Cyril Leonet in Paris next month.
Yoka is a sparring partner of New Zealand heavyweight Joseph Parker, who is currently preparing for the biggest fight of his career against British heavyweight Anthony Joshua on 31st March in Cardiff.
Yoka’s lawyers have revealed that the boxer has a valid reason for missing all four of his drug tests. They say that he missed one because he was on a flight, another two because he was not at home in France when they came to test him and the last one was missed because of him not being aware that he had to take the test whilst on his ‘relaxation’ period.