Robert Helenius handed two-year boxing ban for failing drug test after defeat to Anthony Joshua

Robert Helenius has been banned from boxing for two years by UK Anti-Doping after failing a drug test following his heavyweight fight with Anthony Joshua .

Helenius tested positive for the banned substance clomifene after the August 12 bout last year at London's O2 Arena, which saw the Finn knocked out by Joshua in the seventh round.

The 40-year-old has denied taking performance-enhancing drugs and, according to UKAD, said the detection of clomifene in his urine sample must have originated from the consumption of eggs and chicken meat.

However, a statement from UKAD on Friday read: "Following a request by UKAD, Mr Helenius was unable to provide any evidence that the eggs and chicken meat he had consumed in advance of the bout originated from hens that had been administered clomifene.

"Mr Helenius was therefore unable to identify the source of clomifene in his sample and therefore unable to reduce the applicable period of ineligibility of two years."

Helenius is entitled to credit for the time he has spent provisionally suspended - deemed to have begun on September 18 - meaning his ban will end at midnight on September 17, 2025.

Helenius stepped in as a last-minute replacement for last year's fight after Joshua's original opponent Dillian Whyte tested positive for a banned substance.

Whyte protested his innocence and was cleared to resume his career after it was accepted he had consumed a contaminated supplement, the Briton returning to the ring in March with victory over Christian Hammer.

Additional reporting by PA Sport.

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