DENNIS McCANN has told his promoter Frank Warren he has “not cheated” after he returned an adverse finding following a pre-fight VADA test.
The 23-year-old British and European super bantamweight champion was scheduled to face Peter McGrail on the Oleksandr Usyk-Tyson Fury 2 undercard this Saturday night in Riyadh. However, the fight was scrapped after the news of his failed test broke last Friday.
McGrail now faces Rhys Edwards, but McCann’s future is up in the air as he awaits the result of his B sample test. McCann’s promoter Frank Warren, who also co-promotes Tyson Fury, spoke to Boxing News about the ongoing situation while in Riyadh this week.
“His urine test came out positive. We haven’t had the result of his B sample yet. His blood sample came out negative so that’s where we are,” he said.
“The [British Boxing] Board of Control have now suspended him, reported it to UKAD. UKAD will convene a hearing, and till after the result of that hearing I can’t give you any further information.”
However, in an interview with another media outlet, Warren revealed that stimulants (plural) had come up in the adverse findings.
“There was a couple in there, yeah,” Warren said.
“I’m going to tell you what he told me,” he continued.
“Dennis has told me he has not cheated. He swore to me he hasn’t done that. If he hasn’t and his B sample tests positive he’s then got to explain how this got into his system. So, that’s the position.”
One name that has been associated with McCann is Dr Usman Sajjad. Sajjad’s Instagram bio describes him as a ‘GP, Sports Doc + Andro/Menopause, Doctor for the Champ’, which featured the Instagram handles of Tyson Fury and Conor Benn, among others. His involvement in boxing is a hot topic and one surrounded by controversy.
“I don’t know the Doctor,” Warren said. “I don’t believe I’ve ever met him and he may be the nicest bloke in the world, he might not be. But if what a lot of people allege is that he’s supplying these guys or giving them these stimulants then he’s somebody we don’t need in the sport – if that is true.”
