Finland’s Robert Helenius has been issued a two-year ban by UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) for violating Anti-Doping Rules (ADRVs) due to the presence of a prohibited substance in his system during his August 2023 bout against Anthony Joshua of Nigeria and Britain, as reported by UKAD on Friday.
Anthony Joshua, the former heavyweight world champion, secured victory over Helenius with a seventh-round knockout at London’s O2 Arena. The issue arose when Helenius’s sample from a voluntary drug test conducted the day before the fight tested positive for clomifene. Helenius attributed the substance to possible contamination from eggs and chicken he consumed.
Despite Helenius’s explanation, UKAD provisionally suspended him, emphasizing his failure to prove that the eggs and chicken he consumed were free of clomifene. Consequently, Helenius was unable to reduce his two-year ban period. UKAD noted that Helenius had already served 10 months of his suspension since his provisional suspension on September 18, 2023. His ban is set to conclude on September 17, 2025.
