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Former kickboxing champion Tyrone Spong, who also racked up a pair of wins in mixed martial arts (MMA), was expected to make his return to boxing against former cruiserweight champion Oleksandr Usyk on the DAZN network this weekend in Chicago.
Not happening.
Spong, 34, failed his pre-fight drug test for the banned substance Clomiphene, the same estrogen blocker that felled former UFC heavyweight Brock Lesnar, along with current UFC light heavyweight Jon Jones, way back in summer 2016.
“My thought is it’s bad because people are trying to use a shortcut and cheat and the other side of the fight is working so hard. It’s completely disrespectful,” Egis Klimas, Usyk’s manager, told ESPN. “Usyk wasn’t very happy when he found out, of course. He prepared hard for this fight and the other side is trying to cheat and take a shortcut.”
Matchroom Boxing promoter Eddie Hearn told Dan Rafael that opponents are standing by, so the Usyk fight, as of this writing, is still a go. The undefeated Ukrainian (16-0) was last seen knocking out Britain’s Tony Bellew last November.
Spong was also perfect in his boxing career at 14-0 and is fresh off his second-round shellacking of Jeyson Minda last August in Mexico. No word yet on any potential disciplinary action as a result of his failed drug test, but the “King of the Ring” is entitled to due process.