British Boxer Lawrence Okolie Fails Doping Test Ahead of Paris Heavyweight Clash With Tony Yoka
- British boxer Lawrence Okolie has failed a doping test ahead of his scheduled heavyweight fight against Tony Yoka in Paris, leading to the cancellation of the event.
- The 33-year-old former world champion was set to face the 2016 Olympic super-heavyweight gold medallist on Saturday, 25 April 2026, in a bout promoted by Queensberry.
- the fight night has been cancelled, with Queensberry citing "circumstances outside of our control" as the reason for calling off the entire event.
British boxer Lawrence Okolie has failed a doping test ahead of his scheduled heavyweight fight against Tony Yoka in Paris, leading to the cancellation of the event.
The 33-year-old former world champion was set to face the 2016 Olympic super-heavyweight gold medallist on Saturday, 25 April 2026, in a bout promoted by Queensberry. However, the promoter announced on Monday night that it had been informed by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) that Okolie “returned an adverse finding following an anti-doping test conducted ahead of the show in Paris this Saturday.”
the fight night has been cancelled, with Queensberry citing “circumstances outside of our control” as the reason for calling off the entire event.
Okolie addressed the situation in a statement posted on social media, where he sought to clarify the circumstances surrounding the failed test. “Before anyone starts imagining the worst, following my bicep injury last year, I sustained an elbow injury on the same arm during this camp,” he said. “I had a treatment on it and now we are here. I truly hope sense prevails.”
He added that he would “of course be fully cooperating with all relevant authorities” and expressed confidence that “any investigation will clear my name.”
Okolie, who won a world title at cruiserweight before moving up to heavyweight in 2024, is undefeated in three heavyweight fights. His most recent outing came last December when he stopped Ebenezer Tetteh.
According to the Associated Press, Okolie is currently the No. 1-ranked contender by the World Boxing Council (WBC), whose heavyweight belt is held by Oleksandr Usyk. The AP also noted that Yoka had previously served a one-year ban imposed by the French anti-doping agency in 2018 for failing to provide a doping sample three times within a one-year period.
The failed test means Okolie now faces a potential ban of up to four years unless he can demonstrate that he was not at fault for the adverse finding.