LAWRENCE OKOLIE FACES CAREER-ENDING FOUR-YEAR BAN AFTER TESTING POSITIVE FOR GHRP-2
Lawrence Okolie’s heavyweight debut is in ruins after a positive test for GHRP-2. Discover the potential ban and fight fallout.
Lawrence Okolie’s career hangs in the balance after he failed a drug test.
Days before he was set to fight Tony Yoka in Paris, the former cruiserweight world champ tested positive for GHRP-2, a banned substance that triggers the release of human growth hormone (HGH). That test result got him pulled from Saturday’s bout right away. HGH can give boxers a bigger edge by boosting muscle and trimming fat, and it’s notoriously tough to spot in tests.
Okolie, who’s also held a bridgerweight world title, is now looking at a possible four-year ban if the evidence shows he cheated. Even if he can prove he didn’t take it on purpose, he’s still facing up to two years out of the ring. After news broke, the 33-year-old Olympian pointed the finger at injury treatment.
“Before anyone jumps to conclusions, I want to explain that after my bicep injury last year, I picked up an elbow injury on the same arm during this camp,” he said. “I got treatment for that, and now here we are. I really hope people see sense. I’ll work with all the right authorities, and I’m sure the investigation will clear me. No more comments for now. Thanks for all the support. See you soon.”
Okolie’s story is a familiar one for boxing. He was working at McDonald’s in 2012, watching Anthony Joshua grab Olympic gold, and four years later, Okolie himself was at the Rio Games, making it to the last 16. After that, he turned pro and quickly picked up the British, Commonwealth, and European cruiserweight belts.
His big moment came in 2021, when he stopped Krzysztof Glowacki for his first world title, defending it three times. But his cruiserweight reign ended in 2023, outpointed by Chris Billam-Smith in Bournemouth. He bounced back, taking the bridgerweight crown, then jumped up to heavyweight, eyeing a shot at another world title after three straight wins.
That plan is up in smoke for now. Promoter Frank Warren found out about the positive test on Monday and tried to salvage the show, but with Okolie out, he just couldn’t do it. The whole event, including a fight for rising Irish heavyweight Adam Olaniyan, got the chop.
“He’ll have to go through a hearing once they set it up. The whole thing’s a mess, but that’s how it is,” Warren said. As a side note, Tony Yoka, who beat Joe Joyce for Olympic gold in Rio, isn’t new to controversy himself; he served a year-long ban back in 2018 after missing three drug tests.
TYSON FURY BLASTS ANTHONY JOSHUA AFTER DANIEL DUBOIS STOPS FABIO WARDLEY IN MANCHESTER
Tyson Fury has labelled Anthony Joshua "chinny" after Daniel Dubois secured the WBO heavyweight title against a resilient Fabio Wardley.
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Tyson Fury wasted no time after Daniel Dubois stopped Fabio Wardley this past weekend, using the moment to take a shot at Anthony Joshua.
Dubois picked up his second heavyweight title Saturday night in Manchester, grabbing the WBO belt from Wardley in a wild, bloodied battle that’s already being called a fight of the year candidate.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Dubois, though. He hit the canvas twice in the first three rounds but bounced back hard, battering Wardley late and leaving his face a mess as the final bell sounded.
Wardley never actually went down during the fight, despite looking wobbly near the end. Credit to him for sheer toughness, but Dubois still beat him decisively. This was Dubois’ first victory since his massive upset over Anthony Joshua earlier in 2024, when he floored AJ four times in one night.
On Sunday, Fury chimed in about Dubois’ latest win. With his own fight against Joshua rumoured for later this year on Netflix, Fury saw an opening to stir the pot.
“Just been thinking about Dubois’ crazy fight last night,” Fury said. Dubois fought [Jarrell] Miller, stopped him, but never put him down. He fought. [Filip] Hrgovic stopped him but never put him down. Fought Wardley last night and stopped him, but didn’t put him down. He hit Usyk with bombs but didn’t drop him. But against Anthony Joshua? Drops him five times.”
Fury added, “I’m not saying Joshua’s got no chin, but facts are facts. Take it however you want. Nobody else went down, not Miller, not Hrgovic, not Usyk, not Wardley. But Joshua hits the deck five times? Chinny, get up, slink!”
Fury is coming off a comeback win over Arslanbek Makhmudov and has already signed on to fight Joshua this year. Joshua will warm up first against Albanian heavyweight Kristian Pregna in Saudi Arabia on July 25 before facing Fury.
Promoter Frank Warren says Fury vs. AJ will probably land in October, though Fury might want another tune-up, which could push things back a bit.
As for Dubois, he’s got options. There’s talk of a rematch with Wardley, a chance to settle the score with Usyk in a trilogy, or a domestic showdown with Moses Itauma. Dubois’ dad, Stan, told talkSPORT he’d rather see his son fight another British heavyweight next, not Usyk.
HOW DANIEL DUBOIS SURVIVED TWO KNOCKDOWNS TO STOP A BLOODY FABIO WARDLEY
"I had to dig deep." Read Daniel Dubois' full reaction to his stunning comeback victory against Fabio Wardley in Manchester.
The punch that changed everything wasn't thrown by either of the fighters.
Fabio Wardley came out blazing in his title defence, dropping Daniel Dubois just 10 seconds in. He did it again in the third round, making it look like his big night. But then, something strange happened. As Dubois got up after the fourth round, his trainer, Don Charles, slapped him hard on both cheeks.
That’s when Dubois woke up. “I had to make him realise what he needed to do,” Charles said afterwards. It’s not exactly the kind of thing you see at team-building seminars, but it worked. Dubois turned on, and suddenly Wardley’s reign started to unravel.
Wardley had picked Dubois for the first fight since collecting the WBO belt that Oleksandr Usyk dropped. Honestly, it looked like a smart pick: he dropped Dubois twice and set the tone. But after that slap, Dubois started seeing Wardley’s moves coming; those wild lunges became easier to dodge.
He landed his stiff jab and followed up with savage right hands. Wardley’s jaw somehow took the hits, but his nose was pouring blood, and his right eye was almost swollen shut. He kept pushing forward, showing crazy heart, while Dubois just kept piling on. The fight turned into a brutal spectacle, the kind you can’t look away from.
Wardley got checked twice by doctors but kept fighting. Honestly, it could've stopped before the second-to-last round, when referee Howard Foster finally stepped in. Dubois got his second world title; Wardley, battered and worn, just managed a thumbs up to his mum.
Dubois summed it up later: “I had to dig really deep. When you’re a warrior, you go to dark places. I was nervous at first, all over the place, and had to fight my own battles. That slap woke me up. My dad and everyone were in my corner; I couldn’t let them down.
“Fabio came to fight; he was tough. We were exhausted; it was a real war. I had to use all my skills to win. Great fight, great battle, and I’m No. 1 again.” Sure, Usyk might argue about that, but Dubois proved something; he got up off the canvas and won.
People have called Dubois a quitter since the Joe Joyce fight six years ago. Wardley himself thought Dubois would fold again in Manchester, and for three rounds it looked like he was right until reality snapped Dubois awake.
