UKAD, the official British anti-doping agency, has not yet completed the analyzes of the samples given by Robert Helenius in London. The athlete is suspected based on a test ordered by the promoter.
When a professional boxer Robert Helenius had suffered a knockout loss on August 12 Anthony Joshua against in London, there was still at least as hard a blow through the protection.
The promoter company Matchroom Boxing, which organized the match, said late in the evening on August 25 on social media that the sample given by the Finn before the match contained deviations that may refer to to the doping discovery.
According to Urheilu, Helenius is suspected of using estrogen blockers. Letrozole, the active ingredient of the products in question, which are used in the treatment of breast cancer, for example, prevents the conversion of the male hormone, testosterone, which is advantageous for an athlete’s performance, into the female hormone estrogen in the body. This increases the athlete’s testosterone level, and estrogen blockers are prohibited in sports in all situations.
Scarce data
So far, no data other than the promoter’s message on social media has been made public. The test in question was carried out by the anti-doping office Vada, from which the promoter had ordered the pre-match tests. Helenius’ testing window was exceptionally tight, as he agreed on the match only about a week before the H-moment.
Helenius, who has asserted his innocence, is now under suspicion; he has not been found to have committed a doping violation.
However, Vada was not the only entity that tested Helenius in London. After the match, Britain’s official anti-doping unit, United Kingdom Antidoping, or UKAD, which operates according to the WADA standards of the World Anti-Doping Agency, took several urine and blood samples from the Finn.
– No results and analysis reports have been received for them. This has been just waiting, says a person close to Helenius.
UKAD did not want to comment on the matter to Urheilu, the same was announced by the promoter company Matchroom Boxing.
In a special light?
Helenius’ situation would be put in a very special light if the laboratory used by UKAD, accredited by Wada, found that the contents of the samples did not match Vada’s findings.
The Helenius camp has obtained the documentation of the tests carried out by the latter operator.
Medical expert of the Finnish Sports Ethics Center (Suek). Pekka Rauhalan according to it, it is not excluded that the athlete could also receive the preparation mentioned in connection with Helenius along with supplements. The product descriptions of these are not always perfect, which has been fatal for many athletes in doping tests. The active ingredient of estrogen blockers has not been detected in the industry products sold in Finland.
The continuation of the Helenius case is completely shrouded in darkness until the UKAD report is completed. If the doping discovery is confirmed, the matter will proceed from the British Professional Boxing Association to the UKAD disciplinary panel.
The colleague was released
Processing times can be long, and the practice of sanctions in professional boxing is motley. Specifically, a British professional boxer suspected of using an estrogen blocker Conor Benn was cleared of doping suspicions at the end of a 10-month investigation in July.
Estonian wrestling World Cup medalist Hi Nabi received a two-year suspension from estrogen blockers in 2020.
Suek and its disciplinary bodies are not involved in the further investigation of the Helenius case, as professional boxing in Finland does not operate under its umbrella.
Robert Helenius has not commented on whether he has received his match fee from London. In a typical match contract, making it a payment requires clean papers from the doping tests before and after the match.