Artur Beterbiev returns ‘atypical’ drugs test but world title fight vs Brit star Callum Smith will still go ahead

BOXING champion Artur Beterbiev’s fight with Callum Smith will still go ahead despite returning an “atypical” drug test.

The Russian – who has won all 19 of his bouts by knockout – is due to defend his WBC, IBF and WBO belts in Canada over the weekend.

Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Artur Beterbiev and Callum Smith ahead of their title fight[/caption]

But the fight was thrown into doubt after it emerged a VADA test taken by Beterbiev on December 6 contained raised levels of HGH and testosterone metabolite 5D-androstanediol.

According to Kevin Iole, both substances occur naturally in the body and Beterbiev later returned negative results in two sets of blood and urine tests.

As the test was atypical rather than “adverse” – the fight will still go ahead as scheduled.

But 38-year-old Beterbiev – boxing’s only champ with a 100 per cent KO ratio – stressed that he remains a “clean athlete”.

He said: “It has come to my attention that Callum Smith intends to disseminate misleading information about my VADA testing for this fight.

“Let me be clear now – I am a clean athlete. I have never tested positive for a banned substance throughout my career.

“Any attempt to imply otherwise, through innuendo or suggestion is slanderous and libellous. This conduct is beyond acceptable trash talk.

“Callum is already searching for excuses, looking for a way out. See you Saturday.”

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Speaking out, Smith, 33, told Boxing News: “It’s not a passed test, it’s not a failed test.

“The fight’s still happening, that’s the main thing. I’m not a scientist, I’m a fighter.

“I’m here to beat him, take his belts, and go back home.”

Promoter of the fight, Eddie Hearn, told reporters: “Not an adverse finding, an atypical finding, but still raised levels which as a promoter of a fighter in the other corner is a concern.

“So we’ve been working with VADA to try to understand the reasons why. It’s all out there for you to do you research and they’ll want us to be careful of what we say.

“What we want to know is — we’re not scientists — we just want to know why was those levels raised and the questions we’ve asked VADA we will continue to ask.

“Contractually we can’t do anything about it because it was not an adverse finding but it was an atypical result of blood and urine of raised levels of HGH and testosterone.”

Voluntary Anti-Doping Association founder and president Dr Margaret Goodman also cleared up speculation of wrongdoing.

Goodman told Boxing News: “Atypical findings are fairly common in PED (performance enhancing drug) testing and do not constitute an adverse test result.

“They can result from various causes. Atypical findings generally warrant the collection of further samples.

“But no negative inference should be drawn from an atypical finding in and of itself.”