Australia’s first world heavyweight boxing champion Lucas ‘Big Daddy Browne has failed a drug test, and could be stripped of his hard-won title.
Browne knocked out Uzbekistan’s Rustan Chagaev in the 10th round in Grozny, the capital of the Chechen Republic, in Russia
The fight itself was bizarre, with two outlandish time-keeping blunders.
In the sixth with Browne wobbly, the round was extended by 20 seconds to give Chagaev more chances for the knock-out.
Browne survived.
In the seventh with Chagaev very wobbly, the round was cut short by 43 seconds.
Chagaev survived.
In the post-fight media conference, Browne said -“I had to win by knock-out, or the local officials would have made sure Chagaev won”.
To add bizarre to bizarre, Browne was told his championship belt would be sent to him in a month.
In every other world title fight anywhere in the globe, the championship belt was worn out of the ring by the winner, and permanently in his possession.
That farcical fight with the correct result was on March 6 – the alleged positive drug test notice was known on March 22 – 16 days later.
With Russia under fire for corrupt drug testing in other sports, the onus is on the Russians to provide the urine sample to Lucas Browne.
Then it’s up to the Australian to demand the positive urine sample be DNA tested to prove it belongs to Browne.
If Russia can’t, or won’t, supply the sample, Browne must go to the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne, or there’s a court in Sydney, where on those terms the alleged positive drug test will be annulled.
There’s a lot at stake for the 36-year-old former Parramatta Eels junior, former bouncer in some of Sydney’s seedier nightclubs, and cage fighter before he took up boxing in 2009.
His record stands at an unbeaten 24 fights with 21 KOs.
But this is his biggest fight.
If Lucas Browne can’t prove the Russians rigged the test as they tried to rig the fight, he will be stripped of his title, banned for four years, and miss a massive pay-day with the current WBA super heavyweight champion Tyson Fury.
There’s a lot at stake alright.
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