Zab Judah – who fought Amir Khan in 2011 – labels the Brit ‘another dirty guy’ following failed drugs test as he calls for fighters found to have doped to be ‘slung out for life’
- Amir Khan was banned for two years following positive test for ostarine last year
- Zab Judah – who fought the Brit in 2011 – has called for no tolerance approach
- Said that those to have found to have doped must be banned from the sport
One of Amir Khan’s former opponents has called the Brit ‘another dirty guy’ following his failed drugs test in the aftermath of last year’s bout with Kell Brook.
Zab Judah, who fought Khan in 2011, called for a no tolerance approach to those found to have doped amid fresh crisis for boxing as concerns grow of widespread doping in the sport.
Khan, who retired last year following the defeat by Brook, tested positive for the banned substance ostarine and was this week banned for two years from all sport, even though UKAD decided that the dose was too small to be intentional or give any performance advantage. Khan denies knowingly having cheated.
Speaking to OLBG following the news regarding his former opponent, Judah did not hold back in his criticism of Khan.
‘Amir Khan is my former opponent and I have love for anyone I’ve shared the ring with. I’m grateful for them all,’ he said. ‘But if the news is true and the UK anti doping agency has found him guilty then he’s just another dirty guy.
Zab Judah has labelled former opponent Amir Khan ‘another dirty guy’ following failed drugs test
Amir Khan tested positive for the banned substance ostarine, resulting in a two-year ban
‘I don’t respect fighters who cheat. I have a zero tolerance towards doping. If it’s in your system you should be slung out for life. No second chances. I know first hand of the damages cheaters can cause, I ended up in the hospital. Ban them all for life.’
Khan defeated Judah via knockout in their 2011 bout.
His comments come amid a fresh crisis for the sport, following the revelations surrounding Conor Benn, revealed by Sportsmail on the eve of his much-anticipated bout with Chris Eubank Jr. last autumn.
Regarding Benn, he said that he remains ‘disappointed’ in the fighter, saying no competitor deserves second chances.
‘I’m disappointed with Conor Benn right now. From what I hear he’s a swell guy and good fighter,’ he said.
‘But he’s rubbed up a lot of people the wrong way. He should be penalised. If I did anything against the rules I was penalised and suspended.
‘So I think he needs to be punished. I’m not a judge, so I don’t want to say what his punishment should be. If he’s as good a fighter as he says he is, he should not be taking this stuff.
‘He failed a drug test and that’s a big no-no for me. You remember my last fight that ended with brain surgery, I fought a guy who was caught cheating. So I’m totally against it. My philosophy is if you can fight, you don’t need drugs. You got a ten week camp to go get strong, go get strong that’s a long time.
‘One hundred percent no second chances, you’re out of here. I put pictures on my Instagram all the time to remind people of the dangers.’
Kell Brook, right, has claimed Khan’s two-year doping ban will tarnish his rival’s career
The six-time champion of the world was hospitalised in 2019 after a fight with Cletus Seldin in 2019.
Judah, returning to the ring, lost by technical knockout and was admitted to hospital afterwards with a bleed on the brain.
Seldin had previously been found to have doped twice, with anabolic steroid’s found in his system.
Khan, speaking to Sportsmail, said: ‘I have never cheated in my 27 years in the ring.
‘I spent over £100,000 to try to find out how this could have got into my system. Among the possibilities they came up with was via a handshake. There was a whole crowd of people in my dressing room after the fight and I’m a friendly guy who always shakes hands.’
For all the latest Sports News Click Here
