Froch Wants Whyte Banned If He Cheated, Franklin Slams Whyte, AJ’s Next Opponent
Carl Froch has called for Dillian Whyte to be banned if the authorities find him guilty following an ‘adverse finding’ by VADA.
The heavyweight was set to face Anthony Joshua on August 12th, 2023. However, the fight had to be pulled following the news.
In the aftermath, Whyte maintained that he was innocent. As such, as an investigation continues to determine if he will be held to account.
And following the recent news of Conor Benn’s two failed VADA tests for Clomiphene, this was the last thing that the sport of boxing needed.
And given that Froch has never failed a test, he called for the highest punishment if the verdict was upheld.
Froch’s Comments
“It is not good enough and I am glad they are getting found out. If they are cheating they need to be found out, they need to be punished, they need to get banned. If you get done twice then it’s a lifetime ban and a massive fine, get out because you are a disgrace to the sport,” Froch said
Nevertheless, there are still some other issues that need to be addressed. Will Matchroom Boxing stand behind Whyte, as they did with Ben?
And will UKAD or the British Boxing Board of Control respond with a tough response?
Regardless of what the case may be, Froch refrained from choosing a side until all the facts came to light. After all, the nature of the substance has yet to be revealed.
Froch Willing To Wait
“I don’t know what now for Dillian Whyte. We are in a position where he is 35 years old and he has failed a drug test.
“This is going to look terrible for him and what does the future hold for him? He needs to clear his name but that could take six months.
“Dillian Whyte must be devastated but if he has been cheating then I am glad he has been found out and he should be punished and banned and this should be the end of his career.
“But let’s wait, we can’t point the finger, we need to wait and see because of the Conor Benn situation,” Froch
AJ’s Next Opponent
At the same time, however, AJ must remain active. There have been several names linked with fighting Joshua.
Derek Chisora, Andy Ruiz Jr, Jared Anderson and Filip Hrgovic are just some of the names that have been mentioned.
However, Joshua has shown that a tendency to take fights on short notice can backfire. After all, Joshua’s fight with Ruiz Jr. showed that as he was stopped in America.
And yet, postponing the fight will most likely lose Matchroom the costs of the show. Meanwhile, a delay will hinder AJ’s activity, as he seeks a super fight with Deontay Wilder.
Franklin On Whyte
Despite this being the case, one man who has already made his mind up on the situation has been none other than Jermaine Franklin.
The heavyweight boxer fought Whyte, as he came second best via a controversial majority decision.
Some of the boxing community felt that Franklin had done enough to get a win. After all, he did apply more pressure during the fight.
The defeat was a blow to Franklin’s career, and yet, that performance did earn him the right to face Joshua.
Although Franklin lost via a unanimous decision, he managed to last 12 rounds against the heavy-handed Joshua.
And given that he came to the sport of boxing late, having worked as a roofer, Franklin has managed to beat the odds.
So the fact that Whyte’s positive test has come about has made the fighter enraged, given the sacrifices that fighters make for the sport.
Franklin Loses His Cool
“Like he probably used them when we fought. I heard this ain’t the first time, so I’m figuring he was probably doing it when we fought too. I didn’t feel anything that didn’t feel right [when we fought, last November].
“It pi**s me off [when fighters cheat]. I get enraged. We train our whole lives – we train hard – we give it our all and then people just come in and take advantage and cheat.
“It’s not fair to the ones that live the sport – the ones that really love and care about the sport. It’s not fair to us. People die from doing this sport.
“People get life-changing experiences. People like that are probably the people that are damaging other people. It’s fu**d up. It should not be allowed – people should get [permanently] banned from the sport,” Franklin
In addition, the timing of the test could not have come at a worse point. Following Conor Benn’s suspension being uplifted by UKAD, another failed test goes on to show that PEDs are becoming an issue in the sport.
And given the fact fighters can lose their lives in such a brutal sport, the boxing authorities will have to set a zero-tolerance policy to satisfy clean athletes and boxing fans.
Although extensive testing does require more money, a natural deterrent could be implemented by fining those who flout the rules. And of course implementing harsh bans on those who continue to violate the system.
But whether that happens moving forward is anyone’s guess. However, if fighters like Franklin continue to speak out, then the pressure from the public may be enough to sway things. Time will tell how it all plays out moving forward.
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