Billy Joe Saunders fails voluntary drugs test ahead of world title fight against Demetrius Andrade
The unbeaten 29-year-old fighter has not breached British Boxing Board of Control rules but his upcoming bout is in jeopardy
Billy Joe Saunders failed a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) drugs test, it has emerged.
Britain's WBO middleweight champion now faces an anxious wait to learn his boxing fate after the banned substance oxilofrine, a stimulant, was found in his system.
Saunders is due to face Demetrius Andrade in Boston on October 20.
It is unclear whether that fight will now go ahead, with the Massachusetts commission set to decide whether they are willing to stage the bout in the wake of the findings.
VADA does not have powers to punish fighters while under British Boxing Board of Control rules Saunders would NOT be stripped of his licence as the substance in question is only banned in competition and would have to be in his system on the day of a fight.
Oxilofrine is a stimulant which is used in some supplements and is claimed to help burn fat and increase performance.
BBBoC general secretary Robert Smith told the Daily Mail: "According to our rules and those of UK Anti-Doping, he has not committed a breach. It is down to Massachusetts over what happens next."
The Mail, citing sources close to Saunders, have suggested the failed test could have been down to a nasal spray.
In response to the news of the failed test, Saunders posted a message - "some s***" - on his Twitter account to his 129,000 followers.
Whatever the outcome, the 29-year-old once again finds himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons.
Only last week he was found guilty of bringing the sport of boxing into disrepute and fined £100,000 by the British Boxing Board of Control after video footage emerged of him appearing to offer a woman drugs.
Saunders' actions were filmed from his car and seemingly show him offering £150 worth of drugs to the woman to perform a sex act as well as asking her to punch a passer-by, which she does, before he drives off.
Saunders has been highly critical of boxers who have been found been guilty of taking drugs in the past.
Earlier this year, Saunders blasted Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez as a "cheat" and insisted he should not be allowed to box again after he twice tested positive for clenbuterol,
He said: "I rated Canelo very highly but now he's gone down in my estimations so much. I don't rate him as a fighter at all.
"I don't agree with what he's done. And I think it's a disgrace for boxing.
"You get these young fighters coming up now, they're looking at Canelo, looking at what he's got and what he's become. Are they going to think 'we can do that, we can get away with a six-month ban?'
"When you see people like that enhancing their body to do more damage on someone, I think that's cheating and it should be a ban for life, most definitely."
Latest Boxing News
Saunders is considered one of Britain's best boxing talents.
He has held the WBO middleweight belt since 2015 and has won all 26 of his professional fights.
He has been out of the ring since beating David Lemieux on points in Canada last December and has twice pulled out of scheduled bouts against Martin Murray this year.