By Jake Donovan

Having been given a full week to mull over various options, Lucas Browne and his team have opted to go the investigatory route in efforts to clear the fighter’s name.

The 36-year old became the first boxer ever from Australia to capture a piece of the heavyweight crown following a stunning 10th round knockout of Ruslan Chagaev on March 5 in Grozny, Russia. The history-making status – netting him a version of the World Boxing Association (WBA) title - has been placed in jeopardy in the wake of a postive drug testing result unlawfully leaked last Monday.

Test results conducted by Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) – whose services came at the request of Browne and Hatton Promotions – claimed the boxer’s ‘A’ sample produced a positive reading for Clenbuterol, an antihistamine in its intended form but also used (illegally) by bodybuilders and athletes during weight-cut cycles.

Browne was given the option to have the ‘B’ sample tested – with such requests coming at cost to the athlete and/or his team – which he has exercised. However, he and his team are also taking a proactive approach, as they are looking into the events that took place from the time he touched down in Checnya to fight night itself.

“I made clear to the public last week that I intended to do all that I can to clear my name after the devastating news of the positive drug test following my successful defeat of Ruslan Chagaev for the WBA heavyweight world championship,” Browne (24-0, 21KOs) said in an embargoed statement through Hatton Promotions’ press office. “I am now able to report to (the boxing world) that on February 29th - shortly after having arrived in Chechnya - I was subjected to a randomly timed drug test by VADA. This was a test of blood and urine. The post-fight test was a urine-only test.

“I would like to again stress it was myself and my team who requested the bout be subject to VADA testing. I now hold clear and unequivocal evidence that this test was a negative test and shows clearly that I arrived in Chechnya a clean athlete. Hatton Promotions have (now) made this information available to the media.”

Efforts to confirm this information with Dr. Margaret Goodman, president and board chairperson of VADA were not met with a response as this goes to publish. For now, the direction Browne and his team are taking is that he is a clean fighter, as proven upon arrival in country.

The media relations department for Hatton Promotions released a separate statement “to expand further on information of which we are aware regarding the positive 'A' sample taken from Lucas Browne following his world title win. In our previous statement, we confirmed that we believe that Lucas Browne was a clean athlete and arrived in Chechnya a clean athlete. It was our team who requested the testing.

“Our investigations are ongoing but such is the lack of confidentiality of information we feel it is important to report further as we progress. This is particularly important given the background of recent drug and testing scandals in and around Russian and [E]astern European states. We confirm that on 29 Feburary - six days before the bout - Lucas Browne was subjected to an entirely random drug test by VADA. This was both a blood and urine test and was not planned or expected on that date or time. We can confirm the drug test was NEGATIVE. We have in our possession evidence from VADA that this is the case and this is available for inspection.”

Similar issues have surfaced among previous visiting boxers fighting in Russia, prompting at least two scandals in recent time. One involved another Chagaev opponent, Fres Oquendo who was claimed to have tested positive for a banned substance following his controversial 12-round loss in July ’04.

Oquendo and his team took the battle to court, claiming misconduct and corruption at every turn during their trip to Grozny, the handling of the fight itself as well as the manner in which post-fight testing was conducted by RUSADA (Russia Anti-Doping Agency), which at the time oversaw all testing in accordance with W(orld)ADA standards.

Hatton Promotions point to a similar occurrence of the deck being stacked against its fighter.

“Hatton Promotions have been through a great deal with Lucas Browne. Together, we overcame many hurdles to get his chance to fight for the heavyweight championship of the world within just four years. Lucas himself overcame significant hurdles on the night (of the fight) itself to become victorious. We would remind everyone (t)hat the 6th round - Lucas' most difficult of the fight having been (knocked down) - was extended by some 36 seconds by the timekeeper in Chechnya to give their champion extra time to try to end the fight.

“Clearly, that was intentional (but) Lucas overcame it. We will do all that we can to overcome this newest hurdle to ensure justice prevails and Lucas has our complete support in this regard.”

Oquendo and his legal team successfully argued in court that its client was mistreated to the point of suing his way to another title shot. The Chicago-based veteran heavyweight was due the winner of Browne-Chagaev, but will now have to wait for this current scandal to fully play out before the WBA can move forward with its next title fight.

Still, the movement – coupled with several other suspect occurrences outside of boxing – has led to RUSADA receiving an international suspension. The ruling came last November upon declaration from WADA of “non-compliance with immediate effect.”

The stripping of its power resulted in a pair of drug tests being dismissed stemming from a November 4 show in Kazan, Russia, where Mariusz Wach and Olanrewaju Durodola – both of whom were alleged to have tested positive for banned substances and had their purses temporarily withheld – were each given a clean slate.

Wach lost by 12th round knockout to Alexander Povetkin, while Durodola scored a shocking knockout win over previously unbeaten Dmitry Kudryashov.

As for Browne, he remains the champ, as the WBA has to wait out the testing of his ‘B’ sample as well as the conclusion of their planned investigation before it can take proper action, in the event any at all needs to be taken.

Because current plans for Team Browne point toward a full-blown investigation, everything is on hold – including the WBA’s plans to proceed with a heavyweight tournament that has been met with less embrace than when first announced.

The only fight on the minds of Browne and Hatton Promotions is the one to clear the heavyweight’s name. As the Russian testing agencies cannot be held accused of corruption in this instance – testing was conducted by VADA, overseen by and reported to the Bund Duetscher Berufsboxer (BDB, loosely translated to the Germany Boxing Commission) – the next step in honoring the current test results is determining how they’ve reached this point.

The staff at Hatton Promotions points out that they “take no issue with the VADA testing process. At this stage we do not anticipate the 'B' sample providing different results to those seen in the 'A' sample.

“We support Lucas Browne entirely when he states that he did not knowingly place anything within his body containing any banned substance in the period between 29 February and the fight on 5 March 2016. We are concentrating our further investigations on this (time) period.

Added Browne: “Following that clean test, I ate only at the hotel in which we were hosted and at the meal following the boxers' media weigh-in. The water I drank on the night of the fight was sealed bottled water. I wish to make it clear that I have at this stage no reason to take issue with the VADA testing of me in and around the fight. Given the result of the 'A' sample, I have no reason to believe that the 'B' sample will provide any different result.

“My team's investigations will now concentrate on the period of time between the clean test on 29 February and the fight itself on 5 March. I maintain that I did not knowingly consume any banned substance, including the Clenbuterol found in my system in that time. My team (has) worked tirelessly in support of me and I thank them for this and their unwavering faith in me.

“I thank the public for their understanding and support of the situation I find myself in also. I will continue to do all that I can to clear my name.”

Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox