Former world heavyweight champion Shannon Briggs has been suspended by the WBA for a failed drug test back in May.
The governing body sent out a letter, which can be seen below, announcing the suspension.
The World Boxing Association Championships Committee suspended the American boxer Shannon Briggs for six months after recording positive dope test on May 14th.
Briggs and his team were notified since the test results were known and they were given the opportunity to open the B sample, as indicated in the body’s regulations. However, they did not take this option and, according to the regulations, he must comply with the respective sanction that expires on November 13th, 2017.
The rules of the WBA are public and are supposed to be known by the boxers and their respective teams.
The six-month suspension started with the date of the failed drug test and now Briggs is a little more than two months into his suspension.
The positive test also showed that there was an "atypical" finding: his testosterone to epitestosterone ratio was 7.89 to 1, which is significantly higher than the allowable threshold of 4 to 1 under World Anti-Doping Agency standards. Briggs' urine sample was collected on May 14 and analyzed on May 16.
Briggs was supposed to fight for the vacant WBA "regular" heavyweight championship against Fres Oquendo who is still owed a world title opportunity from the WBA based on a United States federal court ruling stemming from a lawsuit Oquendo won against the WBA. Briggs tested positive for atypical levels of testosterone, forcing the June 3 bout to be called off. No decision on the status of the vacant world title has been decided. Anthony Joshua holds the WBA's "super" heavyweight title.
