Dillian Whyte recently resurfaced following a media silence of roughly half a year after it had been discovered that one of his tests contained “adverse analytical findings”, which boils down to him failing a drug test. Since Whyte was apparently under license by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) and at the time, the commission conducted its own investigation in the months prior to determine the root of his failed test.

Following the TDLR’s most recent investigation, Dillian Whyte (29-3, 19 KO’s) has been cleared of intentional doping and can now commence with his professional boxing career, thus explaining the message he recently put out where he hinted at his comeback.

The revelation that Dillian Whyte was cleared due to contamination is an interesting development, considering this counts as the second time a test or sample that tested positive for a banned substance was ruled to be contaminated.

A similar case occurred in 2019 following Whyte’s fight with Oscar Rivas, and saw the British heavyweight undergo a similar form of silence through the media before he was ultimately cleared by UKAD (UK Anti-Doping) after the organization had concluded that the sample that tested positive concerned an “isolated contamination event”, and was not indicative of intentional drug use.

Now a similar contamination is alleged by the TDLR with a forensic expert that was hired claiming to Sky Sports that Dillian Whyte fell victim to contamination of a natural supplement he had ingested following a lengthy and thorough investigation into the matter.

The investigation that occurred explains Whyte’s silence since it had been revealed that he had tested positive for an illegal substance, yet mystery still surrounds the entire process as no word had been breathed of any investigation until now. Moreover, no public documents have yet been divulged detailing the exact process and key notes of the investigation, which boils down to a complete of transparency by the TDLR, and the Texas Combative Sports Program (TCSP).

The TDLR is considered the main regulatory or governing body in Texas, similar to what is known as a State Athletic Commission in other states, while the TCSP is part of the TDLR and focused specifically on governing and regulating combat sports.

According to Dillian Whyte, the nature of the investigation forced him to keep quiet on the matter as he waited patiently for the involved parties to conclude his innocence.

“It’s been really tough, because I knew I was innocent, but then you can’t talk, you can’t say nothing,” Whyte reportedly told Sky Sports.

“You have to be professional, trust the process, trust the lawyers and trust the people around you. It’s been tough, but tough times make tough men.

“First of all, I’m relieved more than anything, but of course I’m angry as well because it’s cost me so much. The most important thing is it cost me the chance to beat AJ. Everything else after that is secondary but you know it’s a mix of emotions.

“I’m angry and I’m disappointed as well because people in this game don’t give you a chance to prove yourself. Everybody is quick to say, ‘Yeah, yeah, yeah,’ instead of giving people a chance.“

The TDLR and the Texas Combative Sports Program’s decision to clear Whyte based on an opaque investigation that no one knew was transpiring. As Whyte appears to be licensed under the TDLR, his failed drug test fell under their jurisdiction; however, the secrecy surrounding the investigation may not have helped ward off suspicion towards Whyte’s failed drug test.

Moreover, there seems to be a clear divide between the drug policies of sanctioning bodies and governing bodies [the likes of the BBBofC and the TDLR/TCSP], with each organization varying in their leniency surrounding failed drug tests. Both the UK’s governing body of the BBBofC (British Boxing Board of Control) and the TDLR have opted to clear Whyte for contaminated results or samples.

This is quite contrary to how the WBO behaves, as they have recently reasserted their “strict liability” policy which holds any fighter that tests positive for a banned substance fully liable for what they put in their bodies, regardless of whether they ingested something that was contaminated or not. However, the WBO is a sanctioning body and therefore incapable of suspending fighters―though they are allowed to remove fighters from their rankings, or strip fighters of their titles if there is just cause for it.

In comparison, governing bodies such as the TCSP are capable of suspending or even banning fighters. The TCSP itself proved much stricter last year when they suspended Keyshawn Davis (10-0, 7 KO’s) for the use of cannabis and overturned the result of his unanimous decision (UD) win against fellow American Nahir Albright (16-2, 7 KO’s), appearing to treat the use of cannabis more severely than potential PED-use. While the use of cannabis is prohibited in Texas, unlike in other states in the United States, the TDLR/TCSP was quick and decisive when they suspended Davis and did not conduct a thorough investigation in the slightest.

In the case of Whyte, the TDLR was directly involved rather than just the TCSP, and they seemed to have gone through great lengths to uncover whether Whyte was guilty or innocent of drug use; even though they were quick to brand Keyshawn Davis guilty for the use of non-enhancing drugs just months prior.

The inconsistency and opaqueness surrounding Whyte’s case will leave plenty of murmurs, yet Dillian Whyte is now officially in the position to continue his boxing career. While the opportunity to fight Anthony Joshua (27-3, 24 KO’s) has passed as Joshua is now preparing to face former UFC heavyweight champion Francis Ngannou (0-1, 0 KO’s) this coming Friday, Whyte still has the opportunity to catch up to the heavyweight division and stake his own claim for a possible title.

With Saudi Arabia having recently hosted the ‘Day of Reckoning’ event on December 23rd which featured a record-number of top heavyweight contenders fighting on the same card, Whyte may now soon find himself included in a similar event now that he has been officially cleared to fight, and aside from Saudi Arabia there are still plenty of alternatives with longtime American rival Deontay Wilder (43-3-1, 42 KO’s) coming off a loss and likely looking for a good opponent such as Whyte to get back into the world title pictre.