Syrian boxing champion Manuel Charr to be stripped of WBA belt after failing drug test

WBA regular heavyweight champion Manuel Charr, 33, who is of Syrian origin, was set to defend his title against American Fres Oquendo on Sept. 29 in Cologne, Germany, but the fight has been cancelled after Charr’s blood test results came back positive for two anabolic steroids.

Germany's top selling media outlets reported that one of Charr’s blood samples that were taken at a training camp on Aug. 31 tested positive for the steroids epitrenbolone and drostanolone.

"These are both anabolic steroids. That is absolute hardcore doping. In boxers, the emphasis is on increasing muscle strength,” a doping expert Fritz Soergel said to German Bild newspaper.

Speaking to Koelner Express newspaper he said, "I have never taken anything. I fought Vitali Klitschko and Alexander Povetkin, seven title fights and I was always a clean athlete".

Charr, who is set to be stripped to be stripped of his World Boxing Association belt, responded to the claims saying, “I'm totally shocked by the news - I have never taken anything,” in a statement given to a private media company in Germany.