Mykhailo Mudryk has been spotted in the crowd at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh ahead of Tyson Fury‘s heavyweight rematch with Oleksandr Usyk.
The Chelsea winger, who is provisionally suspended from football after failing a drugs test, appears to be lending his support to Usyk for the highly-anticipated showdown in Saudi Arabia.
He was spotted at ringside during the early undercard bouts and will be hoping for his fellow Ukrainian to do the business against the Gypsy King.
Usyk is defending his WBA, WBC and WBO heavyweight titles after beating Fury on points earlier this year. If he secures another victory, his legacy as one of the greatest pound-for-pound boxers on the planet will be set in stone.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Mudryk had returned an ‘adverse finding’ from a routine urine test. He is still awaiting the result of a ‘B’ sample and could be hit with a lengthy ban if it comes back positive.
He has maintained his innocence, having insisted that he never knowingly broke any rules or ingested any banned substances.
In a statement, he said: « I can confirm that I have been notified that a sample I provided to the FA contained a banned substance.
« I know that I have not done anything wrong and remain hopeful that I will be back on the pitch soon. I cannot say any more now due to the confidentiality of the process, but I will as soon as I can. »
As a result of his provisional suspension, Mudryk will not be eligible to play for Chelsea when they face Everton on Sunday afternoon. He is also unable to take part in sessions at the Blues’ training facility at Cobham.
Mudryk has only played 146 minutes in the Premier League this season, having been largely restricted to appearances in the Conference League where he has scored three goals in four games. He has also played twice in the Carabao Cup.
If the ‘B’ sample tests positive for any banned substances, Mudryk is likely to be hit with a significant ban. Paul Pogba was initially suspended for four years after returning a sample which contained DHEA, a substance known to enhance testosterone levels.
Following a successful appeal, the ban was eventually reduced to 18 months and the Frenchman will be free to play in matches from March next year.
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