Anthony Joshua-Dillian Whyte fight canceled after Whyte fails drug test

The heavyweight rematch between Anthony Joshua and Dillian Whyte was canceled by the promoter Saturday after Whyte's random pre-fight drug test found "adverse analytical findings" in his sample.

The British boxers were scheduled to fight Aug. 12 in London, almost eight years after their first bout Dec. 12, 2015. Joshua beat Whyte by TKO in the seventh round.

Joshua, 33, last fought Jermaine Franklin in April and won by unanimous decision. While Joshua was victorious, his fight was by no means a strong indication of his ability in the ring. He lost his previous two fights against Oleksandr Usyk, who retained the IBF, WBA and WBO heavyweight titles.

Whyte, 35, last fought in 2022 when he also beat Franklin in 12 rounds by majority decision.

This isn't Whyte's first run-in with a failed drug test, either. He was banned from boxing from 2012-14 after a test revealed a controlled substance in one of Whyte's supplements. He fought Joshua for the first time a year after his return to boxing. Whyte was provisionally suspended again in July 2019 after a test had "adverse" findings before his fight with Óscar Rivas, but was reinstated in December of that year.