English Boxer Tests Positive for Doping After Title Fight

Mitchell Smith has received a three-month ban from the UK Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) after testing positive for a prohibited substance. The test was conducted following his 10-round points victory over Arnie Dawson in October 2025. The bout, contested for the WBO European lightweight title, took place at London's O2 Arena as part of the undercard for the Fabio Wardley vs. Joseph Parker fight, which also saw its share of doping controversies.

The banned substance found in Smith's sample was not a performance-enhancing stimulant, which accounts for the brevity of the suspension. However, the result of the fight has been overturned and officially changed to a 'No Contest'. UKAD is expected to release further details of their findings in May.

The 33-year-old Smith was once considered one of British boxing's brightest prospects until he suffered a 10-round defeat to George Jupp in one of 2015's biggest upsets. Subsequent attempts to revive his career proved unsuccessful, before Smith, who has openly discussed his struggles outside the ring, strung together three consecutive wins, culminating in the fight against Dawson. The news became public after Dawson, from Clacton, Essex, who believed he had lost his undefeated record that night, released a statement on social media on Wednesday. “It is not in my nature to try and tarnish anyone’s name or career and that is not the purpose of this statement, nor what I am aiming for,” he wrote.

“On October 25th (THE BIGGEST night of my career) I suffered my first professional loss on the Parker vs. Wardley undercard, live on DAZN PPV, for the WBO European title against the highly-rated Mitchell Smith (18-1), taking the fight on 11 days' notice. After the bout, both Mitchell and I were tested by UKAD in the changing rooms, and that was that. Subsequently, a prohibited substance was found in my opponent's test. Following an investigation by UKAD and the British Boxing Board of Control, it has been ruled that our fight will be changed to a 'No Contest' and the loss will be removed from my record. I spoke to Mitchell after the fight and have nothing but respect for him. However, with thousands of people watching the fight and seeing me lose, I feel it's only right that I can tell everyone that this fight will not stand as a loss on my record or in history.”

The 23-year-old Dawson, whose record now stands at 8-1-1 NC (4 KOs), learned of Smith's positive test and its implications before his loss to Steven Cairns in Dublin on March 14. Smith's record has now been adjusted to 18-1-1 NC (9 KOs).