IBF can't overturn Sam Soliman's sanctions despite negative B sample
- From: AAP
- May 08, 2013
Sam Soliman's B sample came up negative after being tested in an American laboratory. Picture: Chris Scott Source: Herald Sun
THE International Boxing Federation says it can't overturn the sanctions imposed on Sam Soliman following a drugs test, despite acknowledging the Australian fighter's B sample tested negative.
The BDB (Bund Deutscher Berufsboxer), the German boxing body overseeing Soliman's February middleweight fight with Felix Sturm in Dusseldorf, changed the Australian's points win to a no contest and suspended him for nine months after announcing he had tested positive to an illegal stimulant in a post-fight drugs test.
The B sample of IBF No.1-rated middleweight Soliman came up negative after being tested in an American laboratory, with the information to be referred to the IBF medical committee.
Team Soliman has sent all the details to the IBF and has also lodged an appeal with the BDB, which will be conducted this week.
The IBF board will discuss the matter in a conference call later this week.
"I'm going to present all of the information that I have to them and we're going to decide which direction we're going in," IBF president Daryl Peoples said.
He confirmed the IBF doesn't have the authority to change the decisions made by the BDB.
"The IBF cannot change the decision, that needs to be done by the BDB," Peoples said.
"We have to wait to see how Sam makes out with his appeal to see if that decision stands.
"That's going to dictate in a large part what we can do."
The Soliman camp have so little faith in the BDB appeal process, they have already instructed their German lawyer to take the matter to the civil court on the back of the appeal.
Soliman's manager David Stanley believes the BDB sanctions would be swept aside for the appeal process and the civil court case and reiterated their bout contract had been with the IBF and not the German organisation.
"It's a very simple matter of US contract law, we signed an IBF sanctioning contract not a BDB one, this has got nothing to do with the BDB," Stanley said.
Peoples acknowledged Soliman's B sample had tested negative.
"I haven't reviewed it in its entirety for what they tested it for, but the bottom line is everything they had tested in that Quest laboratory did come back negative," Peoples said.
"I am going to share that with the IBF's medical committee. I'd like to have them have their eyes on it.
"We're going to have our doctors take a look at it and am going to listen to what they've got to say."
He said the Soliman camp would have the right to appeal if they disagreed with the IBF board's decision.