The career of Australian heavyweight boxer Lucas Browne is hanging by a thread after he reportedly failed a second drug test this year.
ESPN reports the 37-year-old has tested positive for a banned substance as part of the WBC's Clean Boxing Program, which Browne voluntarily enrolled in.
It comes after Browne returned a positive sample for the banned drug clenbuterol after beating Ruslan Chagaev to win the WBA heavyweight title in Chechnya back in March.
He was due to fight US veteran Shannon Briggs for the now-vacant WBA belt.
"We have been notified by VADA about Browne's adverse finding as he was tested under the CBP," WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman told ESPN.
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"He has been notified and the process is being attended as per the protocol."
Browne is yet to comment but posted two photo messages on Twitter minutes before the news broke publicly.
One read 'You can't defeat the demons you enjoy playing with', and the other said 'Rule number 1: F*** what they think'.
Browne has maintained his innocence over his first positive test, which saw him stripped of the title and suspended by the WBA.
However, he was permitted to fight again after officials accepted his argument that he didn't knowingly ingest the substance.
