World Boxing Organization super flyweight champion Kazuto Ioka says his career was put in jeopardy and his mental health shattered this year by Japanese boxing authorities' negligent handling of a pre-title-fight false-positive drug test.
Not only did the Japan Boxing Commission inform the police that marijuana was detected in Ioka's urine sample without the boxer's knowledge, but the story became a tabloid scandal, tarnishing his reputation and leaving him feeling anxious and struggling to sleep.
"The amount (detected) wasn't illegal and it wasn't a doping offense. Nevertheless, it was reported to the police, incorrect information was spread by the media as facts, causing misunderstanding that resulted in my being slandered," Ioka, Japan's first four-weight titleholder, told Kyodo News in a recent interview.