Veteran trainer Buddy McGirt is gobsmacked by the newest drug fiasco to hit boxing.

Last weekend, it was announced that Dillian Whyte failed a doping test administered by Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, the premier drug testing organization in the sport. This is the third time in his career that Whyte has dealt with a fallout from performance-enhancing drugs.

The news caused Whyte to be removed from his scheduled Aug. 12 fight with Anthony Joshua at The O2 Arena in London, in what was supposed to be a rematch of their encounter in 2015, when Joshua stopped Whyte in seven rounds. Whyte posted a statement on his social media insisting that he was innocent.

In a recent interview, McGirt, a Hall of Fame fighter and longtime trainer who instructs Whyte, could only express his dismay and shock regarding his client.

“I’m totally against [the use of PEDs],” Whyte told Boxing News. “I support Dill – I just can’t see him doing it. From being around him, watching him, I just can’t see it.”

British boxing has reeled from drug scandals in the past year. Embattled welterweight Conor Benn tested positive twice for the banned substance clomifene last year, which led to the cancellation of his high-profile fight with Chris Eubank Jr. And retired boxer Amir Khan was slapped with a two-year ban by UK Anti-Doping after testing positive for a banned substance immediately after his knockout loss to Kell Brook in February 2022.

Asked to comment on the pervasiveness of PEDs in boxing, McGirt threw up his hands.

“That I really, really don’t know, because I never really get into that,” McGirt said. “I know that they’re strict on it. I know that there’s heavy fines to be paid, from what I’m hearing. I don’t know exactly what. Do I know? No. Why? Because I never experienced it. I really don’t know, because when I was fighting there was no such thing – they didn’t have all that sh!t when I was fighting. They would piss test you for drugs, but, sh!t, they would do that after the fight – they wouldn’t even do that like they do it now. I’m at a loss for words right now.”

“If he’s found guilty, I don’t know [what my response would be],” McGirt continued. “That’s a good question. I couldn’t answer that because if he’s found guilty, I’d be in shock. I’d be in total shock. I just hope everything works out in his favor.”

Sean Nam is the author of Murder on Federal Street: Tyrone Everett, the Black Mafia, and the Last Golden Age of Philadelphia Boxing.