by David P. Greisman

As reported yesterday by BoxingScene’s Jake Donovan, super middleweight fighter Donovan George tested positive for a banned substance, causing his August decision win over Dyah Davis to be overturned into a no contest.

George has been suspended. According to his promoter, Hitz Boxing, George had injured his hand prior to the fight and had taken an anti-inflammatory but had forgotten to disclose that to the commission.

Boxing in Illinois falls under the state Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. Even though the commission has apparently already disclosed the suspension and the reason for it to Hitz Boxing and to the International Boxing Organization sanctioning body, representatives of the commission reached for comment on Tuesday told one reporter that the information was classified and told another reporter that the request for information would be forwarded on to a departmental spokeswoman. The spokeswoman had not contacted BoxingScene.com as of early Wednesday afternoon.

BoxingScene.com did speak to Dyah Davis, though, getting his thoughts on the news:

“I first heard about it about a week and a half ago. I guess we’re closer to two weeks now. It was alleged that he had tested positive for a banned substance. They didn't say that it was performance enhancing, but it was a banned substance,” Davis told BoxingScene.com on Tuesday night.

“They said it was tied into an injury with his hand. Rumors were that it was Lidocaine and that he was receiving injections in his hand. Now I'm not sure. Like I said, it's all alleged. I know Lidocaine is a numbing agent, so therefore you cannot feel pain. If it was injected in the hand, I don't know where else that may help throughout the body. Can it help the chin? I have no idea. But Lidocaine is Lidocaine. If that’s what it was, then the suspension is rightfully deserved.”

Davis said he’d kept quiet while the test was being investigated, not going public because he didn’t want to come off like a sore loser.

“I can tell you that I'm excited because I no longer have a loss on my record,” Davis said. “It was a fight that I felt like I won, as well as many other observers. I feel pretty good about it. I'm sorry to hear about George's plans. I know he had a fight date set for Jean Pascal and brighter things in the horizon for him, but when you're not playing on a fair field, you got to suffer the consequences.”

Davis said he’d like a fight with Pascal, and that he’d even like a rematch with George. He said he’s been working in the gym on getting stronger so as to keep bouts from going the distance and to the judges. The official scorecards for George-Davis had George winning 115-113 (twice) and 116-112.

Despite the positive test, Davis says his opinion about George hasn’t changed.

“I respect him as a fighter,” Davis said. “But if you're doing something that's not justifiable with the commission, then there’s something wrong with that. I do have a problem with that. If it was honest, then you should’ve been able to share that with the commission that you were on a quote-unquote anti-inflammatory. “

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