The 37 year-old was stripped of his WBA belt shortly after being crowned champion following a highly disputed positive test for Clenbuterol under the supervision of VADA (The Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency) – which Browne himself signed up for.
‘Big Daddy’ hired lawyer and boxing all-rounder Leon Margules to oversee a bid to clear his name and be reinstated to his position as the WBA’s ‘regular’ heavyweight champion.
Margules is almost ready to present his argument at Pierce County Courthouse in Tacoma, Washington as Browne seeks to set up a first defense of the WBA championship, or at the very least – a fight for the vacant strap.
“We have a lawsuit pending against the WBA and a hearing set on August 4 for a preliminary injunction, so we will see,” Margules exclusively told World Boxing News.
Mandatory challenger Fres Oquendo is currently the sole fighter on the right hand side of the draw in a WBA tournament to crown one sole champion following the decision to strip Browne’s old opponent Ruslan Chagaev for inactivity.
Should Browne be successful in his bid to overturn the WBA’s decision, Oquendo could be his first opponent later this year in Australia, quashing rumours of a potential fight with UK puncher David Haye.
Oquendo is yet to announce when he will return from injury, which could – in theory, give Haye a slim chance of taking a fight with Browne to London in his own bid to regain the belt he lost to Wladimir Klitschko.
Haye seems to be delaying any announcement on his next fight until the issue is resolved as a promised encounter with Shannon Briggs hangs in the balance.
In the meantime, Browne has strengthened his stance by becoming the first Australian boxer to sign up for the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program.
