South African boxing commission has threatened to ban Russian boxer Shavkat Rakhimov from ever coming to the country.

This after a stash of drugs containing used and sealed bottles, pharmaceutical material including syringes, tubing and drips were found in his hotel room in East London, South Africa where he contested the IBF world junior lightweight title against local star Azinga Fuzile (15-1, 8 KOs) last weekend.

One of the bottles was labeled in Russian “neoton” with subheading “phosphocreatine” which is listed as performance enhancing substance.

Down an all cards, the 25-year-old Russian rallied to score two knockdowns in the eighth round to force a referee stoppage.

However between round seven and eighth Rakhimov (15-0, 12 KOs) was caught on video inhaling what looked like smelling salts which has formed the basis of a protest to the IBF by the Fuzile camp.

The discovery of the drugs in his hotel room has now  added ammunition by Fuzile camp in its protest.

But Rakhmov camp has denied any wrong doing with his manager Aleksey Titov claiming that the drug stash belonged to him.

He said he brought it along to speed up recovery for flu in preparation for a marathon he was to run.

“That stuff belongs to me and as you can see some was opened while others were still in sealed bottles,” he said.

But SA commission better known as Boxing SA has taken the material for laboratory tests before contacting the IBF to add on the protest.

“Yes we are waiting for lab results of the material,” confirmed BSA boss Tsholofelo Lejaka.

Lejaka said if the Russian was found to have used the drugs including the smelling salts, Rakhimov could be banned from fighting in South Africa again as that constitutes dope violation in the country’s boxing regulations.

Titov has defended the use of the substance denying that it was smelling salts.

“That was adrenalin to stop nose bleeding,” he said.

While this is unfolding, Rakhimov is preparing to challenge IBF champion Tevin Farmer as the fight was a title eliminator.

No word has come from the IBF whose president Daryl Peoples was present in the fight.