By Elliot Foster

Muhammad Ali is facing a long ban after testing positive for a steroid in April.

The sport's international federation AIBA has confirmed that the Team GB fighter tested positive during a World Series of Boxing match between the British Lionhearts and Morocco Atlas Lions in Casablanca.

Ali, a 21-year-old silver medallist at the 2014 World Youth Championships and 2016 European Championships who lost in the first round of the flyweight competition at the Rio Olympics last year, has been provisionally suspended since May.

The Yorkshireman is highly rated by GB Boxing and is currently the top-ranked fighter in his World Series of Boxing division.

AIBA said in a statement on its website that it would not make any further comment until an anti-doping panel has heard Ali's case. No date for the hearing has yet been set.

Ali had asked for his B sample, which is used to confirm an initial finding, to be tested and that also came back positive for trace amounts of the steroid.

GB Boxing said it can confirm a member of its squad has tested positive for a banned substance –– in a statement released to Press Association Sport –– and the boxer has been suspended from the programme and all competition pending the outcome of the process.

It added: “This is the first time that a member of the GB Boxing squad has tested positive for a banned substance.”

It is unclear at this stage which substance Ali tested positive for.

“GB Boxing is committed to clean sport and we work in partnership with UK Anti-Doping and our international federation to provide extensive education and support to our boxers on anti-doping rules, the anti-doping obligations upon them as athletes and the importance of adhering to the principles of clean sport,” the statement concluded.

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