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UK Anti-Doping said the 36-year-old tested positive for the anabolic agent ostarine following his loss to Kell Brook in Manchester in February 2022.

Khan, who announced his retirement in May last year, accepted an anti-doping rule violation but said he had not intentionally ingested the substance, an argument accepted by an independent panel after a hearing in January this year.

The ban is a sad final step to a career that began brilliantly, with a gold medal at the 2003 Youth Olympics followed by an Olympic silver in Athens at just 17 years old.

Khan made his professional debut in July 2005, became Commonwealth lightweight champion in 2007, and in July 2009 won the WBA light-welterweight title with a win over Andreas Kotelnik in Manchester.

Khan unified the WBA and IBF titles with a victory over Zab Judah in 2011, but controversially lost his next fight to Lamont Peterson, who would later test positive for synthetic testosterone.

Khan was first notified of his own positive test in April 2022 and received a provisional suspension, with subsequent charges in July after announcing his retirement with a 34-6 professional record.

Following the hearing on January 24 this year, the National Anti-Doping Panel issued its ruling on February 21, accepting Khan’s claim that he had not taken the substance intentionally, but imposing the ban on strict liability grounds.

UKAD chief executive Jane Rumble said: “This case serves as a reminder that UKAD will diligently pursue anti-doping rule violations to protect clean sport.

“Strict liability means that athletes are ultimately responsible for what they ingest and for the presence of any prohibited substances in a sample.

“It is important that all athletes and their support staff, regardless of the level at which they are competing, take their anti-doping responsibilities seriously. Failure to do so risks damaging not only an athlete’s career, but also of undermining public confidence in clean sport.