By Ray Wheatley — World of Boxing

Former WBA heavyweight champion Lucas “Big Daddy” Browne faces WBC #1 Dillian Whyte on Saturday at the 02 Arena in London. Fighting in Whyte’s adopted hometown may be just as well for Browne, whose popularity in his home country of Australia has been negatively affected by two failed drug tests.

“Jeff Horn, for example after he beat Manny Pacquiao, was given the key to his city and a parade,” Browne told Sky Sports. “I had four reporters wait for me at the airport, and that’s it. That was disappointing. It was because of who Horn fought – if I had fought Wladimir Klitschko, for example, it would have been different. Once the drugs thing came up, there were 10 people waiting to talk.”

Brown tested positive for Clenbuterol after dethroning WBA champion Ruslan Chagaev, a substance a number of fighters have been excused for (most recently Canelo Alvarez), as it can be absorbed through contaminated meat.

“Three days before the fight, I was tested and was completely clean,” Browne stated. “Clenbuterol was in my post-fight test. It’s for stripping weight. At that point, it does nothing for me. I did a lie-detector test to prove my innocence.”

In the second case, Browne stated he took a pre-workout supplement from a local shop that he wasn’t aware contained an ingredient on the banned list.

With a win over the top-rated contender Whyte, perhaps more Aussie fans will warm up to “Big Daddy.”