RUBEN Groenewald has been cleared of using performance-enhancing substances in the fight he lost to SA and WBA cruiserweight champion Thabiso Mchunu in January.

RUBEN Groenewald has been cleared of using performance-enhancing substances in the fight he lost to SA and WBA cruiserweight champion Thabiso Mchunu in January.

But Groenewald was found guilty by the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport of exceeding the dosage of the inhaler he uses for his asthma.

Boxing South Africa's acting chief executive Loyiso Mtya announced yesterday that the African Institute for Drug-Free Sport slapped Groenewald with a six-month ban.

"It dated back from the day of the fight. He can fight after July 1. The requirement is that in future anything prescribed by doctors to him, especially when he has a fight, must be taken to the South African Institute for Drug-Free Sport for approval," Mtya said.

A relieved Groenewald toldSowetan yesterday: "Thank God it's over. I have been through a lot over the matter. I had no representative during this case and I did it myself. That is how much I wanted to prove my innocence.

"I've never cheated. Hopefully Thabiso will give me a rematch because he defeated a zombie."

Groenewald's fourth-round stoppage by Mchunu was his third short-route defeat in eight losses.