Ex-boxer and champion trainer Steffi Bull sentenced to 10 years for cocaine smuggling.

Boxing coach Andriy Bulkraft receives 10 years in prison

According to The Sun: Former boxer and coach to world champion Andriy Bulkraft, known as 'Steffi Bull', has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiracy to supply cocaine.

This coach from Doncaster worked with prominent athletes such as three-time women's boxing world champion Terri Harper and former bantamweight champion Jamie McDonnell.

According to the BBC, 48-year-old Bulkraft was sentenced at Sheffield Crown Court. Earlier this year, he was found guilty after a four-day trial in which the jury returned a unanimous verdict.

The court found that Bulkraft used an encrypted phone network, Encrochat, to purchase 'significant volumes' of cocaine under the alias 'Yummycub'.

Bulkraft denied the charges during the trial, claiming that the boxers he trained sometimes stayed at his home, and that the alias belonged to one of them.

His accomplice, Benjamin Williams, 42, pleaded guilty during the trial, and his sentence was reduced from 10 years by 15 percent, resulting in eight and a half years.

Judge Peter Hampton noted that the men were 'motivated by financial greed' and had 'scant mitigating circumstances' regarding their crimes.

Bulkraft had a career in professional boxing before transitioning to coaching, winning the British lightweight title in 2006. The peak of his career came in 2007 when he competed against British boxing icon Amir Khan at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, but suffered a defeat.

He retired in 2010 to coach young boxers from Yorkshire.

Following the sentence, a representative from the British Boxing Board of Control stated that Bulkraft's licenses as a coach, manager, and promoter would be reviewed after his conviction.

This case served as a significant warning to the sporting community about the need for oversight of athletes and coaches to prevent similar incidents in the future. Bulkraft's sentence also highlights the serious consequences that can arise from involvement in illegal business, even for individuals who have been at the peak of success in their careers. The sports industry continues to monitor the developments and implement new measures to ensure the integrity of the sport.