It took journeyman boxer Ruben Palacio 12 years to win a world title. On the eve of his first defense, he became the first champion to test positive for the AIDS virus. Palacio flew home to Colombia on Friday, stripped of his World Boxing Organization featherweight title after a routine pre-fight medical examination found the presence of the HIV virus. It was not revealed how he contracted the virus, or if that is known. "It took him a long time to get to this stage," WBO championship committee president Ed Levine said. "He reaches the pinnacle of his sport, he's defending his championship for the first time, and he's stricken." Levine said the only option was to bar Palacio from the ring. "We can't risk the life of another boxer by letting him fight," Levine said. "It's a kind of disease that can be spread via blood contact, and boxing is a sport where that is likely to happen." Palacio, 30, was to defend his title against Britain's John Davidson today. The WBO said it will award the now-vacant title to the winner between Davidson and Welshman Steve Robinson, brought in as a last-minute substitute for Palacio. "We've made an exception to our regulations to permit Robinson to challenge for the title," Levine said. But the match is overshadowed. "It's a personal tragedy that goes far beyond the sport," Levine said. "You think of Magic Johnson at the height of his basketball career. It comes into perspective and you see it's a major problem in the world. "Instead of going home with the biggest payday of his career, he's going home with a test result that indicates his life is substantially shortened." Palacio is the first active world title-holder known to have tested positive for the AIDS virus. Esteban DeJesus, who held the WBC lightweight boxing title in the 1970s, contracted AIDS after his retirement and died in 1989. AIDS testing has been a routine part of the pre-fight medical examination in Britain for several years. In February 1990, African heavyweight champion Proud Kilimanjaro of Zimbabwe was barred from a fight with Britain's Lennox Lewis because he refused to give details of an AIDS test to the British Boxing Board of Control. Levine said Palacio was tested twice this week to confirm the positive result. The second test was conducted Thursday. "All I can say is that he just didn't meet the medical criteria that the British Board requires," said Alan Trotter, the BBBC doctor who carried out the tests. Levine said he received a letter from Palacio's manager accepting the finding. "Ruben Dario Palacio and his manager, Oswaldo Bustamante, respect the decision of the British Boxing Board, but reserve the right to carry out more tests under the control of the Colombian authorities," Levine quoted the letter as saying. Levine said he knew of no plans to appeal, but added that the WBO would consider giving Palacio another test, possibly in the United States, if examinations in Colombia turn up negative. Palacio, from the Colombian state of Antioquia, turned pro in 1981. He won 45 fights, including 19 by knockout. He lost 11 and had two draws. He held Colombian titles at four different weights and won three Latin American title fights. He also fought for the IBF super-bantamweight crown in 1985 and twice for the WBA title at the same weight in 1990. But he also went through periods when he lost to lesser opponents. Then, last September, Palacio stunned Britain's Colin McMillan in an eight-round brawl to gain his first world crown. "It was a particularly bloody fight in which I suffered cuts and he was bleeding, too," said McMillan, who has been notified that Palacio tested negative before their bout. "I'm very relieved because when I first heard the rumors (Thursday), I was very shocked and so was my wife. "I've been told the chances of me having contracted the virus were infinitesimal. All I feel is sympathy for a human being and a family man who has been given serious news." Palacio's victory over McMillan was called one of the biggest boxing upsets of 1992. The bout with Davidson was to be his first defense of the WBO title, but the fight was postponed twice earlier this year. First, Palacio had a hernia operation, then he reported problems with his Achilles' tendon.