Doping in boxing

[Merckx index]

Belatedly, Erik Morales is being sanctioned for a clenbuterol positive. I never understood how he was allowed to fight despite the positive, though testing in boxing is somewhat of a joke.

The United States Anti-Doping Agency released a stern-sounding statement on Friday announcing that it had sanctioned boxer Erik Morales for two years as a result of two positive tests for clenbuterol, a banned performance-enhancing substance.

USADA pointed out that Morales tested positive on both Oct. 3 and Oct. 10, as he was training for an Oct. 20 match in Brooklyn, N.Y., with Danny Garcia…

This, though, is what is laughable: Morales fought Garcia in that Oct. 20 show. USADA knew that Morales had twice tested positive. So did Golden Boy Promotions, which promoted the show. So did the New York State Athletic Commission, which sanctioned it. And so did Showtime, which broadcast it.

Since Morales is Mexican, it’s possible the positive resulted from contaminated meat, as he claims. But the fact that he tested positive twice, a week apart, makes that much less likely. Even in Mexico, the odds against eating contaminated meat twice in that period of time are not that great. It's also unlikely that the second positive resulted from the same single ingestion as the first, because after a week, the clenbuterol concentration would be 20-30 times lower.

In any case, this doesn’t affect Morales at all, because he’s planning on retiring (again) after one more fight, which will be in Mexico, where USADA has no power.

Tygart does not come out of this looking good:

When Yahoo! Sports contacted USADA executive director Travis Tygart for comment, at first he failed to return calls. But then in January, after USADA had announced a disciplinary process against Morales had begun, Tygart returned an email to Yahoo! Sports and said he had been traveling. He told a reporter to contact USADA publicist Annie Skinner and that Skinner would coordinate an interview with him. Skinner simply returned an email with generalities about how USADA handles a case, but significantly, never arranged for Tygart to return the phone call…

never did anyone from USADA publicly complain that Morales was permitted to fight. Only media complained and it was a very few media at that.

I guess not as much publicity for going after Morales as for LA, right? He lost that fight against Garcia, so no title to strip. He did make money from that fight, but getting him to return the money probably wouldn't be worth the legal fight it would take. But that Tygart/USADA didn't at least raise a fuss before the fight looks bad.

 

[Briant_Gumble]

holy smokes that's high. how do you all feel about VADA? and is the new Victor Conte genuine? on the surface it looks great and I really want to believe in a fighter like Nonito Donaire, but I don't know enough about VADA.

Not convinced by the new Victor Conte, I suspect his guys are just micro-dosing with EPO and testosterone or something otherwise guys wouldn't risk the association.

Still he's an important presence for the anti-doping movement, lots of things he's said since 2003 have proven to be true.

I don't know why some MMA fighters and boxers are using VADA whilst others are using USADA?

I agree that Tugart doesn't look good after the Morales affair.

 

[gooner]

This doesn't look good for USADA and Mayweather.

http://www.sbnation.com/longform/2015/9/9/9271811/can-boxing-trust-usada

 

[heart_attack_man]

Tell you what... It does actually make the Armstrong saga look like a "witch hunt" when USADA are as inept (also read corrupt) as that. Armstrong should have just paid off Tygart and his band of merry men and he'd have no problems.

 

[theviciousfishes]

Is there any reason Vitamin C can't just be injected and not taken through an IV with saline?

 

[IndianCyclist]

"retroactive therapeutic-use exemption" "Three weeks after the fight" from USADA screams shadiness, violation of laws and political clout. Similar to LA

 

[thehog]

Re:

"retroactive therapeutic-use exemption" "Three weeks after the fight" from USADA screams shadiness, violation of laws and political clout. Similar to LA

Mayweather has been let off the hook by USADA in the past. Perhaps it is his love of "Jesus" which gets him the free pass? He is a lucky guy.

 

[blackcat]

you wanna smash the **** out of some stranger(s), yet you have some ethical stance against PEDs?

<jan ullrich arithmetic aphorism>

 

[gooner]

USADA respond to Hauser's article.

http://www.usada.org/usada-response-to-inaccuracies-misleading-information-professional-boxing-article/

25 page response:

http://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/USADAs-Detailed-Correction-to-SB-Nation-Article-by-Tom-Hauser.pdf

 

[thehog]

Re:

USADA respond to Hauser's article.

http://www.usada.org/usada-response-to-inaccuracies-misleading-information-professional-boxing-article/

25 page response:

http://www.usada.org/wp-content/uploads/USADAs-Detailed-Correction-to-SB-Nation-Article-by-Tom-Hauser.pdf

25 pages!

 

[Dear Wiggo]

What a ridiculous response. Remember that time Armstrong had some random DCO rock up to his door and he went to take a shower for 20 minutes? And the anti-doping and anti-Armstrong groups rightly lost their sh!t because 20 minutes is all you need to get your blood back to "normal"?

Mayweather's IV is fine coz he had a TUE for it.

Granted it was backdated and he didn't actually have it with him at the time but meh, who cares about stuff like that?

Am I missing something here or did USADA just out themselves as doping enablers?

 

[MikeS369]

It certainly make you wonder whether USADA is really concerned with doping or just outing people they don't like.

 

[HelmutRoole]

Re:

They're incompetent sometimes. This s despite bringing down Armstrong... with a little help from the DoJ.

Okay, a lot to f help from the DoJ.

 

[Merckx index]

Tyson Fury tests positive for cocaine, and probably will lose his belts. Unless this is an indication of taking other stuff, which it might well be, it doesn't seem to have much relevance to his upset of Klitschko last year. But even before this announcement, it was being reported that Fury was having mental/emotional problems. His situation reminds me a little of Pantani's, hopefully it will not continue to play out that way.

 

[iejeecee]

Tyson Fury tests positive for cocaine, and probably will lose his belts. Unless this is an indication of taking other stuff, which it might well be, it doesn't seem to have much relevance to his upset of Klitschko last year. But even before this announcement, it was being reported that Fury was having mental/emotional problems. His situation reminds me a little of Pantani's, hopefully it will not continue to play out that way.

Fury from what I have seen has pretty strong family support around him. But he admits himself he is a manic depressive. It's unfortunate because he is a entertaining guy.

 

[VO2 Max]

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2016/sep/30/tyson-fury-tests-positive-cocaine-unlikely-to-be-banned

Wtf is the Voluntary Anti-doping Association??

 

[Ferminal]

North American body that helps people in sports without a NADA/WADA regime market themselves as clean by signing up to voluntary testing. Really though it's just an independent collection and testing organisation. Most popular in combat sports where NSAC/random state commission testing has an even lower IQ threshold than usual so contracts may specify extra testing fighters need to undergo.

I remember Victor Conte used to be a champion of VADA, at least until Andre Berto got popped.