by Rick Reeno

According to Pascal, his demand for random testing was rejected due to the high cost. A counter-demand was sent to him, where he was asked to pay for the entire drug testing protocol. Pascal agreed, and assumed the two sides were going move forward with the testing, but the boxer claims the testing terms were then modified by Main Events - which Pascal rejected.   
 
"First his manager and Main Events wanted us to pay for random testing. I said yes and agreed to pay for both our tests. Then they did a total 180. They only wanted two tests, one 15 days before the fight and one post fight test. How is that random?," Pascal told BoxingScene.com.

"Simply put, Main Events is making this decision over the money, choosing their payday over a level playing field. And That's a shame because at the end of the day its the boxers leaving their blood, sweat and tears in the ring - not the promoters."

"In my opinion, Kathy Duva's reasoning only make it seem like she isn't sure her champion is clean. Main Events and InterBox are very successful companies that won't go out of business if this fight is cancelled due to a dirty test. However, an uneven playing field can ruin a boxer's career and that's far from the worst outcome when you think about it."

Duva, in a statement to BoxingScene.com, detailed the testing situation with Pascal. 

"Jean Pascal has implied that Sergey Kovalev uses PEDs because I have refused to arrange for unregulated enhanced drug testing. I am 100% confident that Sergey does not use PEDs, but my objections still stand. As Sergey is in camp, we are unable to reach him for comment at this time. To be clear, Sergey agreed to take tests administered by VADA if Jean Pascal will pay for them.  I am the one who objected to this ad hoc arrangement," Duva said. 

"I want to clear up a misconception: If a fighter fails a PED test, his fight must be cancelled. Testing positive for PEDs is not similar to missing weight. One cannot simply pay a financial penalty, as Pascal's management has suggested, and go on with the event. Anyone who participates in, promotes or regulates a professional fight after a fighter has tested positive for PEDs risks being charged with criminal negligence if, God forbid, one of the participants were to be injured in the fight."

"I'd also point out that, surprisingly, in more than one past instance, the fighters who demanded enhanced drug testing and got their way were the very ones who came up positive on the tests.  Obviously, I strongly support the idea of keeping our sport clean.  I simply do not agree with the Pascal camp that testing should be done in an unregulated manner."

Kovalev's manager, Egis Klimas, confirmed Duva's statements in an earlier article, making it clear that his boxer was ready and willing to take part in a drug testing protocol.

"I can guarantee you that my fighter is 100% clean, he never used anything and if they pay for it - we'll be willing to do anything it takes. I have no problems about this," Klimas told BoxingScene.com. "Even if Pascal tested dirty, we wouldn't cancel the fight - we'd still fight him."

Duva is standing firm on her strong belief that promoters should not act as regulators when it comes to a drug testing protocol for performance enhancing drugs.

"I have consistently said that I do not believe that promoters should attempt to act as regulators. None of us have the competence, expertise or neutrality that is necessary to conduct drug testing in a fair and transparent way. We understand that this is an unpopular position, but after careful consideration we believe it is the right position nonetheless," Duva outlined in a statement to BoxingScene.com.

"When Major League Baseball implemented drug testing, they conducted tests for years before imposing any consequences--which allowed for the development of responsible policies and player education. We do not have that luxury. The recent history of this type of testing in boxing has been spotty at best - results known to promoters but not disclosed to fighters, disputes over the consequences of a failed test, non-uniform tests and procedures, 'lost' tests, planned tests that never happened, advance notice of when 'random' tests would be administered, etc. Looking to other combat sports, the UFC announced, this month, that they had scrapped plans for a year-round testing program due to the failures and confusion caused by their experiments with enhanced drug testing."

"I've talked to a lot of fighters about this. My question to them is always: If your opponent tests positive, do you want me to cancel the fight? Every one of them has said no. In fact, Jean Pascal's management indicated that Pascal would wish to go through with the fight and suggested that a monetary penalty be assessed in the event of a failed a test. That is simply not possible. If someone tests positive for a banned substance, the fight cannot happen."

"We explored the possibility that we might embargo the results until after the fight. Rightly so, our lawyers agreed that we could not conceal the results. These ad hoc, unregulated tests available only to fighters who can afford them are not a solution."

"Well-intentioned efforts often cause unintended consequences and simply create new problems. Enhanced drug testing is an issue that boxing commissions should study and work with before formulating plans for its implementation.  These plans must consider all of the potential complications (for example, what constitutes in-competition and out-of-competition banned substances and when those periods start and end), testing at all levels, and education for all fighters. We fully support boxing commissions in those efforts."