By Luis Sandoval
Amir Khan’s scheduled fight for last Saturday was cancelled due to his opponent Lamont Peterson testing positive for synthetic testosterone. A week later, Andre Berto tested positive for Nandrolone and his rematch with Victor Ortiz also fell by the wayside. Both fighters were tested by VADA (Voluntary Anti Drug Association] leading up to their respective bouts.
BoxingScene caught up with Khan’s trainer Freddie Roach and asked what his thoughts were regarding Peterson’s positive test results and his overall take on fighters testing positive for illegal substances.
“It’s very disappointing of course. But Lamont Peterson and [his trainer] Barry Hunter, they seem like really good guys. I really like those guys. Was there a mistake made? Was it done on purpose? I don’t want to accuse anyone or stuff like that but it’s bad for the sport that this is happening. And you have the Berto fight also. It’s just bad for the sport” said Roach.
In a recent story by Gabriel Montoya that ran on BoxingScene.com, it was discovered that the traces of Nandrolone found in Berto’s A and B samples were very minute and that can mean contamination is the cause of the positive results. Many fighters take various supplements and while most think what they are taking is safe, the truth is it might not be. Roach feels fighters need to be more careful and responsible for what they put into their bodies.
“I think the fighters need to pay more attention to what they’re taking because there’s a lot of stuff out there that you can buy over the counter that have traces of steroids in them and will show up on a drug test. So we have to be a little more careful of how we handle supplements and so forth. Just find out exactly what’s in that box” explained Roach.
You can follow Luis Sandoval on Twitter @Truewest007. You can also tune in to The Boxing Lab, Boxingscene’s official audio show every Tuesday from 6-8PM PST with hosts Ernest Gabion, Luis Sandoval, and Ryan Burton.
