The unified heavyweight champion of the world, Anthony Joshua, is hoping that one day there are stricter rules in place for boxers who test positive for serious performance enhancing drugs.
Joshua was set to defend his WBA, IBF, IBO and WBO heavyweight titles against Jarrell Miller on June 1 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
But Miller tested positive for a number of performance enhancing drugs - and he was pulled from the fight.
Andy Ruiz has stepped in as the replacement for Miller, whose relatively short six-month suspension from the WBA convinced Joshua to question whether enough is being done to punish fighters for doping.
Miller tested positive for banned performance enhancers like Human Growth Hormone, EPO and GW1516.
In the last few years, boxers like Canelo Alvarez, Tyson Fury, Billy Joe Saunders, and several others have tested positive for banned substances.
“These are top, top guys. How are they getting to the top? That’s what you need to question. I f***ing find it hard. Imagine me with a needle in my arse every now and again – I’d be flying. It’s hard," Joshua told scribe Declan Taylor.
“But when you look down that list of top heavyweights and you look at everybody who has had it, how did they manage to get to the top? It’s so difficult. It is out of control I would say. It’s weird because even though it’s happening, it’s not being taken as serious as possible by the people in charge. It’s a bit like racism in football, even though it’s happening it’s not being taken that seriously.
“Tyson Fury had his issues as well but he’s fighting again and it’s forgotten about. Maybe it would take something serious to happen like a death in the ring before anything changes. A six month ban? I haven’t fought for nine months. I could have taken HGH after fighting Alexander Povetkin, got caught, taken six months out and still fought in June. It doesn’t put any fear in fighters. Maybe they should regulate it so you know what the ban is. You think ‘I’m not even going to take the risk because that’s a lifetime ban’.
Miller was on the proper stuff. I know it’s the hard stuff. He should be looked at as a serious case. Imagine I would’ve fought him, I might not have been the same fighter again. He might have taken something out of him for being so relentless."
