Stevenson, Bika Confirm Random Drug Testing Underway

By Jake Donovan

As long as they don’t face each other, the debate will rage on between Adonis Stevenson and Sergey Kovalev as to whom is the best light heavyweight in the world.

Stevenson proved his worth with a one-punch knockout of Chad Dawson to claim the World lineal championship in June ’13. However, Kovalev has edged ahead in terms of quality wins, thanks to back-to-back career-best victories over Bernard Hopkins and Jean Pascal.

Where Stevenson gains credibility in the race is his willingness to submit to random drug testing. Kovalev and his handlers have claimed a desire to be a part of the movement, but have yet to go beyond whatever is required of the presiding commission for any given fight. His most recent win over Pascal was preceded by a breakdown in communication over the manner in which random testing would be administered, the closest Kovalev has come to date in participating in such a practice.

Meanwhile, Stevenson—along with every other fighter under the Al Haymon advisory banner—will have no choice but to enroll in random drug testing if they are to compete on his Premier Boxing Champions series, which will appear on several outlets. CBS joins in on the fun, beginning with a live broadcast on April 4 when Stevenson defends versus former super middleweight titlist Sakio Bika.

Both fighters have already been tested three times during their respective training camps, with tests conducted in compliance with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards. However many more times they are forced to submit blood and urine samples prior to and following their fight in Quebec City remains to be seen, but both participants are in favor of the practice.

“I think it’s good to protect boxers,” insists Stevenson (25-1, 21KOs), a longtime advocate for a cleaner sport. “Of course, it’s necessary. It’s healthy for the boxer first of all. It’s very important to make sure that everything is going well. That’s part of… the evolution of boxing. It’s very good. That’s why I’m glad and happy to support that.”

The same sentiment is shared by Bika, who has fought through two generations of fighters as he is more than 14 years into his pro career. Despite having not won in nearly two years, he 35-year old boxer believes he still has plenty to offer the sport, and only asks for a level playing field in return.

“It’s good for the new generation (of fighters) that want to compete,” believes Bika (32-6-3, 21KOs), who hasn’t fought since losing his 168 lb. title to Anthony Dirrell in their rematch last August. “It’s good for the sport to know that we are clean. So many people have retired that were on drugs and were never tested.

“Now with the new generation, it’s very good for the young kids to make your way into the sport you have to be clean. For this organization to be involved to be a part of the sport, I think it’s very important. It’s the best thing to do.”

Stevenson-Bika will air live during the afternoon on CBS, preceding NCAA Final Four college basketball network coverage. The event is the first of two confirmed dates for PBC on CBS, which will return on May 9 as former lightweight titlists Omar Figueroa and Ricky Burns collide at a location to be determined in Texas.

The PBC series has already rolled out on NBC and Spike TV, and will make its debut on Showtime this weekend. Future plans call for live telecasts on all of the aforementioned networks, as well as BET, ESPN2 and CBS Sports Network. All PBC shows will come with pre-fight random drug testing.

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox