Doping calendars seized in the BALCO raid show that champion boxer Shane Mosley scaled back his use of the notorious doping agent EPO in the two weeks before his Sept. 13 title fight with Oscar De La Hoya, as his blood grew unnaturally thick with oxygen-rich red blood cells.
That corresponds with previous reports that seized medical records showed Mosley’s hematocrit – a measure of red blood cells, and therefore endurance – shooting up 8.2% in just two weeks.
Hematocrit readings rarely fluctuate that much naturally, and usually linger in the low 40s for non-doping men. Anything over 50 will get an Olympic cyclist or marathon runner suspended from competition. Mosley jumped from 44 to 52.2 in two weeks as he prepared for the fight, according to a Sept. 28, 2007 report by Sports Illustrated.
The Daily News reviewed Mosley’s BALCO doping calendars this week, as well as transcripts of his secret testimony before a grand jury on Dec. 11 of that year.
While on the stand in the same San Francisco courthouse where Barry Bonds is due to stand trial next March on charges that he lied to federal agents investigating BALCO, Mosley admitted taking the EPO and steroids purchased from the BALCO lab for $1,850, including $500 in cash.
After advising Mosley to use the drug to boost his endurance, BALCO founder Victor Conte moved the boxer into a “maintenance phase” of less frequent injections so that Mosley didn’t fail a drug test or have a heart attack – a fate that has befallen athletes who use EPO.
Mosley was on a doping binge that summer, taking a potent mix of steroids and EPO to build his strength and stamina right up until his successful fight against Oscar De La Hoya that Sept. 13. Mosley has admitted publicly and in court documents that he took EPO and the designer steroids “the cream” and “the clear”, but says he did not know they were either illegal or banned.
Conte, who is being sued for defamation by Mosley in New York state court, says otherwise.
“Specifically, I explained to Mr. Mosley and Mr. Hudson (Mosley’s trainer at the time) that ‘The Clear’ was an undetectable anabolic steroid and that ‘The Cream’ contained testosterone and epitestosterone,” Conte wrote in a sworn statement filed in the defamation case. “I explained that ‘The Cream’ was primarily to be used as a masking agent. I also explained that EPO increases the production of red blood cells, and therefore Mr. Mosley should take additional dietary supplements that aid in the manufacture of red blood cells, such as iron, vitamin C, vitamin E, folic acid, and vitamin B12. ... There is no question that I informed Mr. Mosley that he was taking the three banned performance enhancing drugs.”
While on the stand in the same San Francisco courthouse where Barry Bonds is due to stand trial next March on charges that he lied to federal agents investigating BALCO, Mosley admitted taking the EPO and steroids purchased from the BALCO lab for $1,850, including $500 in cash.
After advising Mosley to use the drug to boost his endurance, BALCO founder Victor Conte moved the boxer into a “maintenance phase” of less frequent injections so that Mosley didn’t fail a drug test or have a heart attack – a fate that has befallen athletes who use EPO.
Mosley said he thought they were vitamins...???
Who in the hell pays $1,850 for some vitamins???
The guy is a cheat. And you can tell he used steroids... just look at mosely before the 1st Oscar and look at him now
You got it backwards. America is too concerned over steroids. We had to see 3 weeks worth of A-Rod shit for it.
Yea but A-Rod is still playing baseball...He gets a slap on the hand over this.
If this wasn't an American boxer it would be front page boxing news, seems like it's alright to cheat if your American.
You got it backwards. America is too concerned over steroids. We had to see 3 weeks worth of A-Rod shit for it.
If this wasn't an American boxer it would be front page boxing news, seems like it's alright to cheat if your American.
ha ha yep... If he was Mexican or European everybody would be talking about what a ****in cheater he was...
umm
oscar lost to felix sturm too. oscar better not cry about getting "robbed" cause that was a GIFFFFFFFFFFFFFFTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT decision.
sturm beat his ass and everyone knows it.
Seriously idk why people aren't talking about this shit more..
I barely found this shit out yesterday and this shit has been for about a year already....
****....I was beggining to doubt Oscar as one of the best ever but he definitely is one of the best ever....
he got robboed out of mosley 1 and 2, trinidad so in reality he only has two the two losses against bhop and mayweather....
He did not get robbed in Mosley 1. Mosley outclassed him in the second half. The 2nd fight was close. Mosley is naturally smaller than De La Hoya. He needed something to build up to 154 so I'm assuming that explains the EPO. The Trinidad fight he deserved to lose. If he was an all time great, he wouldn't have had to run from Trinidad. he would've just outboxed him. What DLH did in the last few rounds was horrendous. There was no way he had that fight in the bag either. There were also a few times where he got the lucky end of a close decision, i.e. Quartey. (which I felt he lost based on rounds, but DID deserve to win with the 2 minutes he fought in the 12th.)
Should his win over DLH be declared a 'no-contest?' I think that there would be a good argument for it. Cheater, I think so...
On one hand, I think it should. Mosley used steroids and EPO, and really, the only difference between him and someone like Toney who had his win changed to a NC is that Toney used stuff that stays in your system longer.
On the other hand, if Mosley isn't awarded the win (and the titles), how does that affect Winky Wright and the titles he won from Shane a few months later?
Seriously idk why people aren't talking about this shit more..
I barely found this shit out yesterday and this shit has been for about a year already....
****....I was beggining to doubt Oscar as one of the best ever but he definitely is one of the best ever....
he got robboed out of mosley 1 and 2, trinidad so in reality he only has two the two losses against bhop and mayweather....