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BALCO founder Victor Conte once more shared his thoughts on boxing a PED issues, interesting read:
Is it possible with a 14-day window free of blood testing before a fight, such as the one proposed for a potential Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquaio fight, a boxer could still cheat and not be caught?
With blood and urine testing in place for the duration of a training camp (such as the Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight), could a boxer take steroids and skirt the system? According to former BALCO founder and owner Victor Conte, in both of these scenerios a boxer using steroids or other performance enhancing drugs could easily beat the system.
“Cheating the system is a piece of cake, because they (trainers, fighters) know when testing is going to occur and they can stop the use of steroids before training camp begins,” Conte said. Conte said that what most people don’t understand is that steroids are more effective when tapering off in the system. “This is when you get the best results. This is when you are much more powerful from a performance standpoint.”
The key to lowering steroid use in boxing, in Conte’s estimation, is testing out of competition. “I don’t even think every boxing match needs steroid testing,” Conte said. The system Conte proposes would include subjecting any boxer ranked in the top 20 in the sport, to random blood testing anytime, 365 days a year. “If the athletes go somewhere, they must notify the testing agency of where they are. The testers should have a right to show up at any time.”
This type of testing is used in many professional sports throughout the world, most notably athletics and world soccer. It is through this style of testing that the most notable cheats have been unearthed. “If the athletes themselves thought they were on a more even playing field, they might not feel forced to use the drugs in order to be competitive,” Conte added.
Last Saturday night, Conte attended the Andre Ward – Allen Green bout as a guest of heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers and his younger brother Steve. Steve, fighting on the undercard had been using intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) in his leadup to the bout. IHT is a service offered by Conte and replicates the effects of living in the mountains and training at sea level, a method of training sometimes referred to as ‘live high, train low’, which has proven to show positive results for athletes.
The process, in the estimation of Conte, offers similar benefits to that of erythropoietin (EPO), a blood doping agent which will raise an athletes red blood cell count. Besides Chambers, Conte name-checks WBA World Super Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire, who has used Conte’s IHT system in preparation for his July 10 bout in Puerto Rico.
IHT is a legal, healthy alternative to steroids, which Conte believes is rampant in professional boxing. “Certainly not 100 percent of boxers are on steroids but the overwhelming majority,” said Conte, “because they give you such an edge.”
Conte believes that the current drug testing policy in boxing is “worthless” and though not foolproof, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) would be wise to update to the suggestions made by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), to test both blood and urine. The recent NSAC hearing on drug testing policy was “a waste of everybody’s time” and the testimony given by doctors Robert Voy and David Watson “made no sense” to Conte.
Conte said Robert Voy’s estimation that EPO is not effective as a performance enhancing drug is ridiculous. “He (Voy) is either ignorant or has an agenda,” Conte said. “he might have an enabler and is promoting the use of drugs. The truth is that positive tests are bad for business, they affect the cashflow of all concerned. Is boxing interested in good steroid testing?,” Conte asked. “I’m not so sure.”
With negotiations between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather still hinging on drug testing, we will perhaps see how interested boxing truly is.
thoughts? comments?
Is it possible with a 14-day window free of blood testing before a fight, such as the one proposed for a potential Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquaio fight, a boxer could still cheat and not be caught?
With blood and urine testing in place for the duration of a training camp (such as the Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight), could a boxer take steroids and skirt the system? According to former BALCO founder and owner Victor Conte, in both of these scenerios a boxer using steroids or other performance enhancing drugs could easily beat the system.
“Cheating the system is a piece of cake, because they (trainers, fighters) know when testing is going to occur and they can stop the use of steroids before training camp begins,” Conte said. Conte said that what most people don’t understand is that steroids are more effective when tapering off in the system. “This is when you get the best results. This is when you are much more powerful from a performance standpoint.”
The key to lowering steroid use in boxing, in Conte’s estimation, is testing out of competition. “I don’t even think every boxing match needs steroid testing,” Conte said. The system Conte proposes would include subjecting any boxer ranked in the top 20 in the sport, to random blood testing anytime, 365 days a year. “If the athletes go somewhere, they must notify the testing agency of where they are. The testers should have a right to show up at any time.”
This type of testing is used in many professional sports throughout the world, most notably athletics and world soccer. It is through this style of testing that the most notable cheats have been unearthed. “If the athletes themselves thought they were on a more even playing field, they might not feel forced to use the drugs in order to be competitive,” Conte added.
Last Saturday night, Conte attended the Andre Ward – Allen Green bout as a guest of heavyweight contender Eddie Chambers and his younger brother Steve. Steve, fighting on the undercard had been using intermittent hypoxic training (IHT) in his leadup to the bout. IHT is a service offered by Conte and replicates the effects of living in the mountains and training at sea level, a method of training sometimes referred to as ‘live high, train low’, which has proven to show positive results for athletes.
The process, in the estimation of Conte, offers similar benefits to that of erythropoietin (EPO), a blood doping agent which will raise an athletes red blood cell count. Besides Chambers, Conte name-checks WBA World Super Flyweight Champion Nonito Donaire, who has used Conte’s IHT system in preparation for his July 10 bout in Puerto Rico.
IHT is a legal, healthy alternative to steroids, which Conte believes is rampant in professional boxing. “Certainly not 100 percent of boxers are on steroids but the overwhelming majority,” said Conte, “because they give you such an edge.”
Conte believes that the current drug testing policy in boxing is “worthless” and though not foolproof, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) would be wise to update to the suggestions made by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), to test both blood and urine. The recent NSAC hearing on drug testing policy was “a waste of everybody’s time” and the testimony given by doctors Robert Voy and David Watson “made no sense” to Conte.
Conte said Robert Voy’s estimation that EPO is not effective as a performance enhancing drug is ridiculous. “He (Voy) is either ignorant or has an agenda,” Conte said. “he might have an enabler and is promoting the use of drugs. The truth is that positive tests are bad for business, they affect the cashflow of all concerned. Is boxing interested in good steroid testing?,” Conte asked. “I’m not so sure.”
With negotiations between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather still hinging on drug testing, we will perhaps see how interested boxing truly is.
thoughts? comments?
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