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Travis Tygart on Ortiz-Mayweather and More on Boxing
Mon 13-Jun-2011 15:49
By Matthew Paras
United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Chief Executive Travis Tygart is not new to the sport of boxing. When Floyd Mayweather brought Tygart’s agency on board to provide a stronger drug testing method for his fight against Shane Mosley, Tygart was in the spotlight to explain to boxing fans, and even commissions, why the USADA’s methods were the most effective. Now when Mayweather returns to the ring against WBC welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz in September, Tygart and USADA will be there again to test both fighters.
“I think that it shows that the fighters want the gold standard program in place to do everything possible to ensure that it’s a drug-free sport,” said Tygart. “Clean athletes want to be subject to the best program and we hear that all the time.”
The protocol for both fighters will be the same. Each fighter will be subject to either urine or blood testing leading up to the fight with no cutoff date. Even Floyd Mayweather, who has taken the tests before, can expect different testing days than before.
“If the athletes subject to the testing know [of a pattern], they could potentially change their behavior,” he said. “The uncertainty is what really allows a program like ours to be most effective.”
With one of the sport’s biggest stars taking part in Olympic Style Testing (OST), other fighters such as Andre Ward, Jean Pascal, and Alexander Povetkin have publicly announced for their desire for better methods of testing. However, for a change to really happen, commissions would need to set up a protocol similar to USADA’s to be effective. Since Mayweather-Mosley, Ortiz-Mayweather is the only fight in the United States to feature OST. It’s unknown if and when a change will come but the process of undergoing a change is just starting.
With much publicity behind and influencing its genesis, Mayweather-Mosley was the first fight in the United States to get the ball rolling on whether boxing needs better drug testing. Unlike baseball or cycling, boxing hasn’t really been hit with a big cycle that would force the commissions to educate themselves on the issues, according to Tygart. While there are cries from the boxers to change their methods, commissions have yet to change and the reason for that could be externally based.
“I think there are a lot of political pressures on the commissions, unfortunately. It’s not easy because you have big promoters threatening to take their fights elsewhere if they put in the type of testing that would detect cheating,” Tygart explained. “The promoters don’t want the event cancelled at the last minute due to some fighter using these dangerous drugs.”
If commissions fail to adapt better ways, it will be up to the fighters, individually, to use the USADA as a contract stipulation. While the sport waits for change from its powers that be, Tygart and the USADA will be happy to be there to help provide it.
Mon 13-Jun-2011 15:49
By Matthew Paras
United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) Chief Executive Travis Tygart is not new to the sport of boxing. When Floyd Mayweather brought Tygart’s agency on board to provide a stronger drug testing method for his fight against Shane Mosley, Tygart was in the spotlight to explain to boxing fans, and even commissions, why the USADA’s methods were the most effective. Now when Mayweather returns to the ring against WBC welterweight titlist Victor Ortiz in September, Tygart and USADA will be there again to test both fighters.
“I think that it shows that the fighters want the gold standard program in place to do everything possible to ensure that it’s a drug-free sport,” said Tygart. “Clean athletes want to be subject to the best program and we hear that all the time.”
The protocol for both fighters will be the same. Each fighter will be subject to either urine or blood testing leading up to the fight with no cutoff date. Even Floyd Mayweather, who has taken the tests before, can expect different testing days than before.
“If the athletes subject to the testing know [of a pattern], they could potentially change their behavior,” he said. “The uncertainty is what really allows a program like ours to be most effective.”
With one of the sport’s biggest stars taking part in Olympic Style Testing (OST), other fighters such as Andre Ward, Jean Pascal, and Alexander Povetkin have publicly announced for their desire for better methods of testing. However, for a change to really happen, commissions would need to set up a protocol similar to USADA’s to be effective. Since Mayweather-Mosley, Ortiz-Mayweather is the only fight in the United States to feature OST. It’s unknown if and when a change will come but the process of undergoing a change is just starting.
With much publicity behind and influencing its genesis, Mayweather-Mosley was the first fight in the United States to get the ball rolling on whether boxing needs better drug testing. Unlike baseball or cycling, boxing hasn’t really been hit with a big cycle that would force the commissions to educate themselves on the issues, according to Tygart. While there are cries from the boxers to change their methods, commissions have yet to change and the reason for that could be externally based.
“I think there are a lot of political pressures on the commissions, unfortunately. It’s not easy because you have big promoters threatening to take their fights elsewhere if they put in the type of testing that would detect cheating,” Tygart explained. “The promoters don’t want the event cancelled at the last minute due to some fighter using these dangerous drugs.”
If commissions fail to adapt better ways, it will be up to the fighters, individually, to use the USADA as a contract stipulation. While the sport waits for change from its powers that be, Tygart and the USADA will be happy to be there to help provide it.
Thoughts on this? Besides Richard Schaefer commenting on OST, here's the man himself.
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