Tag Archives: ped

Posted on 03/16/2020

By: Sean Crose

Tyson Fury has been back on top of the world since besting Deontay Wilder in dominant fashion in the February rematch of their December, 2018 heavyweight title fight. Many have applauded the towering Englishman for overcoming some pretty dark times and emerging back on top. Fury had been previously stripped of at least one title, had suffered severe depression, had drunk too much, had done drugs, and had at one time reached the point of suicide. The fact that the father of five survived such a dark night of the soul was remarkable in and of itself. The added bonus of Fury regaining his position at the top of the heavyweight division made things all the more impressive.

Now, however, Fury is facing some pretty damning charges – should they prove to be true – back home in England. According to the DailyMail, a farmer named Martin Carefoot claims team Fury reached out to him back in 2016. The reason? Fury and his heavyweight cousin Hughie had tested positive for “metabolites of nandrolone” in the winter of 2015. What’s more, the Mail writes “they were not charged until 16 months later in June 2016, by which point Tyson Fury was unified champion of the world after beating Wladimir Klitschko in November 2015.” Fury and his cousin claimed banned substances were in their system due to the fact they had eaten wild boar. “They received,” the Mail states, “what were considered lenient backdated bans of two years before resuming their careers in December 2017.”

Carefoot now argues that he was asked to lie on behalf of the Fury’s, then did so by claiming in a legal statement that he had sent wild boar for the Furies to consume. Carefoot also claims he was offered £25,000 to step up to the plate for the Fury’s, but was never given payment. The UK Anti Doping organization, known as UKAD, told the Mail it is investigating the charge. “‘We will always,” UKAD claimed, “review any potential evidence in relation to any anti-doping offense, and take investigatory action where necessary. If anyone has information that could be of interest to UKAD and its investigations on any matter, we urge them to contact us.”

At least one member of Team Fury claims the charge by Carefoot is ridiculous. Frank Warren, who co-promotes Fury with Bob Arum, has been quick to rush to his fighter’s defense, although he openly admits he was not part of team Fury at the time. “Did Tyson ever have a conversation with this man?” the Mail quotes Warren as asking. “Which supposed member of Fury’s team did have a conversation with this man? You are relying on the word of a liar. Did he lie back then or is he lying now? This is a man who was willing to commit perjury.”’

Both Fury and Wilder were tested by the esteemed Voluntary Anti-Doping Association for their rematch. Both men tested clean. 

Posted on 09/27/2018

By: Michael Kane

It’s not been a great few days if you are Billy Joe Saunders.

First he was fined £100000 by the British Boxing Board of Control for a video he posted in which he appeared to offer a woman money for a sex act then told her to punch a man walking along the road, which she did, Saunders then drove away laughing.

Photo Credit: Billy Joe Saunders Twitter Account

Now there are reports he has failed a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association drug test.

The reports suggest he tested for the banned substance oxilofrine, which is a stimulant. ESPN’s Dan Rafael was the first to break the news.

Saunders, the current WBO middleweight champion, is due to defend his belt against Demetrious Andrade om October 20th. However this news will put that bout seriously in doubt. Saunders could also face being stripped of his title.

Oxilofrine is a stimulant that can increase performance as it helps to burn fat, it could increase adrenaline production, endurance and help with the oxygenation of the blood.

Several athletes have tested positive for the drug in the past.

It seems Saunders has taken to Twitter to laugh the claims off,

😂 some shit 😂

— billyjoesaunders (@bjsaunders_) September 27, 2018

Posted on 03/23/2018

The Nevada State Athletic Commission temporarily suspended Saul Canelo Alvarez on Friday for failing two drug tests in February. Both tests showed traces of the banned substance Clenbuterol. Canelo’s team had argued that the fighter had ingested the drug by eating tainted meat. At the moment, at least, the excuse isn’t flying in Nevada. The news does not mean Canelo’s much hyped rematch with Gennady Golovkin for middleweight supremacy on May 5th has fallen through…at least not yet. The Commission will address the matter again at an April 10th hearing.

“Mr. Alvarez is temporarily suspended for his adverse analytical finding, and an April 10 meeting with the Nevada Athletic Commission will fully address this adverse analytical finding,” the Los Angeles Times quotes NSAC Executive Director Bob Bennett as saying.

If the Commission does decide to lengthen Canelo’s suspension, the Golovkin rematch, scheduled to go down at the T Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, might well be canceled – or at the very least postponed. Both Canelo and Golovkin agreed to testing via the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) before their rematch. The tests Canelo submitted to on February 17th and 20th showed signs of Clenbuterol. The results were made public earlier this month, rocking the fight world.

“I am an athlete who respects the sport and this surprises me and bothers me because it had never happened to me. I will submit to all the tests that require me to clarify this embarrassing situation and I trust that at the end the truth will prevail,” the fighter was quoted as saying. Canelo’s argument that tainted meat was the cause of his failed tests has raised eyebrows, though Clenbuterol is known to be found in Mexican livestock and can be ingested unwittingly.

One person who clearly doesn’t believe Canelo’s tainted meat excuse is his scheduled opponent. Golovkin has gone so far as to claim Canelo cheated for their first match, a controversial 2017 draw. He’s also stated that Canelo’s promoter, Golden Boy honcho Oscar De La Hoya, is guilty of having cheated, as well. What’s more, Golovkin accused the NSAC of essentially engaging in a form of terrorism via it’s favoritism of fighters like Canelo, herefore destroying the sport. Fairly or not, the NSAC has a reputation for bias behavior when it comes to prize fighting and Canelo is said to be a favorite of the organization.

Canelo is still allowed to train for the May 5th bout and Golden Boy has declared it will be respectful of the Commission’s decision while taking up Canelo’s cause. Golovkin promoter, Tom Loeffler, shed some light on the scenario to the LA Times. “They told us Canelo has complied with follow-up testing and everything they’ve asked of him,” he said, “but under their rules, they had to issue a suspension.”

Posted on 08/20/2016

Rematch Chaos: Team Klitschko To Take Team Fury To Court
By: Sean Crose

“Some big news coming in the next few days!”

So tweeted undefeated heavyweight kingpin Tyson Fury this week. Yet there was some other big news that rattled the fight world, and that came from the camp of arch rival Wladimir Klitschko, who Fury is supposed to rematch this fall.

“Unfortunately,” Klitschko claimed on a twitter video, “team Fury is trying to change the terms of an already-signed contract multiple times and it is going on endlessly. To protect my own rights and eventually see the rematch, I am forced to go to court.” Add all this to the PED allegations Fury is facing at home in England and it’s clear this is a chaotic time for the man known as The Gyspy King.

In a sense, however, this almost could be seen as par for the course for the enormous Englishman. While it’s no surprise that Fury isn’t afraid to speak his mind, it was notable earlier this year how much weight the guy had gained while enjoying the fruits of his labor after reaching the peak of the heavyweight mountain. What’s more, Fury spoke of losing interest in the sport of boxing. On top of all that, the Klitschko rematch, which was set for this summer, was pushed back after Fury hurt himself in training.

Some are claiming Fury is avoiding the rematch this October. Perhaps this is true, but anyone who followed Fury’s training camp on video this spring and summer would be hard pressed to say Fury didn’t look serious. Indeed, the man took off a ton of weight in a short period of time, seemed to be working very hard and appeared to have his mind in fighting shape. Looks can be deceiving, of course, so it’s yet to be clear what exactly the problem is. Needless to say, queries directed to team Fury and team Klitschko yesterday have so far gone unanswered.

To be sure, this is a match well worth seeing go down. While it’s true, the original fight was a snooze fest for many, it remains one of the biggest upsets of recent times (though not to this author) and fans have a right to be curious as to whether or not Fury’s victory was a fluke, or if Klitschko is truly on the way down as a fighter. It may be easy to write off both men, but their formidable records – Fury is 25-0, while Klitschko is a whopping 64-4 – indicate underrated skill sets. Needless to say, it would be nice to see who the better man truly is in the ring.