Deontay Wilder questions how serious PED’s are being taken!
Several weeks ago, Dillian “The Body Snatcher” Whyte was flagged by UKAD for an adverse drug finding. The accusation itself was damning enough. However, the way that the situation was treated ensured that it would blossom into a full blown controversy.
It is typical, in these circumstances, to make the findings public knowledge. Instead, Team Whyte, the BBBofC and UKAD opted to keep the results a secret.
Even worse, a shady looking secret meeting was conducted the morning of the actual fight. Not even Team Rivas, Whyte’s opposition, was made aware of the findings or clandestine hearing. On the outside looking in, it appeared as if money and saving face were placed above integrity and Oscar Rivas’ health.
The scandal has persisted as a leading story in boxing circles for going on three weeks.
Deontay Wilder Weighs In
Fighthype questioned WBC world heavyweight champion Deontay “Bronze Bomber” Wilder during an interview. He had no shortage of words on the matter.
“My thing is this, why the hell am I paying all this money to, for these different organizations, different guys to test these guys? For what? I mean, I can keep the money, you know what I mean? If y’all ain’t going to do nothing about it, why am I paying you? Why am I paying you to sanction a fight to have it tested?
“I’d rather press my luck, like I said, ‘man vs machine,’ and you see I got the eraser! So, I ain’t worried about nobody being on no drugs. At the end of the day, after I get finished doing what I’m going to do to you, you going to do something to yourself, and that’s called the aftermath; the after-effect of the drug that you’re taking.
“At the end of the day you know, it don’t matter where it is […] it’s just a horrible situation. It’s just sickening to even be talking about guys doing drug in a combat sport.”
Wilder is referencing the, often times, capricious manner in which the powers that be in boxing treat known drug cheats. In this case, Dillian Whyte was clearly given a head-scratching pass to fight. In April of this year, Jarrell “Big Baby” Miller, was caught with three separate drugs in his system.
This was one of the most audacious drug cheating cases ever. The fallout amounted to Miller being slapped with a laughable six month suspension by the WBA.
A Troubling Trend
Last year, Mexican superstar and boxing cash cow Saul “Canelo” Alvarez failed a pair of drug tests. The debacle was written off as street taco mishap and abruptly swept under the rug. Afterwards, Alvarez would later be gifted the WBC Franchise Champion belt for his overall excellence in boxing.
In 2016, Tyson “The Gypsy King” Fury was flagged for cocaine and the banned substance nandrolone.
The Gypsy King would receive a suspension. However, the ban came at the same time that he withdrew from the sport any way. After his personal two-year hiatus, his suspension was back dated, thereby allowing him to reenter the sport as if nothing ever happened. Very similar to Canelo, Fury’s case was efficiently brushed under the rug.
Since his recent American invasion has begun, little to nothing has been mentioned about the cocaine use or failed PED test. Miller, on the other hand, has remained securely fastened to his failed test results.
Although, Big Baby’s sullied reputation has not prevented him from being mentioned as a potential opponent for Tyson Fury and other top heavyweights. These are a few of the most notable, and recent, cases of doping in the sport, yet certainly not the only ones.
Question on the Table
Going back to Wilder’s comments, it does make one wonder how serious the sanctioning bodies are about cleaning up the sport. We currently live in a day and age where fighters routinely only fight two times a year anyway. With this being the case, what kind of deterrent is a six-month ban?
It’d be the equivalent to suspending a typical 9 to 5 worker at the end of the day Friday and telling them not to come back until Monday morning! That’s what they were going to do anyway!
Aside from farcical suspensions, there has been no substantial financial punishment associated with caught drug cheats. So, once again, what truly is the deterrent when the fine is affordable and the suspension cozily fits into the fighter’s natural schedule?
At the moment, while there is a great deal of lip service, the sanctioning bodies at large appear content to allow these drug scandals to flourish. Until the suspensions are for years, or life time bans, and the financial punishments really take a bite, there is little reason to pretend that the doping situation in boxing will get any better.
By: Bakari Simpson
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