Tris Dixon: Boxing’s drug problem reaches crisis point with inconsistent testing and no world body
With numerous attempts to paper over the cracks, and many people still in denial, boxing has failed to address a gargantuan elephant in the room.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) reported that, in 2021, boxing returned the joint highest percentage of adverse findings in a pool of 28 sports.
A drug problem in any sport is frightening, yet alone one where an artificial advantage can lead to ramifications beyond winning or losing.
This is why Tris, author of Damage and Warrior – both shortlisted for sports book of the year awards – looks to break new ground in his next project.
With Damage influencing the way people now approach brain trauma in boxing, Tris hopes to have a similar impact with his book on performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) which, by the time it is written, will include between 50 and 100 interviews.
He said: “I have already done a lot of interviews, some specifically for the book and others on my podcast [Boxing Life Stories] where I have raised the issue of PEDs.
“I am speaking to people at commissions and anyone previously associated with PEDs to get a holistic view of the subject.”
The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) and UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) are the leading agencies that conduct drug testing for professional bouts in Britain.
Coffee & cream with a side of @Vada_Testing this morning #boxinglife pic.twitter.com/Rmm8vBczvO
— Franchón Crews-Dezurn (@TheHHDiva) January 27, 2024
Having spoken with Dr. Margret Goodman who, based in Las Vegas, is the founder and head of VADA, Tris said: “She told me that fighters have been annoyed with collecting agents due to the inappropriate time or place of their calling.
“But anyone who doesn’t sign up for 24/7 testing could get away with doping, so that’s what people should expect.”
Many consider VADA to be the gold standard when it comes to drug testing in boxing and MMA. Operating an out-of-competition whereabouts policy – for athletes who fight inside and outside of the UK – means that agents can test fighters anytime, anywhere.
UKAD also operate an out-of-competition whereabouts policy, but athletes must be enrolled in a testing pool for it to come into effect.
While the number of fighters enrolled in either their National Registered Testing Pool or Domestic Testing Pool is unknown, UKAD – through their quarterly reports – reveal that in-competition tests are traditionally used more frequently in boxing.
The graph shows the newest available data from UKAD, with tests from their Quarter 2 (July – September) report in 2021 up to their most recent record, released on December 5 last year.
To put things into perspective, out-of-competition tests in football, on average, amount to double the number of in-competition tests that are used, whereas boxing is more the opposite.
This is because, without significant financial backing, UKAD are left with resources that subject most boxers to a less effective form of testing which, for bouts with no additional testing from VADA, means that at least 65 stimulants and 10 narcotics remain undetected.
Tris said: “The cost of collecting the samples, storing the samples and doing the tests runs into thousands.
“On a 15-fight card, testing 30 boxers suddenly becomes very expensive.”
With less out-of-competition tests throughout their training camp, boxers are able to remove substances from their system before 11:59pm on the day preceding a fight – when in-competition tests enter the equation.
Moreover, fighters are able to circumvent tests by using microdosing techniques, which enable them to take smaller dosages of a substance on a day-by-day basis.
Tris said: “WADA is the overarching body [of UKAD], so they outline the thresholds of a banned substance that must be detected for a fighter to return an adverse finding.
“Everyone seems to have tested positive by accident; whether it is hand cream, wild boar meat, Mexican meat, eggs or fertility drugs, there is always an excuse.
“Even over-the-counter supplements made in labs could contain a banned substance if the vat used for mixing is not cleaned out properly.”
While boxers will claim innocence if they return trace amounts of a substance in a blood or urine sample, the finding may still indicate a possible use of microdosing.
So with VADA and UKAD, at times, operating contradictory policies regarding thresholds of banned substances, a lack of consistency between testing agencies represents a major impediment for individuals working towards a drug-free sport and, with no real deterrent in place for when a fighter does test positive, people have begun to approach the subject with less caution.
“There doesn’t seem to be the same stigma around PEDs compared to a sport like athletics where Ben Johnson and Justin Gatlin have become pariahs,” Tris added.
After returning an adverse finding in her VADA test last year, Alycia Baumgardner has since been reinstated as the super featherweight champion by the World Boxing Council (WBC), who ruled that there was no conclusive evidence of her intent to cheat.
UKAD, conversely, operate a strict liability rule, meaning athletes are responsible for what they ingest regardless of their intent to cheat, whereas VADA – tasked with testing athletes and reporting findings – have no authority to issue bans, giving scope for commissions, governing bodies and sanctioning bodies, such as the WBC, to involve their jurisdictions.
The absence of an overarching governing body in boxing, therefore, means that when a fighter is banned they can still apply for a professional licence in a different country or, in America, state.
Tris said: “Commission officials tend to be politicians as opposed to boxing people, so they will probably know what side their bread is buttered.
“Senator John McCain really pushed for a federal commission with national oversight in America.
“I would like to see a union between the most significant players in the sport. But first, you would need a forward-thinking commissioner or general secretary to get the ball rolling.”
But, even with a uniform set of rules, there is no guarantee that all adverse findings will enter the public domain.
“Some fighters serve silent bans, and people aren’t aware because of confidentiality agreements that are in place,” Tris added
“More transparency would be great, but I’m not sure that it can be achieved with client confidentiality in the medical profession and high-power lawyers threatening legal action.
“The fighters live in fear of testing agents because they don’t want to test positive, and the agencies live in fear of fighters because they don’t want to get sued.”
