The result of the double header last Saturday in Texas impressed some boxing fans but there were also some who rated the bouts as predictable. Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. retained his WBC middleweight title via unanimous decision over Marco Antonio Rubio. Nonito Donaire also won via split decision over Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. Donaire got his 4th title by claiming the WBC junior featherweight title.

No Steroid Test after the Fight

But the most interesting issue right now is the complaint of Rubio’s camp prompting the World Boxing Council (WBC) to issue a statement defending their side. Some boxing writers, on the other hand, believe that the Texas Athletic Commission should also share in the blame. The three issues were the lack of post-fight steroid test for the main card events, the open scoring, and a bias referee.

Though it may look like that Rubio can’t just accept his loss, the complaints seems to be valid. State athletic commissions usually conduct pre and post fight drug test on all boxers especially those at the main card. It includes recreational and performance enhancing drugs like steroids. But in the case of Chavez vs Rubio event, there was no after fight testing.

The WBC blamed the commission for their failure to test the fighters claiming that it is not the duty of the boxing organization to test boxers. In the statement released to the media, the WBC urge Rubio’s camp to direct their complaint to the Texas Athletic Commission. “If a drug test was not performed, that is something that always corresponds to the local commissions - which in this case was the responsibility of the Texas commission and not the World Boxing Council.” They also said that the commission should explain these issues to the fighters. “The WBC can not get involved in the internal affairs of the commissions. It is up to Texas to respond to those claims.”

Who’s to Blame? WBC or Texas Athletic Commission

But who should really take the responsibility in conducting the steroid test. Is it the WBC or the commission? According to Rubio’s camp, the WBC told them that they forgot to conduct the post-fight test. However, the recent statement of the boxing organization points their finger at the commission. Online reports revealed that the Texas Athletic Commission failed to book a laboratory that will handle the post-fight steroid testing. Although, it is not surprising that this fiasco happened because the state of Texas is known for its lenient policy on drug testing. Their anti-doping policy is not comparable to the Nevada and California state athletic commissions

There was also a rumor that Chavez Jr was on PED’s. Rubio allegedly told his corner during the fight that Chavez’s power is unusual. According to a boxing site, Rubio should not be surprised if he received power punches from Chavez Jr because the latter is overweight. The middleweight champion failed to meet the catch weight which makes him 10 lbs heavier than Rubio.

On the other hand, if the commission conducted the test or the WBC insisted for the drug testing, there will be no accusations about the use of performance enhancing drugs in this event. It is a fact that the use of anabolic steroids, human growth hormone, and diuretics helps an athlete improve his performance. If they know that the commission will not be testing for PED’s then it is always tempting to take supplements that will boost their strength and stamina.

This will be a lesson both for the WBC and the Texas Athletic Commission. Since the issue of steroid use in boxing is still a hot topic, organizers and regulators should adopt policies that will prevent and catch cheating fighters.

In another controversial move, Floyd Mayweather Jr. directly called Manny Pacquiao asking the current pound for pound king for a match on May. Some analysts believe that this is another media hype but it will portray that Floyd is eager to have the fight with Pacquiao. Both camps confirmed the call to the media but declined to give comments on the details of the conversation between the two fighters. In an interview by a local media network in the Philippines, Pacquiao only revealed that Floyd Jr. agreed to a 50-50 share in the purse.

However, Top Rank Promotion president Todd duBoef told Yahoo’s Kevin Iole that it’s better to have the negotiation on the table instead of using the social media or making telephone calls. “Obviously, in order to make things happen, we need to take this out of the realm of the public and social media and telephone calls and into private rooms and sit down and start moving the ball forward,” said duBoef. He explained that deals should be done that way.

May 5 Fight between Mayweather and Pacquiao

Bob Arum already said that there are stumbling blocks in the May fight. Pacquiao can’t fight on May 5, as Floyd wants it, because he needs to recuperate from the injuries from his previous fight with Juan Marquez. Second, Arum needs to build a 40,000 seat capacity stadium to hold the boxing event. MGM can only handle around 17,000 expectators. Holding the mega fight in a bigger venue will generate at least $30M according to Pacquiao’s financial adviser.

Even if Floyd Jr. wanted the fight, just like Pacquiao, they still have to depend on their promoters who handle the negotiations. Previous negotiations failed because of the various demands of Floyd’s camp. It started with the Olympic style steroid testing to the amount of fight purse demanded by Floyd Jr. Right now, the Mayweathers are still facing the steroid defamation lawsuit filed by Pacquiao.

Uncle Roger Talks About Steroids Again

Roger Mayweather, the trainer and uncle of Floyd, again revived his accusation against the Pacman. Last week, he told the BoxingScene that Pacquiao don’t want to fight his nephew. He also insinuated that Pacquiao only wanted the money but Floyd will just beat him inside the ring. Not minding the steroid defamation suit against him, Roger again accused Manny Pacquiao of using steroids. “In the history of boxing there has never been a guy who was 105-pounds that beat a motherf**ker 145-pounds, 135-pounds, 147-pounds, 150-pounds. Everybody know what Pacquiao got in his a**. He got those steroids in his a**, that’s it, Roger told the BoxingScene. He also sees the fight between Floyd and Manny as a mismatch.

Floyd Jr. Goes to Jail in June

Floyd’s camp was able to convince the judge handling his felony case to suspend the 90-day jail term. His lawyer contend that the boxer have to comply with existing contractual obligations like the scheduled fight on May 5. However, the intensified public campaign of Floyd asking Pacquiao to fight him on May 5 is just a gimmick according to Bob Arum. The promoter said that Floyd is using Manny to sell his fight on May 5 against a not so popular contender Robert Guerrero. “They feel that if they blame Manny and myself for the Pacquiao-Mayweather not happening and therefore they are fighting Guerrero and that somehow the public will excuse them and buy the Mayweather-Guerrero fight,” Arum told a boxing website.

Another boxer, junior middleweight champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez, is also seen as a possible replacement for Guerrero. On the other hand, there are at least 4 boxers who might become the next opponent of Pacquiao. They are Tim Bradley, Lamont Peterson, Miguel Cotto and a rematch with Juan Manuel Marquez.

The recent TV face-off between British heavyweight Dereck Chisora and the current WBC heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko is a preview of what will happen inside the ring when the two boxers brawl next month. A heated argument resulted to accusations that Klitschko is under steroids.

The two heavyweight boxers appeared in the BoxNation’s Head to Head special hosted by John Rowling. The fighting instance of Chisora made the meeting a more interesting one. “You know I don’t fight from the outside. I come inside. I’m going to be on you, Man. I’m going to be tickling you all over, don’t worry,” said Chisora. The challenger even told Klitschko that the champion will be facing his worst enemy in the ring. “From every direction, I’m just chucking. I’ve got a very good work rate; you know that for a fact,” he added.

Chisora-Weight Problem, Klitschko-Steroids

However, Chisora’s previous problem on coping up with the catch weight popped up in the discussion. The British boxer had a hard time shedding his excess weight in his last fight against Tyson Fury. “At the press conference, you told me that you are already making the preparations. Are you already in shape? You have to burn 25-pounds of fat,” Vitali said.

But Chisora continued throwing his grudge against the Ukrainian heavyweight champion. “It don’t matter. You don’t worry about this fat man,” he said in response to Vitali’s comment on his weight problem. And Chisora added more. “I don’t juice myself like you do, baby. This fat will be all over you, all over your face. You don’t worry about me, you worry about yourself,” Chisora said.

Steroid Issue against the Klitschko Brothers

This accusation of Chisora is not something new. Steroid issues have been hurled against the Klitschko Brothers for sometime now. In fact Wladimir was asked to undergo Olympic style steroid testing during his fight against Alexander Povetkin. Povetkin’s camp initiated the request to make sure that Vitali’s younger brother is not taking steroids or other performance enhancing drugs. Wladimir accepted the challenge and he was able to prove that he is a clean fighter.

Since Chisora opened this issue against Vitali, a comprehensive drug testing will be a good addition to their agreement. Though Vitali did not take the issue seriously, some boxing fans have still some doubts about his boxing prowess. Subjecting himself to an Olympic style drug testing will put away critics in the nook including his accuser-enemy Dereck Chisora.

If Vitali Klitschko wins on February 8, Chisora can still use the steroid issue against him. Although Chisora is confident that he will get the World Boxing Council heavyweight title from Klitschko. His parting words, “What I’m doing is coming to this playground and I’m going to stop this big bully from taking people’s candy from the playground - and you’re the big bully.” On the other hand, Klitschko also predicted a 6 round knock out on Chisora.

WBC Heavyweight Title at Stake on February 8

The WBC heavyweight title bout between Dereck Chisora (15-2, 9 KO’s) vs heavyweight champion Vitali Klitschko (43-2, 40 KO’s) will be held at the Olympiahalle, Munich, Bayern, Germany on February 18.

Boxing is one of the sports that do not require stringent drug testing. Many critics are not satisfied with the current steroid testing program of boxing and MMA because they just rely on the State Athletic Commissions. While the commissions use the standard methods in testing athletes for performance enhancing drugs, they just do it when a match is going to happen. This is in contrast with other leagues that adopt a comprehensive anti-doping program where players can be tested even on off-season.

However, proponents for a more rigid steroid testing in boxing were able to advance their cause by convincing a promotion company. Just recently, the Golden Boy Promotion gave a nod for a third party steroid testing of their boxers. This can be considered as a great development in the sports since the boxers will submit themselves to an independent test.

Boxers to be Tested for Steroids

The welterweight rematch between Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto is not only an interesting fight to watch out for on February 11. They will be the first to undergo steroid testing under VADA procedures. VADA stands for Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. Since the program is voluntary, their submission to such stringent testing methods (as claimed by VADA) will make an impact in the world of boxing. This may force other boxers to voluntary submit themselves to VADA tests to prove that they are clean of any performance enhancing drugs. Manny Pacquiao, Floyd Mayweather Jr., Shane Mosley, Amir Khan and other boxers who are accused of taking performance enhancing drugs should consider taking the VADA test to appease critics that they are not involved or using banned substances.

People Behind VADA

It was first known to the public when Victor Conte divulged some of the facts about the organization during an interview. Conte is now active in eradicating steroid use in professional sports. After serving jail time for providing professional athletes with designer steroids, Conte vowed to help the government especially the US Anti-Doping Agency to catch the cheaters. And VADA is another way to pursue his cause.

Another prominent person in the VADA is the former ringside doctor of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) Margaret Goodman. The doctor admitted that creating this organization is not an easy task. In fact she already had this idea since 2005 but it only materialized this year. “It’s taken a long time to put this together and it’s been a daunting task. When I first started talking to people, I saw that (doping) was rampant and largely ignored by many state commissions, who do little to no testing,” said Goodman during an interview.

VADA Testing Methods are More Stringent

Goodman knows that many promoters will not be at ease with their testing program. They have a different testing procedure for steroid and human growth hormone. Proponents of VADA will use a WADA accredited testing laboratory to ensure the reliability and validity of the tests. All samples will be sent to the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory.

Aside from that, they will also use an expensive method of detecting steroids in the body but is considered more reliable. Samples from volunteer boxers will be subjected to Carbon Isotope testing. This method can detect steroids or testosterone even after weeks of taking it. The current method, which is the TE ratios, can usually detect banned substances if it is taken within a few hours or days.

To detect the use of human growth hormone, VADA will check the hematocrit levels of the fighter to see if there is an abnormality. This way, they can tell if the athlete is doping or not.

After Victor Ortiz and Andre Berto, it will be interesting to know the next boxer who will submit to VADA tests.

The BALCO founder claimed he already learned from his mistakes and served jail time as punishment for his role in professional sports doping. But Victor Conte is still facing a hard time getting out from the steroid stigma.

The BALCO was dismantled years ago but his name is still being associated to steroids especially that he is now managing a nutrition company providing elite athletes with supplements. The SNAC or Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning has in its long lists of clients professional athletes from boxing, track and field and baseball.

Berto Defending His Link to Conte

Andre Berto, who just won his comeback fight against Slovenian Jan Zaveck, defended his decision in getting the services of Victor Conte. In a pre-fight interview, Berto told the media that Conte was able to help him a lot during the training. “I’ve had a tremendous training camp. We switched things up a bit and went to California for this camp and I have been working Victor Conte. He’s really been helping me with my nutrition and has taught me the importance of having rest days,” said Berto.

The former WBC Welterweight champion claimed that they already dumped the old school training after they met Conte and the results are good.

But when asked by a sports writer about steroids, Berto is quick to defend Conte. “He’s had a rough past but I know everything he’s done (with me) is legal.” Berto also said that nobody’s putting an injection on him. “I know that what I’m doing is legit.”

Berto’s claim of the IBF welterweight crown from Zaveck will help him regain his position in the welterweight division and hope for a fight with Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. But before he can do that he must take some more fights and probably a rematch with Victor Ortiz.

Andre Ward Urge to Take Steroid Test

Meanwhile, Andre Ward is also on the hot seat. His opponent, Carl Froch, wants him to undergo a stringent drug testing because of his ties with Victor Conte. The Daily Star reported that Froch will ask his promoter if a pre-fight drug test or blood test is possible before they clash on October 29 at Atlantic City. They will be brawling for the WBC super-middleweight title.

“There have been stories about American boxers taking steroids, so you do wonder if people are taking things to give them the edge,” Froch told the Daily Star. “I will be raising the question with my promoter Eddie Hearn and he will probably do something about it, whether it’s a pre-fight drug test or blood test,” he added.

On the other hand, Ward told the media that he already severed his ties with Conte. However, Conte played a major role in his win on Mikkel Kessler in the Super Six tournament in 2009. Ward also defended Conte. “Victor’s very knowledgeable. I would talk to him about ­supplements, he’s on the right track,” Ward said.

Other Boxers Working with Conte

Other boxers who are under Conte’s nutrition program were not spared from critics. Nonito Donaire also defended his decision to work with Conte and the “Filipino Flash” believes Conte is not giving him any type of steroids. Zab Judah is also working with Conte.

None of these boxers have failed any steroid test but their critics will never stop associating them to steroids use. And that’s because of Victor Conte.

The fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Victor Ortiz, which is scheduled on September 17 at MGM Grand in Las Vegas, will determine if Ortiz is ready for a more skilled and veteran boxer. Many are speculating that Ortiz will be outclassed in this match-up because of Mayweather’s proven tactics inside the ring. However, the camp of Ortiz believes otherwise. They predicted a first loss for Floyd Mayweather in his professional boxing career.

NSAC Doing its Job

With a few weeks remaining, both fighters are still busy training and promoting the fight. On the other hand, state regulators are also doing their jobs in ensuring that both fighters are free of any performance enhancing drugs. The Nevada State Athletic Commission or NSAC already conducted drug testing on both fighters and the result was announced recently by NSAC Executive Director Keith Kizer.

Steroid Results Negative for Both Fighters

Kizer told RingTV that both fighters passed the drug testing particularly for anabolic steroids. “They went and had their urine taken last Thursday, and then the results came back today, and both guys passed,” said Kizer. The athletic commission also tests fighters for other banned substances like masking agents and recreational drugs.

NSAC Steroid Test Only

Though Mayweather and Ortiz both claimed that they are clean of any performance enhancing drugs, the results of the steroid tests conducted by NSAC only covers urine testing. These do not include the comprehensive testing being pushed through by Floyd Mayweather Jr. The executive director of NSAC clarified to the media that they only subjected the two fighters to urine testing. “Today’s was the commission test. It was the official test before the fight. The fact that they’re doing some additional testing on their own, well, they’re free to do that,” Kizer said.

Mayweather required every opponent to undergo an Olympic style blood testing just like what he demanded on Sugar Shane Mosley and Manny Pacquiao. The blood test was not an issue with Mosley but Pacquaio initially made a counter offer on the Olympic style test. Though, recent reports showed that the 8-division world boxing champion already agreed to an Olympic Style blood testing.

Mayweather and Ortiz will be subjected to USADA’s random urine and blood testing. However, there are still no reports with regards to the results of USADA’s test. A lot of boxing fans (especially those who are anti-Mayweather) are asking about the steroid test results of USADA. They want to know if Mayweather really subjected himself to blood testing and if he was cleared for any kind of steroid.

NSAC Will Still Conduct Another Round of Steroid Testing

Kizer also told RingTV that the steroid test on Mayweather and Ortiz is just a part of the anti-doping measures of the athletic commission. “Usually a month or so out from the fight, I call up the lab and I say that I’m going to send these two fighters for testing,” said Kizer. Mayweather and Ortiz will still undergo pre-fight and post-fight test on September 17.

Ortiz Camp not Bothered by Steroid Tests

Mayweather’s opponent is not bothered by the type of testing that he requires. According to Rolando Arrellano, Ortiz’ manager, his fighter has nothing to worry because Ortiz is clean of steroids. “It’s part of the terms and the conditions of the contract, and we’ve been testing with urine, we’ve been testing with blood, and they’ve all been clean because Victor’s not on anything,” he said.

“We’re providing what they’re asking, and it’s no problem because we’re not doing anything illegal,” added Arellano. But the most important message they want Floyd to know is this, “We don’t care what Floyd wants us to do, because we’re going to beat him any way.”