VADA: What do you make of fighters who are not enrolled?

[oogiebe]

There are so many fighters who are not enrolled and even skip their testing. What do you think of the program and what do you think of the fighters that just don't participate?

[Mexi-Box]

I think it's all just a show of vanity right now. The Charlo brothers duck tests. They're enrolled but good luck finding them.

[DrDuke]

I've stated here for numerous amount of times, that I don't believe in clean sports at the higher level. According to my belief, fighters pass those tests in most of cases only on paper and they don't in the cases, if they have some troubles within the politics of boxing. So I don't give a damn about those anti-doping programs and who's enrolled or not. All that stuff is a more of a formality and also a tool to separate unpleasant elements from the scene. It may sound like another conspiracy, but I don't give a damn really.

[greg]

..I support ANY additional testing provided it doesn't cost a fortune..

[KiwiRider]

..I support ANY additional testing provided it doesn't cost a fortune..

For sure. Problem is that VADA is very expensive if your the tomato can getting paid cab fare. Chump change for the very top earners, darn rip off for everyone else.
It needs to be cheaper, and independently audited by an outside body- preferably several.

[Mexi-Box]

..I support ANY additional testing provided it doesn't cost a fortune..

Good luck with that. They cost money. These testing centers have experts on hand. We're not talking about a Walmart. I have a friend that I graduated with that works at one of these testing centers. A PhD runs the show.

[Mexi-Box]

..I support ANY additional testing provided it doesn't cost a fortune..

For sure. Problem is that VADA is very expensive if your the tomato can getting paid cab fare. Chump change for the very top earners, darn rip off for everyone else.
It needs to be cheaper, and independently audited by an outside body- preferably several.

I'm not sure how you can make these tests cheaper. They're done at a toxicology or medical facility. The machines/robots that run these tests are very expensive. Not just to buy but upkeep. I work on a similar robot at my lab, and the year insurance maintenance cost is like $100,000. Also, I don't mean exactly similar because I don't work with pee.

Then you have the staff that works on duty either are heavily trained or have degrees. Then you have the head of the facility that is an expert. All this costs lots of money.

[KiwiRider]

..I support ANY additional testing provided it doesn't cost a fortune..

For sure. Problem is that VADA is very expensive if your the tomato can getting paid cab fare. Chump change for the very top earners, darn rip off for everyone else.
It needs to be cheaper, and independently audited by an outside body- preferably several.

I'm not sure how you can make these tests cheaper. They're done at a toxicology or medical facility. The machines/robots that run these tests are very expensive. Not just to buy but upkeep. I work on a similar robot at my lab, and the year insurance maintenance cost is like $100,000. Also, I don't mean exactly similar because I don't work with pee.

Then you have the staff that works on duty either are heavily trained or have degrees. Then you have the head of the facility that is an expert. All this costs lots of money.

Good point. In a perfect world the test people would take a fair % of your purse so the B side and prospects could afford it and the mega rich guys pay their share to balance things out.
It's just not fair that the guy who gets $1500 and the guy that gets $2.5 million pay the same.
Say hi to your robot for me

[Enlightened-One]

The problem with fight fans is that they usually assume a boxer of being guilty of using PED’s until the aforementioned fighter dips into his own pocket to prove his innocence.

If a fighter doesn’t need to pay for VADA testing, then they won’t do it voluntarily and without good reason, because it’s fûckîng expensive! I believe it costs in the region of $20K per bout or $50K annually.

Alternatively, both competitors in a bout may prefer to use USADA or another WADA accredited organisation instead.

Also, VADA doesn’t strictly adhere to the WADA guidelines. VADA’s protocols aren’t consistent to those adhered to internationally.

In fact, VADA is not an organisation that is even recognised by WADA.

I think that many casual fight fans like to criticise, even though most of them don’t perform any research to educate themselves on the subject matter nor think things through logically.

[jamamb]

still way better and cheaper then usada , the org of higher prices, shady practices, and only 1 positive fighter ever in pro boxing (and he still fought!)!

you go and pay more to usada for a higher chance of passing and worse result reporting

[Enlightened-One]

still way better and cheaper then usada

You’re comparing apples to oranges, without having performed an objective examination of the services provided by USADA and VADA.

Also, one of the main reasons for USADA having a poor reputation is due to Thomas Hauser‘s multiple misleading articles he wrote about them, which USADA comprehensively and successfully debunked the vast majority of his claims.

It’s a myth that only one fighter has ever failed a drug test administered by USADA, because I can name several.

Also, those that complain about the type of punishments implemented by USADA, need to remember that VADA don’t suspend fighters at all! All VADA does is report the adverse findings.

[oogiebe]

still way better and cheaper then usada

You’re comparing apples to oranges, without having performed an objective examination of the services provided by USADA and VADA.

Also, one of the main reasons for USADA having a poor reputation is due to Thomas Hauser‘s multiple misleading articles he wrote about them, which USADA comprehensively and successfully debunked the vast majority of his claims.

It’s a myth that only one fighter has ever failed a drug test administered by USADA, because I can name several.

Also, those that complain about the type of punishments implemented by USADA, need to remember that VADA don’t suspend fighters at all! All VADA does is report the adverse findings.

Ok, so now that we know your view, and you have educated us on the current protocols, what would you do to police the sport? Neither VADA nor WADA is equitable nor financially sustainable nor does it come with any real penalties. EO, what do you think the answer to performance enhancing drug use is? It's a complicated issue as boxing is not a single entity like MLB or NFL. Maybe there is no answer until other issues are addressed such as a common boxing body.

[Enlightened-One]

still way better and cheaper then usada

You’re comparing apples to oranges, without having performed an objective examination of the services provided by USADA and VADA.

Also, one of the main reasons for USADA having a poor reputation is due to Thomas Hauser‘s multiple misleading articles he wrote about them, which USADA comprehensively and successfully debunked the vast majority of his claims.

It’s a myth that only one fighter has ever failed a drug test administered by USADA, because I can name several.

Also, those that complain about the type of punishments implemented by USADA, need to remember that VADA don’t suspend fighters at all! All VADA does is report the adverse findings.

Ok, so now that we know your view, and you have educated us on the current protocols, what would you do to police the sport? Neither VADA nor WADA is equitable nor financially sustainable nor does it come with any real penalties. EO, what do you think the answer to performance enhancing drug use is? It's a complicated issue as boxing is not a single entity like MLB or NFL. Maybe there is no answer until other issues are addressed such as a common boxing body.

The problem with anti-doping measures is the cost of testing.

Every organisation has it’s flaws, but most of them pretty much test the same set of PED’s and use the same set of laboratories.

The promoters and TV networks need to fund the testing for all fighters, with the resulting cost inevitably being passed onto fight fans. This should be addressed by international law.

Also, the boxing commissions and governing bodies need to apply their rules consistently when dishing out punishments.

Also, all anti-doping agencies around the globe should follow the WADA code to the letter, which would allow all fighters to understand one set of rules that they should follow (i.e. UKAD, USADA & the BBBofC wouldn’t have banned Billy Joe Saunders, but VADA & the MSAC did).

A fighter shouldn’t be aggressively criticised for not wanting to spend in the region of $10K to $20K of each hard-earned purse per bout to prove that they’re clean, because most boxers don’t earn that much anyway.

[gilgamesh]

I don't really care honestly

[Onetimeonly]

I don't really care honestly