BoxRec

This is not a new subject I know but having read the most recent article in Boxing Monthly on the subject I had the following thoughts .
I see young men in my local fitness gym who workout like beasts, religiously. They make gradual improvements but they see others ,obviously on steroids , become huge very quickly . And there lies the temptation . Young people do not have patience .
I feel the same must be the case with young boxers . They find out someone is using PEDs and they see massive improvements in a short period of time and this must be demorilising. Someone them advises them how they can use without getting caught and at that point they have a decision to make .
Using any sort of drug to enhance performance is CHEATING . Those in the gym who bulk up on steroids are only cheating themselves . For those in boxing who cheat, it is not as simple , because the dangers are obvious .
One way of discouraging this is to ban the cheats for life . If Dwain Chambers can return to athletics after cheating then the message goes out there that if caught the person need only wait a couple of years and they can get back in. It is a different story if a life ban is introduced .
Some people might suggest that it would be difficult to enforce a worldwide ban , but how could any world body justify allowing a drug cheat to compete again . I know its happened before with Roy Jones , but as the use of PEDS is apparently more widespread now , it is time to stamp it out .

If someone uses PED's in contact sport they should recieve an assault conviction the same way if they tampered with gloves.

I believe that its so wide spread that most elite fighter take something.
I'm involved in bodybuilding and i saw a very recent fight where to me it was obvious.
I do wonder how they are getting the esters out of their bodys in time for the urine tests etc.

Spiker wrote:I believe that its so wide spread that most elite fighter take something.
I'm involved in bodybuilding and i saw a very recent fight where to me it was obvious.
I do wonder how they are getting the esters out of their bodys in time for the urine tests etc.

I think the actual testing is very rare- in the uk it only takes place on fight night and I believe you are given notice. There is certainly no random testing procedure so in essence nothing to prevent someone sing them to get in shape a few weeks out from a contest and then coming off them.

What are the tell tale signs? I can feel it on the pads of someone has used them. I've also sparred with an mma fighter who uses them and you can feel it- they don't seem to fatigue the same way. They seem to retain 'snap' I'm there punches throughout the round even when tired.

Jeff Thomas wrote:

Spiker wrote:I believe that its so wide spread that most elite fighter take something.
I'm involved in bodybuilding and i saw a very recent fight where to me it was obvious.
I do wonder how they are getting the esters out of their bodys in time for the urine tests etc.

I think the actual testing is very rare- in the uk it only takes place on fight night and I believe you are given notice. There is certainly no random testing procedure so in essence nothing to prevent someone sing them to get in shape a few weeks out from a contest and then coming off them.

What are the tell tale signs? I can feel it on the pads of someone has used them. I've also sparred with an mma fighter who uses them and you can feel it- they don't seem to fatigue the same way. They seem to retain 'snap' I'm there punches throughout the round even when tired.

As you mentiond above obviously strength goes up. Vascularity goes up on most compounds. For instance im not an athlete but i am supplementing now and im stronger than 2 weeks ago, ive cut bodyfat and ive also increased hardness and muscle size. For me the dead give away though is vasularity ie veins on pecs, shoulders, forearms. There are so many compounds which can differ your appearence and put your strength through the roof. ie Tren Acetate.

Spiker wrote:I believe that its so wide spread that most elite fighter take something.
I'm involved in bodybuilding and i saw a very recent fight where to me it was obvious.
I do wonder how they are getting the esters out of their bodys in time for the urine tests etc.

From what I've read on other sites it appears to be very easy to get away with it if you know what you're doing. Unless you're having random testing it seems people can use PEDS and have all traces gone within a couple of days of using.

To an extent, I can understand the "if you can't beat them, join them" mentality. If you know the other guy is using and you're not, you're immediatly at a disadvantage It's not a stance I agree with, but do understand. I also think it's very much more prevalent than people in the sport want to admit.

As a fighter this subject riles me!!! Hate the idea of going in the ring with someone that has a cheats advantage. I was speaking to some boxers not long ago on the subject and I was quite surprised to hear most o them say "if they knew they'd get away with it they'd do it" really pees me off to think someone could so blatantly cheat. Don't get me wrong if I thought I could get away with the odd low blow I would lol but to take drugs to gain am unfair advantage is beyond me. Perhaps I just don't want to win as much as them or maybe I'm just too nice :-)

iftkwoody wrote:most o them say "if they knew they'd get away with it they'd do it" really

Good on you for having that attitude fella, but unfortunately I'm in agreement with those posters who think it's far more common than we realise, and your statement above is part of the reason why... in boxing at the moment it is relatively easy to get away with it, so a lot of them are doing it...

I know that t5's were massively common back in the day

Topics like this piss me off because of how out of touch people are.

PED's in boxing are 1) Nothing new and 2) Very commonplace.

The testing (when it occurs) is a joke and only idiots get caught out.

iftkwoody wrote:As a fighter this subject riles me!!! Hate the idea of going in the ring with someone that has a cheats advantage. I was speaking to some boxers not long ago on the subject and I was quite surprised to hear most o them say "if they knew they'd get away with it they'd do it" really pees me off to think someone could so blatantly cheat. Don't get me wrong if I thought I could get away with the odd low blow I would lol but to take drugs to gain am unfair advantage is beyond me. Perhaps I just don't want to win as much as them or maybe I'm just too nice :-)

Well said , but does it make you think about more about what your opponent could be on? I mean before title level boxers are not tested in the Uk.

I do think it is a lot more common than we are led to believe but I myself have never come across anything in any gym I've ever been to so it does make me wonder who is doing it and who's supplying it??? Cost I've never seen it. Obviously it makes me think what could my opponents be on especially because I have a young family I don't know what I would do if I found out that someone I had or was going to face was using peds. I would call for a lifetime ban and I think that should be the case but then again how can they prove if the drugs are taken deliberately or by accident? It does seem that there are a lot of things you cannot take. For instance I always remember from my board meeting when I wanted to become professional I was told not even to take pain killers just in case it had other stuff in it. I always dread getting a cold or injuries as I can't do anything about it and to be honest I'm a bit of a girl when it comes to colds lol.