Wladimir Klitschko to Be Tested By VADA for Anthony Joshua Fight
Posted: 01 Feb 2017, 06:33
Wladimir Klitschko will be randomly tested by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association throughout training camp for his April 29 showdown with Anthony Joshua at Wembley Stadium in London.
Klitschko said following a press conference Tuesday at Madison Square Garden to promote their heavyweight title fight that Las Vegas-based VADA will test him during his eight weeks of preparation in Ukraine and Austria. London’s Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) said Tuesday that he wouldn’t fight Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs) if both boxers weren’t subject to the most stringent testing for performance-enhancing drugs.
That was fine by Ukraine’s Klitschko, who has been criticized for not regularly participating in Olympic-style blood and urine testing for PEDs.
“I think it’s very important,” Klitschko said. “I’m very supportive of this program. If you want to have a clean sport, you have to get random testing in boxing, Olympic-style. I think it’s tremendously important because a boxing match is not a tennis match. The health of the other person is on the line, and I think doping could give you a gigantic advantage to whatever – conditioning, strength. In any sport, it doesn’t matter which sport, I’m totally against doping and I’ve always been for random testing.”
Klitschko, who’ll turn 41 before he faces Joshua, didn’t specify how many times he has undergone random blood and urine testing before fights.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion only would say that his testing history dates back to when he competed for Ukraine at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. “Since I’ve been an Olympian I’ve been tested,” Klitschko said. “In the past. What is it? Twenty years now, yeah.”
Klitschko said following a press conference Tuesday at Madison Square Garden to promote their heavyweight title fight that Las Vegas-based VADA will test him during his eight weeks of preparation in Ukraine and Austria. London’s Joshua (18-0, 18 KOs) said Tuesday that he wouldn’t fight Klitschko (64-4, 53 KOs) if both boxers weren’t subject to the most stringent testing for performance-enhancing drugs.
That was fine by Ukraine’s Klitschko, who has been criticized for not regularly participating in Olympic-style blood and urine testing for PEDs.
“I think it’s very important,” Klitschko said. “I’m very supportive of this program. If you want to have a clean sport, you have to get random testing in boxing, Olympic-style. I think it’s tremendously important because a boxing match is not a tennis match. The health of the other person is on the line, and I think doping could give you a gigantic advantage to whatever – conditioning, strength. In any sport, it doesn’t matter which sport, I’m totally against doping and I’ve always been for random testing.”
Klitschko, who’ll turn 41 before he faces Joshua, didn’t specify how many times he has undergone random blood and urine testing before fights.
The former undisputed heavyweight champion only would say that his testing history dates back to when he competed for Ukraine at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. “Since I’ve been an Olympian I’ve been tested,” Klitschko said. “In the past. What is it? Twenty years now, yeah.”
