In professional boxing, it is not unusual for match fees to be paid only after the doping samples have been confirmed to be clean.
of Robert Helenius and Anthony Joshua the Matchroom Boxing promoter company that organized the professional boxing match dropped quite a news bomb on the night between Friday and Saturday Finnish time. The company announcedthat the doping sample given by Helenius, who suffered a knockout loss, during the match in London on August 12, contains deviations that point to a doping finding.
Urheilu caught up with Matchroom Boxing’s communications manager on Saturday of Daniel Barnardwho stated that the company will not provide more extensive information on the matter at this stage.
The pre-match doping tests were carried out in accordance with the match agreement by the anti-doping agency called Vada, which should not be confused with the World Anti-Doping Agency, Wada. The testing window for Helenius was tight, as the match agreement was only made a week before the event itself. That’s how the rush came because Joshua’s original opponent Dillian Whyte was sidelined precisely because of a positive doping sample.
According to Urheilu, Helenius is suspected of using a so-called estrogen blocker. The preparations in question typically have a positive effect on the production of the male hormone testosterone in the body. It should be emphasized that at this stage it is only a matter of suspicion. Helenius has not been sentenced to disciplinary sanctions for any kind of doping violation, and the content of his sample has not yet been interpreted as a doping violation in the legal sense of the matter.
In connection with the London match, both urine and blood samples were taken from Helenius for doping analysis.
Two years for the wrestler
The active ingredient in such drugs is called letrozole, and it is prohibited in Wada’s anti-doping rules in all situations in sports. Estonian wrestler, world champion and Olympic runner-up Hi Nabi received a two-year ban from competition for that substance in the early 2020s. The Finnish minor league soccer player was banned for no less than four years last year.
Nabi appealed his case to the sports international appeals body CAS, which considered him incompetent for what happened in itself, but did not shorten the suspension. The decision indicated that Nabi had used, for example, a supplement or a similar preparation, which, without his knowledge, would have contained ingredients prohibited by the doping rules.
It is interesting that almost a year ago Matchroom Boxing was organizing a big match for second-generation boxers For Chris Eubank Junior and To Conor Benn. In a test conducted before the match, a banned estrogen blocker was found in Benn’s sample, and the match was canceled with a big fuss. Even then, Vada took care of the testing.
In 2015, Helenius had to take a German Erkan Teperia against, but the match was canceled by Teperi’s doping cart.
“Absolutely honest”
Urheilu caught up with those who worked in Helenius’ team in London Pekka Mäken, a long-time boxing influencer and trainer. Mäki refused to comment on the Helenius case per se, but agreed to speak on a general level.
– There is no standard model for match contracts. To each his own. Among other things, it is agreed which entity will handle the pre-match testing. In general, I think professional boxing should come under the umbrella of an organization like Wada. Now the action is far too colorful. Under no circumstances do I believe that Helenius knowingly used any substances or methods prohibited in sports. I find him absolutely honest.
In his time, Mäki has been drawing up several match-specific contracts. Now the very interesting question is whether Helenius has received his reward, the amount of which has been estimated at around half a million euros.
– I have not drawn up or seen this match contract. But it is not uncommon that one of the conditions of the payment of the reward is the purity of the doping samples. But I really don’t know the content of Helenius’ contract in this regard.