Boxing’s motley testing practices have forced Anthony Joshua to pay for extra tests. Robert Helenius is not the first fighter whose test results have been unclear.
Micke Suopuro,
Bettina Törnvall
of Robert Helenius became the third boxer in the last four years whose doping tests have been unclear before or after Anthony Joshua encounter. Helenius got into the match Dillian Whyte after having to withdraw due to test results. In 2019 Jarrel Miller was caught with banned substances before his scheduled title fight against Joshua.
One reason for the unusual statistic may be that Joshua has said that he pays the anti-doping agency Vada (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) for extra tests related to his fights. Joshua has thus wanted to make sure that the tests follow the test practices of the British anti-doping organization Ukad.
In boxing, each professional association is responsible for its own doping control. Testing manager of Suek, the Finnish sports ethics center Katja Huotarin according to Vada, which was responsible for testing in the case of Helenius, the doping guidelines are strict, but the testing practices are partly shrouded in obscurity.
Joshua’s promoter Eddie Hearn commented to the BBC before the Helenius match, that resources are also needed for testing outside of the top matches. Like Joshua, not all contestants have the money to pay for them.
In the same article, Joshua also comments on the tainted culture of professional boxing.
– How long has this been going on? I’m not shocked by any news anymore when it comes to boxing, Joshua said.
The doping problem at the top of professional boxing is obvious, as the sport’s top names have been linked to the most colorful doping scandals in recent years.
Among other things, these cases have shaken top boxing
Robert Helenius, 2023
Ambiguities were found in the Finnish boxer’s doping test after the match against Joshua. According to Urheilu, Helenius is suspected of using a so-called estrogen blocker. In an interview with Urheilu, Helenius stressed that he is a “pure athlete”. Helenius has not been sentenced to disciplinary sanctions for a doping violation, and the content of his sample has not yet been interpreted as a doping violation in the legal sense of the matter.
Dillian Whyte, 2023
Dillian Whyte was supposed to fight Joshua on August 12, but there were inconsistencies in his doping test. Whyte has pleaded not guilty to doping.
Conor Benn, 2022
26 years old in October last year Conor Benn’s had to take Chris Eubank against, but the match was canceled at the last minute. Benn failed twice in voluntary doping tests. Benn also denies being guilty of a doping offence. Clomiphene, which increases testosterone levels in men, was found in his test sample. British media of the Guardian according to Benn claimed the elevated values were due to eating eggs.
Amir Khan, 2022
36 years old Amir Khan was banned for two years after a doping test revealed that Khan had taken a banned substance while taking it Kell Brook against February 2022. British media Telegraph reported in April that Khan had tested positive for an anabolic steroid called ostarine. Khan himself suspects that the reason was a handshake. The match against Brook was the last of his career.
Jarrel Miller, 2019 & 2020
American by Jarrel Miller was supposed to face Anthony Joshua in a WBA, IBF, WBO and IBO title fight in the summer of 2019, but he missed in a doping test caught several prohibited substances, such as the use of EPO and growth hormones. Miller came into the match instead Andy Ruiz Jr. The WBA suspended Miller for six months. A year later, Miller crashed again in a test outside the match event.
Saúl Álvarez, 2018
Mexican Super Middleweight Superstar Saúl “Canelo” Álvarez got into the middle of the commotion in February 2018 when his doping test found indications of clenbuterol, which increases muscle mass. According to Ottelija, the rash was a result of eating Mexican meat. Àlvarez’s statement was accepted and he got away with a six-month ban for carelessness.
Tyson Fury, 2015
British boxer Tyson Fury stripped the heavyweight belts of four federations From Wladimir Klitschko in 2015. Fury’s achievement dimmed the following year, when the doping sample he gave during the World Cup match was found to contain nandrolone, which is classified as an anabolic steroid. Fury explained that he had eaten unfermented wild boar together with his cousin Hughie Fury with, who studied the same subject. The case started a years-long legal battle between Fury and Ukad. Among other things, Fury has allegedly tried to trick the farmer into giving him an alibi for eating meat. However, the keeper of the piggery later retracted his accusation.