?Doping in any sport, but especially boxing, you have the people with money: the haves, the people with money, are using all the drugs they want?They’re able to cheat and get away with it, so as a way to combat that, everybody can take whatever it is they want and declare it.??Tony Thompson
?We believe strongly that boxing should be free from performance enhancing drugs. However, we believe Lucas Browne to be a clean athlete who arrived in Chechnya a clean athlete?– Ricky Hatton and Hatton Promotions
Manager Ricky Hatton responded to the charge indicating that his promotional company will be conducting their own investigation on the matter. Meanwhile ?Big Daddy? Browne took to twitter to plead his innocence.
Browne?s statement
?I would like to assure all my fans, the whole of the boxing world and all of Australia that I am not a drug user or drug cheat. The news of this positive test has shocked and devastated me, and I will for fighting for as long as it takes to clear my name.
?Prior to today I had not heard of the drug clenbuterol and had no idea what it was used for. I am now aware that it is essentially a weight-stripping drug, and as a heavyweight boxer the idea of me using it is utterly ridiculous. I am a staunch long-time opponent of any drug use, performance-enhancing or otherwise.
?My team and I were well aware of the many risks involved in going to a place like Chechnya to fight a reigning champion, and believed we had taken sufficient precautions. In addition, it was at our insistence that VADA testing was implemented for this fight.
?I will be in a position to release more details and make further comments in coming days.
?Thank you.?
I?m sure you composed that response, Lucas. Enough, every time someone is caught using, the lame excuse axiomatically follows. It?s as predictable as two following one.
Former heavyweight title challenger Chris Arreola was fined and suspended by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation after testing positive for marijuana following his December 12, 2015 bout against Travis Kauffman at the AT&T Center in San Antonio. His narrow split decision victory was officially changed to a no contest. This was his second infraction.
Antonio Tarver, according to Sports Illustrated, failed a drug test for his fight with Steve Cunningham in August 2015, testing positive for a banned substance prior to the bout on both the “A” and “B” samples. This was the second failed drug test for Tarver as well as he also failed a test when he drew with Lateef Kayode in 2012 in a cruiserweight bout,
Luis Ortiz was caught against double victim Kayode but at least the big Cuban didn?t deny it. Meanwhile, Kayode was hammered out of the ring in the first round.
Declan Warrington wrote in a report from the guardian dated July 29, 2015 that American heavyweight boxer Tony Thompson failed a drugs test for the fight that may have ruined David Price?s career. Thompson was given an 18-month ban by the British Boxing Board of Control after his second victory over Price.
Also back in 2013, Mariusz Wach admitted that he used anabolic steroids before his November 10 fight with Wladimir Klitschko in Germany. But then, in a bile-inducing coda, he said ?his greatest suspicion falls on his trainers, but there was also a much larger group who helped him during his training so he?s not sure where it came from?? (Mariusz Wach Update, Fightnews.com. January 9, 2013).
Ugh?so much for zero tolerance.
Again in 2013, scary looking Guillermo Jones tested positive for Furosemide after his bloody and now legendary brawl with gritty and equally scary looking Denis Lebedev. Later, in a display of uncommon hubris, there was the issue of the rematch where incredibly Jones again tested positive for the same substance in a pre-fight test.. On that occasion, the positive drug test prompted the WBA to strip Jones of the belt, but oddly, not of the win. He should have been banned for life.
Undefeated Kid Galahad was found to have illegal levels of a metabolite of stanozolol, an anabolic steroid, after being tested after his fight on September 20 for which the Kid initially blamed his brother for spiking his drink as a joke?still another tiresome excuse.
As for Browne, 36, he got off the canvas to knock out Ruslan Chagaev in the tenth round to win the title. Given his age, this could be a major setback in his career.
And so goes the tale of PEDS. Aside from Ortiz, When was the last time a boxer actually admitted his or her guilt to using
