Will Boxing Ever Clean Up The Sport?

Will Boxing Ever Clean Up The Sport?

It’s been said in the past that in boxing nothing is ever as it seems, the truth often stretched to fit a set and predetermined narrative. Some of the greatest salesmen in history have plyed their considerable, if sometimes shady, skills in the sport.

But what is perfectly clear is the complete reluctance to wipe away drugs in the sport. We don’t need reminding what a dangerous and unforgiven sport boxing is, two fighters over the course of the past week, doing a sport they loved, have tragically lost their lives.

Yet despite the obvious dangers in the sport, there is seemingly a reluctance to clean up the sport. Drug testing of the fighters is limited at best, almost a token act for appearances sake. When you hear stories of 10 years in the sport and just 3 tests, it highlights the problem.

Even when someone is caught, the punishment is hardly a deterent.

Jarrell Miller of course failed multiple drug tests prior to his scheduled fight with Anthony Joshua. But despite this, was given an insultingly low 6-month ban, the equivalent of being told to sit on the naughty step for a few minutes. and will return to action before the year is out, as if nothing had happened.

When the rewards are so high and the chances of being caught are so low and any punishment is minimal, then how can we be surprised when some try to cheat, its practically encouraging it.

The recent issues around Dillian Whyte highlight further problems. The full truth is yet to be admitted or revealed, and we need to be careful not to rush to judgement. But we can safely assume there is or was some issue with Whyte’s drug test, certainly enough for him to be called to explain whatever that problem was.

But whatever the problem was, Oscar Rivas deserved to know, he had a moral right to know. Rivas might have decided not to fight or might not have cared less, but he should have been allowed to make that call.

I would go further, every single person who either paid their hard earned money at the gate or purchased the PPV or even gambled on the fight deserved to know, we had a right to know what we were about to watch.

We can all hide behind clouds of secrecy, rules and regulations and carefully worded statements, cleared and cleared to fight are two entirely different things. But sometimes you don’t need the benefit of hindsight to do the right thing.

Boxing is in one of its boom periods, money in amundance, there has never been a better time to show real intent in cleaning up the sport. The sport is governed by endless governing bodies, a unified united stance is unlikely, the cost no doubt will be the excuse.

Hopefully recent events kick start a new era, a real determination to do something, I won’t hold my breath.