Boxing Needs to Change How It Punishes Dopers

Boxing Needs to Change How It Punishes Dopers

By S Saadeq Ahmed

Despite fighters repeatedly testing positive for banned substances, boxing refuses to change how it punishes dopers. These incidents cast an even darker shadow on a sport that is already beset by various problems. It can cause extreme frustration and make boxing enthusiasts and potential fans become disenchanted with the sport. Fighters already risk a lot by stepping into the ring and one thing they should not have to deal with are boxers who take performance-enhancing substances. Boxing needs to adopt harsher penalties against dopers and enforce punishments, regardless of who has been found guilty of doping.

Sports such as athletics go as far as stripping athletes of medals for doping violations. In 2017, Jamaica was stripped of their 2008 Olympic 4x100m relay gold medal after it was discovered that Nesta Carter’s urine samples from that time contained a banned stimulant. Not only did Carter lose his medal, teammates Michael Frater, Asafa Powell, and Usain Bolt lost their medals even though their samples from that race did not test positive for any banned substance.

Canadian sprinter Ben Johnson, among the best-known athletes in the 1980s, was also stripped of medals after testing positive. These incidents show that no matter how big of a name one may be, athletes will be stripped of medals if they test positive for banned substances. While much needs to be done with regard to doping in athletics, we still see significant consequences for those who do it.

Despite the numerous boxers who test positive for banned substances, it often feels as though they are hardly being punished for their offence. Jarrell Miller has tested positive on three separate occasions, once as a kickboxer in 2014 and twice as a boxer in 2019 and 2020. The three suspensions combined only add up to 39 months. In spite of this, Miller continues to box and has had two fights this year, one of which took place in the United States and the other taking place in Argentina on a WBA-sanctioned event called ‘KO to Drugs.’

More recently, the debacle with Conor Benn also highlights boxing’s frustrating stance on doping. Drug-testing agency VADA informed Benn and his team that he had failed his test on September 23rd. In spite of that, this finding was not revealed to the wider public and attempts were made to stage the fight even after it became common knowledge that Benn had failed the test. It wasn’t until fight week that the BBBoC withdrew their sanctioning for the bout, more than a week after VADA informed Benn and his team of the adverse finding.

Time and time again there are boxers who test positive for banned substances. Boxing desperately needs to adopt harsher punishments against dopers and enforce them, otherwise, it risks disenchanting current and future fans of the sport. It can take lessons from other sports such as athletics but must do even more to ensure that boxing is safe, clean, and enjoyable for all.

Photo Credit: Mark Robinson/Matchroom Boxing