By John F. McKenna (McJack): The story which broke last Monday morning regarding IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Lamont Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KO’s) failing two drug tests clearly illustrates how much trouble boxing is in. Peterson was set to defend his title belts against former IBF/WBA light welterweight champion Amir Khan (26-2, 18 KO’s) on May 19 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Resort Casino in Las Vegas.
After Peterson acknowledged that he had taken testosterone pellets prior to his match last December with Khan, predictably next Saturday night’s fight was cancelled.
Lamont insists that the banned substance was prescribed to him by a doctor for an existing medical condition. Notwithstanding, the fact is that “Havoc” as Peterson’s fans refer to him, won his IBF and WBA titles while the testosterone was still in his body.
Making matters worse for “Team Peterson” was the fact that Golden Boy Promotions CEO Richard Schaefer was not informed of the situation until Monday morning after Lamont tested positive in a second drug test. Making matters even more untenable for Peterson he never informed the Volunteer Anti Doping Association (Vada) as required by contract, of the condition which would require him to take the testosterone pellets.
Schaefer was reported to be livid that he was not informed prior to Monday. The costs to Golden Boy and cable giant HBO, who planned to carry the fight, have not yet been calculated, but it is certain that they will be substantial. Schaefer, along with cable giant HBO, was left scrambling to minimize their losses by attempting to put a fight together for Khan, possibly in late June or early July. As of yet there is just speculation as to who Khan’s opponent will be.
The story exploded on the boxing world with such force that it blew all other boxing related stories off the front pages of boxing sites. New details emerged on an almost hourly basis as reports came in from all over the world outlining the still unfolding events as they developed.
Peterson won his IBF/WBA titles last December via split decision in Lamont’s hometown of Washington, D.C. The fight which was the first title bout in D.C. in decades was rife with controversy from the outset. Referee Joe Cooper deducted two points from Khan for pushing. Then it was disclosed that a “mystery man” was at ringside interfering with WBA judging supervisor Michael Welsh. The “mystery man” was identified as Mustafa Armeen and it was further revealed that he had no affiliation with either the IBF or the WBA. Armeen in defense of his unauthorized presence at ringside said the he was merely making corrections to errors he had found in the scorecards. The disappearance of the master scorecard immediately following the fight caused more questions to be asked by boxing observers.
The events of this past week make it imperative that a new drug testing policy be put in place. And whether you like him or despise him one would have to admit that the calls by Floyd Mayweather Jr. for Olympic style drug testing not only have merit, they must be employed as soon as possible. This discussion has nothing to do with whether you are a Mayweather or a Pacquao fan. The issue is much bigger than any one or two fighters.
Three is no time to dilly dally around with doing studies and then more studies on the issue. More importantly it is no time to discuss what Mayweather’s motives are in demanding that anyone who fights him must submit themselves to Olympic style drug testing.
The handwriting has been on the wall for all to see for years. And if anyone thinks that taking Performance Enhancing Drugs (PEDS) is no big deal take a look at what has happened in baseball. Without naming names, you do not see any baseball players hitting 70 home runs anymore. Neither do you see anyone hitting 60 homeruns.
Boxing fans can bring about change. The Lamont Peterson saga should be looked upon as the straw which broke the camels back. Floyd Mayweather’s call for Olympic style drug testing should be embraced by boxing fans in a big way. The future of boxing depends on it.
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