best clean fighter

Canelo

 

No, I already said I allowed for the remote possibility of a boxer competing at the highest levels of the sport without being on any form of PEDs; I just think it's highly unlikely, and they would need to be some kind of once in a lifetime freak of athleticism and/or boxing skills. Someone like Nicolino Locche for example.

It's just far more sensible to assume that top level fighters aren't going to try to cover all bases, especially when you know that the likelihood of getting away with cheating is much higher that the possibility of being busted, and the difference between winning and losing means the difference between life changing money and chump change.

You can continue to argue the contrary position if you like, but I think that's an increasingly naive stance, given what we're now coming to know about drug use in boxing, and in sports in general.

And those are exactly the types of fighters that will never make it big in the sport because they don't have the mentality to win at any costs. I fully respect that decision, but I also understand that it's incompatible with being a top level competitor. The days of champs being upstanding guardians of morals and fair play (if they ever were) are long gone.

 

you get humiliated if you fail a drugs test though and run the risk of losing your livelihood,its risky in my book. I don't think everyone cheats.

 

If you're fighting on a low level card then drug testing is likely to be primitive to non-existent, given how expensive it is. So why wouldn't you take a little something to help your chances? Maybe you take it to help your recovery during training and taper off on fight night. Maybe you don't even taper off knowing that your chances of being caught are minuscule.

Let's say you then start having a bit of success and you make it to a point where drug testing becomes an issue. What do you do then? You've made it this far. Do you risk cutting out whatever you're taking, seeing a massive drop off in performance and screwing up everything you've worked so hard for (and PEDs and hard work are not mutually exclusive)? Or do you hire a nutritionist and start being more careful in what you're taking so that you can have the same, or better, benefits without exposing yourself?

Let's say you've made it to the biggest stage, world level. Now you're in the spotlight. Millions on the line. Whatever your training and preparations were before now it really gets serious. Trouble is there's no way you can even match your past training regime, let alone top it, without the help of exogenous substances. But you've also signed to a big promotor who can pull strings, sweep things under the carpet. And you have access to the best nutritionists money can buy. Is this the point where you decide to jack it all in and go natural, or is this the point when you start to get really serious in how you go about all aspects of your business? Making sure that whatever you're taking is virtually undetectable by modern testing methods, or easy to mask, or best yet isn't even on the WADA banned list yet? Might you get caught? Sure. There's always that possibility. But you've made it too far to turn back now. And everyone else is probably doing it. Besides, look at all that money if you only keep winning, all that fame, all those accolades. If you only keep winning. What choice are you going to make?

You might think, hey, nice story, but that's all it is. But try coming up with another one that involves a completely drug free athlete making their way to the top of this dirty and cut throat business without touching a PED and see how far you get.

 

Larry Olubamiwo. Seriously though 13 PEDs must be the record. Jarrell Miller was only on 3: he's got nothing on the British Nigerian.

 

Rumours are that Larry once tested positive for blood.

 

Doping/PEDs are killing sport. Did you know that even chess players may soon be tested for doping. I believe the majority of professional sportsmen use PEDs if they can afford them.
And in the case of Dillian Whyte yes he was cleared by VADA. But he was caught by UKAD. And I believe he is juicing with the assistance of the lab geeks at the University of Loughbrough.
So for me I look at guys like Muhammed Ali, Bjorn Borg, Jack Nicklaus, Pele, Don Bradman, Babe Ruth, Mark Spitz, Juan Fangio as the greatest.
I lost faith in sport when Lance Armstrong, Marion Jones and Barry Bonds were exposed as frauds. And Tiger Woods was juicing with Dr Anthony Gallio (but the PGA covered it up).
Most of my favourite fighters like James Toney, Roy Jones and Evander Holyfield were caught juicing.

 

I reckon Prince Patel is a clean boxer although I am sure many will disagree.