Which classic fighter from the past do you suspect could have been using PEDs in their boxing career. From John L Sullivan to Lennox Lewis.
"Suspect" is the key word here, because I really don't know for sure. I suspect Muhammad Ali, very late in his career, but PEDs could not overcome Parkinson's, not even the early stages of it..
He was using substances to cut weight, namely Thyrolar, which has effects similar to clen but with a much worse adverse reaction profile. This is well documented and Google has the answers.
I suspect: * Charlie Powell ... (moved from NFL to boxing) * Ken Norton ... (most athletes in every sport who lifted weights in the 70s used) * Muhammad Ali (for Holmes fight) * Ed "Too Tall" Jones - (moved from the NFL to boxing back to NFL - Dallas Cowboys in the 70s and 80s were rampant with them) * Ron Lyle (1990s comeback) * Michael Spinks (heavyweight years) * Tommy Morrison (admitted using his entire pro career) * Frank Bruno - (just a hunch) * Frans Botha (busted after Shulz win) * Evander Holyfield (Evan Fields) * James Toney (caught multiple times at heavyweight) * Roy Jones (light heavyweight/heavyweight) * Shannon Briggs (caught multiple times) * Jameel McCline (caught) * Chris Byrd (nearly his whole pro career - went from scrawny light heavy to heavyweight back to scrawny light heavy) * Vitali Klitscho (caught as amateur using to repair injuries-retired as a pro due to injuries-never really suffered any injuries during his comeback, likely using his entire later career comeback) * Wlad Klitschko (during his last heavyweight run - from Byrd II on ... same time Vitali came back) * Alexander Povetkin (caught multiple times) * Tomasz Adamek (went from light heavy to heavy and had an extended late career run) * Dillian Whyte (banned two years earlier in career) * Tyson Fury (for Wlad fight) * Jarrell "Big Baby" Miller (caught multiple times) Among many others.
I know some people have said they thought Mike Tyson did. I didn't. He took recreational drugs. But he aged like fighters with his style are supposed to age. I think it's clear Tyson is using a lot of PEDs NOW to get fit and look sharp. He was really fast and looked very good against Roy Jones in their recent exhitibion. Compared to how Tyson looked against Kevin McBride and how lhe looked 15 years later against Jones, I think if Tyson had used PEDs in the late 90s/early 2000s he could've gone on a major second run at the top. Sort of like Povetkin's "juiced" run post Klitschko. The Povetkin who beat Takam and Perez wasn't the doughy fellow who arguably lost to Huck. You can tell from how Tyson fought against Jones how much they've improved his performance.
If we're talking recreational drugs, starting in the 80's there are too many fighters to name apart from Larry Holmes who liked to drink a bit when not in training, of course he owned the bar. I think as far as anabolic steroids, Evander Holyfield when moving up from cruiserweight to heavyweight is the posterboy for anablic steriods, and many fighters followed. I remember watching the second Bowe vs Golota fight, and Golota's back being covered in acne, a sign of steroid use. Tommy Morrison was a heavy juicer as well.
Steroids don't give you the stuff to make you great. A punch still feels the same, A loss is still heart breaking it might help you recover give you bigger muscles, more stamina, strength ect but is it going to make you want to get out of bed at 5am and do your roadwork? will it help you stand up when you are seven rounds down and flat on your back? Steroids can't give you heart, what needs to be noted is often times the will overpowers everything in boxing within reason. There are more examples of a guy willing someone into submission then boxing him.
One I have always suspected of usage was Henry Armstrong his stamina and weight climbing makes it really obvious.
