Billy Joe Saunders vs. Demetrius Cesar Andrade - OFF!!!!!!

What a bellend Saunders is... Brilliant fists, stupid brain. Waste..

 

The flaw is that they immediately announce the result. There is no due process.
Not every athlete gets popped because they knowingly took something. (yes, they are responsible for their actions)

They need to look into what was taken, how was it taken and how much was taken.
Trace amounts due to contamination(or accident) should not mean a fighter should loose their biggest payday.

 

That´s the actual case?
I didn´t think that rule applied everywhere.

If that's the case then yea, fighters have no one but themselves to blame.
But should it be zero tolerance?

 

Billy Jo Saunders isn't the chap,
That you've read about in the press,
Sure he's had the odd mishap,
But of that I couldn't care less,
The truth is Billy's a lovely sort,
The best you'll ever meet,
Just think of all the crack he's bought,
For hookers on the street,

Now a panel met in Boston town
And refused to let him fight,
But he never let it get him down,
As lesser mortals might,
Though losing 2.3 million bucks,
Would make most of us feel sick,
Billy Jo couldn't give two ****s,
And told'em 'suck my *****'

 

Not arguing that point. My point is that without VADA, ie if this fight had simply taken place under normal rules, with BBBofC, UKAD and WADA protocols, this fight would have went ahead as planned and he'd still have his title.

We can argue the rights and wrongs, but that's not what I'm getting at. BJS has failed a VADA drug test, but would be able to schedule a new bout and fight in the same location, on the same night, with the same opponent and be licensed, because he's not broken any UKAD, USADA, WADA etc, rules. Same way he won't get any suspension. Those are glaring flaws.

 

My understanding is that VADA uses the WADA guidelines.

 

he could have argued his A sample was contaminated or tampered with, which his B sample would support, if he had the proof, the committee would probably reinstate him. got to give them a chance at a defense if they are blameless.

 

this is really disappointing news.. for boxing as a whole. Shame the fight isn;t happening.

 

Only insofar as the categorisation of the substances. If you are enrolled in VADA, they determine you to be in competition. WADA only determine you to be in-competition around the time of the actual event. Which is why Saunders is fine by WADA, UKAD and BBBofC rules, but because they were enrolled in VADA, the MSAC, have went with VADA and prevented the fight from going ahead - despite their own guidelines being WADA. Remove VADA from the occasion and if he took the exact same drugs when he did and was drug tested at the exact same times, the fight would be going ahead, because his use of the substance in question is out of competition - and allowable by WADA in that circumstance (and, in turn, all of the other bodies relevant to the fight - even the WBO who will now strip him).

The question this raises to me, is how year-round VADA testing - which many have called for, and many have enrolled in - would ever be enforceable outside of a fight contract in this situation? And if it can be circumvented contractually, what purpose does it serve? There's probably guys on the card he's now been prevented from fighting on who have not been VADA tested who might even be using the same substance and yet their fight will be going ahead. It's all a bit daft to me.

I think any and all drug cheats should be punished, I just don't see that this system really achieves that.

 

Question to ask if why it's a positive test with one protocol and a negative test using another - and how both can be acceptable depending upon the situation, I guess.

FWIW there should be zero tolerance. It's not simply about the guy who failed the test - boxing can be life or death and whether you intentionally ingested it or not is irrelevant. There are just big questions to ask about why VADA and WADA can be opposite on the issue and yet both be correct and acceptable. That doesn't translate to proper policing of performance enhancing substances, in my opinion, and only the stupid fighters will ever be caught.

 

That is why boxing needs a single governing body to oversee all of boxing world wide. If this is going to be a legitimate world sport there needs to be clear and consistent rules. In the mean time, any fighter who aspires to fight world level, especially in North America should consider that VADA testing is likely a possibility.

 

Absolutely. And on the VADA question, they should think that absolutely. The issue is that it has no weight of effect. BJS can fight another person on that very night. The reason you test for PEDs in boxing is to protect the opponent - how can it be that he is ineligible to fight Andrade under the terms of this fight, but could fight literally anyone anywhere else on the same night and be legal? That is insane to me.