PED use in boxing - Is it particularly an American based problem?

You're right pretty much everyone in cycling cheated, he was just doing what everyone else was doing. My biggest problem is with the way he acted when people accused him and the way he tried to destroy their lives with law suits and other things. Armstrong was really nasty and during all of this when he knew all along they were telling the truth.

 

haha!! classic post! i almost pissed myself.

 

Thank you juice.

Great post from someone who has knowledge on PEDs...

To think that it is just an American problem is bull****, anyone who thinks that certainly has agenda behind their argument. Boxing has been full of PEDs world wide for decades.. Those who think otherwise or think it has to do with nationality are the ones living in the clouds.

 

This thread is a European jerkfest

 

Well the reason for this trend in American boxing should not be any different than for other American sports. Many baseball players have said they do it to keep up with the competition and that they feel everyone does it. The stakes are high for them as their careers are short.

 

well, the US is a good size country, so there will probably be more athletes to catch with ped's than the smaller countries. but wait, is that answer too obvious? oh, it's ESB. Hail Froch!

 

Good thread, something with a bit of thought in it which is a change from the usual crap on here. I believe it is primarily a US thing these days, it's the culture of winning at all costs. That's where the big money is and where athletes feel they need every advantage. That's where unqualified guys like Conte set up shop to make some money. There's no scientific evidence for the efficacy of PED's, athletes don't know this and just assume they'll get an advantage based on anecdotes. This Gamboa situation.. he thought he was moving up to face Rios so maybe he thought he had to put on some mass. That would be the only reason for taking the things he's alleged to have taken. As an amateur he was the same explosive athlete so it'd be shame if he felt the need to take the stuff. Gamboa looked stiff and bloated in his last fight, I can't help but wonder if that has something to do with this emerging story..

 

Good luck with that.It will never happen.
PEDs will always be in profesional sports be that of darts or boxing.

 

IMO the US is most likely the home of drugs cheats in boxing. I base this opinion on the fact it is where traditionally more money is involved.

As a Brit it makes you wonder if over the years our guys have been going out there with the odds tilted against them in more ways than one.

Also, you have to wonder if this could be a reason US fighters have glass passports and rarely travel.

 

What about Alex Rodriguez? Carl Lewis? lauded by US press and fans alike even though they've failed drug test?

 

I know what you're hinting at here.....most PEDs are absolutely effective, and absolutely give an athlete an edge. That is undeniable, and is beyond proven through science; but because of individuality in the athletes, differing natural talent levels and differing abilities to continue developing physically beyond a certain point, it is difficult to quantify the exact measure of advantage gained from individual to individual. They are absolutely effective, but individual base talent and physical ability is the x factor, not the drugs.

 

No, i don't think usa boxers Peds particularly... In the past, that probably was the case, but actually, keep in mind, not less than 85-90% of professional boxers PEDS in some way, if you don't think that way, you're just naive or in denial; sure, there have been some particularly blatant cases, but they are not particularly significative (Evander Holyfield caught buying PEDS on internet under the fake identity of... Evan Field!! XD XD so naive...) There are things worst than peds, though, for example corrupted referees/judges/doctors: because while two boxers can peds in the same way, and so being equally advantaged, judges can still **** you up in every way possible, and we see this kind of things even actually; usa is particularly prone to cheat in that kind of ways to favour their athletes, and the only reason some boxers accept to still fight there is just the moneys; in this kind of things, usa is gretly responsible for the amount of general corruption present in every level of this sport.

 

No I'm not, there is no good scientific evidence for the efficacy of most PED's. That doesn't mean that they're not effective but the science we have doesn't show that. Research it yourself. The other things you're saying I agree with. You'll notice that all these names who have made money selling banned drugs to athletes lack any real qualifications. My belief is that the placebo effect is the big advantage in play when athletes take PED's, the naughtier it is the more they believe it will give them an advantage. You have athletes that swear by power bands as well, the placebo effect can be very strong and athletes tend to be very susceptible to it.

 

Terrific post Big Left, the likes of Mosley, Holyfield, Jones, and Toney are a disgrace to the sport, its such a shame that random testing wasn't around 365 days a year whilst these guys were fighting, the truth is that they were barely tested and were still guilty of disgracing the sport.

Theres so many american based guys in that 90s and 2000s era that would have been busted big time but the testing in professional american bouts never kicked in till after 2000 and these guys were given free reign to cheat as they pleased. Even when they were found guilty, the sporting governing bodies and promoters in America were happy to cover the cheating up and pretend it never happenned.

 

I know what you mean, I personally find it sickenning the way fanboys on here continue to support their PED cheating idols and pretend that the disgracefull juicing has nothing to do with furthering the achievements of said fighter.

I could never ever support a PED cheating fighter, I have morals.