With talks of supplementation increasing lately, especially in boxing, I've been thinking. Just when did supplementation begin in boxing? Not just in regards to steroids or steroid like supplements, to clarify. But in regards to steroids, they've been used on humans in one form or another since 1937. Not just in a niche market either, in 1938 they were already being mentioned in strength and bodybuilding magazines. But as for when they were used consistently as performance enhancers, that'd be the later 1940's, mostly in Olympic athletes. Obviously they're used became widespread decades later, but I find it unbelievably ignorant to assume no one ever used them to try and gain an unfair advantage in boxing of all sports years before the 80's and 90's. Boxing has it's rules bent just as much if not more than any other sport, and not all steroids create 250 hulking monsters, making it blatantly obvious that they're being used. That's steroid abuse, which is more detrimental than anything else. I just find it interesting that some current fighters careers are judged because of their steroid use, and their accomplishments all but taken away when this has obviously been going on in some circles for decades. Even going back to the early 70's we have fighters like Bob Hazelton who abused steroids to the point of losing both his legs. Thoughts?
Also, one of boxings sacred cows, Muhammad Ali, used some pretty intense supplementation over the course of his career. His dramatic weight loss was due to thyroid tampering medication which ended up ****ing him over as opposed to helping him later in his career.
This is an interesting question. I think the 40's or 50's is the right timeline. Someone should ask the few boxing trainers who were around in the 40's and 50's for the truth.
As far as I know, and please keep in mind this information is only from magazines, steroids did not reach the US en masse until the 60's. As you noted they were around long before, but widespread use didn't start until the late 60's, and they were used by weightlifters and bodybuilders who were almost certainly the first athletes to experiment with them. Another thing to remember is that until the 80's, weight training for boxers was not in vogue at all. Old-fashioned theories about fighters getting all musclebound still prevailed during the 60's, 70's and even by some slow adopters in the mid to late 80's. Without the weight training, steroid use would be meaningless. I don't know why, but boxing is one of those sports where anything new is viewed with suspicion and new ideas, training methods and supplements etc. have taken a good while to bed in before being adopted by the majority. Even now, there is the rather quaint theory that, as Mickey would say, "women weaken legs." BS? Probably, but I bet there are plenty of trainers and boxers who still believe it. My feeling on steroid use that it started becoming a big factor in the early 1990's. That's when I really started noticing guys moving up in weight with no apparent loss of conditioning or speed - and moving up several divisions too. For me, there is little doubt that someone like Vinny Paz was on something. Roy Jones, Evander and a couple of others I was very suspicious of as well. In the 80's, I just didn't notice that same trend. Sure, guys like Tommy Hearns, Alexis Arguello, Duran, Leonard etc. moved up several divisions and still looked good, but their bodies didn't have the same sort of look. I don't know how to explain it, but their conditioning wasn't the same as some of the guys I mentioned earlier. If my observations are true, why only did steroids become popular in the early 90's? Some of the reasons I have touched on already...but I believe also that 'sports science' (and money) have played a big, big role. When I got into weight training in the late 80's, it was quite difficult to even find supplementation like protein powders, energy shakes, testosterone boosters etc. When you were lucky enough to find some, they were crazy expensive. Okay, you had the Weider range and the stuff from Twinlab, but supplementation really wasn't a big deal back then. Most people just trained, went home and had their eggs and steak. Sometime in the early 90's, the supplementation industry went through the roof and just exploded. It's difficult to avoid them now, as they're extensively advertised and there are specialist shops catering just for that market etc. So what do steroids and supplements have to do with each other? I think that as more and more people begin using supplements like protein shakes, energy drinks etc, they become more open to the idea of using stronger things..."Hey this is cool, but this guy I know says he has got something that blows my protein drink away. You should se this guy in the gym, he's a beast." The other thing I think, is money. Sure it's not called prizefighting for nothing and fighters have always been concerned about the money side of things, but they were also willing to fight 50, 60 fights or even a lot more without so much as one title shot. I also think they left the financial side far more up to their managers, and didn't haggle and quibble over every dollar and penny like now. Today a kid has 20 fights and wants to fight for a title. They know that with the title comes big money, and they're impatient and want to get there as soon as possible. I think they're far more prone to gaining any edge they can now than they were 30, 40, 50 years ago. It's not even just the fighters, but managers too...the sooner they can get their man a belt, the better. More money all round. I don't think anyone can really dispute that fighters today are more money hungry than the fighters of the past. With such big monetary figures at stake, you'd better damn well be doing what the other guys are doing.
I forgot to add that I'm sure a couple of fighter experimented with drugs before the 90's...of course they did, but I would imagine that they were in the minority - by far. Going back even further to the 70's, 60's etc...maybe, but the numbers would be even smaller. But again, without training with weights, the steroids or whatever would be pointless, and I can't think of many fighters who used weights back then. As far as general supplementation goes, I'm sure boxers have been taking mutivitamens or other tablets of general well-being for decades.
But Ali's use of thyroid medication wasn't used with the intent of making Ali bigger or stronger or better in any way. Ali was erroneously prescribed Thyrolar after he was misdiagnosed as having hypothyroidism by Herbert Muhammad's personal doctor. Not only did Ali not have that condition, but he compounded the problem by taking more of the medication than was prescribed to him, saying that he felt that the medication was like a vitamin and that more would obviously be better. Willfully taking supplementation designed to aid or increase strength and/or athletic performance is quite different than taking prescribed medication that was prescribed for a medical condition, erroneously or not.
What is the consensus so far in regards to Evander "Evan Fields" Holfyield's purported steroid use? I haven't heard any more about that situation. Has there been any new developments or accusations concerning Holyfield and his alleged steroid use??
To the above poster who said that steroids only effective when they are used alongside weight training - Can you prove this? I have heard much, much evidence to the contrary.
I run a supplement business and I'll tell you no useful legal performance enhancing supplements came in until the 90s. I think Steroids hit heavyweight boxing in the 70s or 80s. It didn't hit bodybuilding until the 50s-60s and it was rare. Back in the 70s people didnt use as much roids as they use now. Arnie used a few Dbols a day and deca, but not anything like what todays bodybuilders use, probably a 1/100th of what they take. Boxers aren't at the forefront of performance enhancers they catch on allot later after bodybuilders and sprinters pioneer the stuff. Usually they'll use bodybuilding steroids that arent suited to boxing, ie giving mass without strength Gradually over each decade heavyweight boxers have used more and more steroids/performance enhancers However like I said most boxers don't have a clue what their doing with the drugs and are taking the complete wrong stuff
Prior to his move to heavyweight Holy met with Lee Haney, Fred Hatfield (powerlifting legend) to talk about adding muscle mass. They built a programme for him. Did he use Roids? He was going to the right people if he wanted to know abotu roids. Tyson on coming out of prison used steroid guru Chad Niccols, for what? Morrison admitted roids, Vitali Klitchko was busted, Toney was busted twice, Blatant roiders who havent been caught are: Grant, Golotta, McCline Every heavyweight other than maybe Ruiz is juicing
I'm sure Shannon Briggs fits in there nicely as well. The guy is huge! It's always amazed me how Briggs can come into a fight weighing 270 pounds with very little body fat on him.
He used to be a LOT smaller, too. There's a youtube video of Felix Savon KO'ing a Briggs that looks like a stick man. Granted, he was young, but still. It's hard to believe he can go from a lean wiry type to a stacked 270.
Spill your guts then. :smoke My 'proof' lies in experience, not a medical journal or anything. I dunno, maybe there are some that are beneficial without weights, but I haven't seen it myself. Fill us in with what you've got. Just got to add that I don't use the stuff myself*, but I have known and do know people who do. *Aside from a three month cycle in '94.