First usage could be original olympics First fighters: http://sportsanddrugs.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000017 In modern times I would plump for some kind of amphetamine
john, you've been on a roll with these good threads you've been starting. with all the doping stories these days, most people act like this has been going on for past few years. cheating to get an advantage has been happening since the first competition. steroids have been around since the 30s.
In the 1920ties and 30ties it was not unusual for british boxers to have a glass of port or two. Woller
In '71 or '72 Erbito Sallavarria retained his flyweight title on a 15 round draw against Betulio Gonzalez. However, the WBC stripped Sallavarria of his title for using sugar water between rounds. That's the first story of a stimulant I can think of.
When Dempsey and his wife Maxine Cates were at war with each other she stated that Dempsey used cocaine before bouts to get amped up. It was not uncommon at all to inject cocaine into ones hands before a bout in 10s and 20s like fighters do with novacaine today.
Jack Dempsey admitted that his success was mostly thanks to Nuxated Iron. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=-yJQAAAAIBAJ&sjid=wAoEAAAAIBAJ&pg=2872,4355760
