Arum and Donaire Discuss VADA Testing and the Future- Plus Mayweather News!
By Gabriel Montoya, MaxBoxing (June 29, 2012) Doghouse Boxing (Photo © Chris Farina / Top Rank)
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Nonito Donaire
Two weeks ago, super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire announced he would be undergoing anti-doping testing 24/7/365 days a year under the supervision of the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). On Wednesday, Donaire and his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions spoke with the press on a conference call regarding the testing as well as his thoughts on his future in the sport.
“I decided to do this because I wanted to show that all of the things I have done, I have done through hard work. I want to show honesty towards my fans,” declared Donaire of his decision to volunteer for state-of-the-art drug testing. “A lot of guys have been getting caught but I just wanted to prove to my fans that the things I have done I have done by myself. I am a person that started with nothing. I am honest and I think it’s good for the sport. I hope everyone is inspired by it to prove they are legit and that it can help the sport.”
Donaire’s decision has inspired others. On Tuesday, former UFC champion B.J. Penn declared on his Twitter account that he would be doing VADA testing and asked his opponent Rory MacDonald to join him in a show of athletic cleanliness for their UFC 152 match in Toronto. This was all done via Twitter.
B.J. Penn first tweeted to MacDonald:
@rory_macdonald VADA anti-doping has offered to sponsor our upcoming fight.I've accepted and invite you to help me clean up the sport
@rory_macdonald VADA results will be released after the fight to ensure that the fight happens. Lets get started asap!!
MacDonald accepted the challenge:
@bjpenndotcom already worried BJ? honestly i think its a great idea 2, and im ready to do the testing for our fight aswell
@MsKomatoze
white
Penn and MacDonald accepted and all indications are that the two men will undergo the program leading up to their fight July 27. That said, there is no word yet if they will undergo the 24/7/365 testing Donaire will be taking part in.
“They will be doing a 24/7, 365-day random tests,” explained Donaire of his arrangement with VADA. “So they can, at any time, be knocking on my door. I have to let them know where I will be at all times.”
Donaire said that, while he is open to his opponent joining him in testing, it is not a prerequisite for fighting him.
“He is welcome to do it but I don’t force anyone to do it,” said Donaire. “If he agrees to it, the whole boxing body needs to know about it. I invite them to join but, most importantly, I want my fans to know what I am doing.”
Arum endorsed Donaire’s stance but added that the process of reform in the sport is just beginning. The goal is to ultimately be under one umbrella with regulated testing.
“I first want to commend Nonito for the position he is taking,” said Arum. “I think if you look at what is happening in Congress with the bill that Senators [Harry] Reid and [John] McCain have put in for a federal boxing commission – I would hope that if we had a federal boxing commission, that that commission would institute random drug testing for every single registered fighter in the United States so that we would have a system akin to what we have in the other major sports like football and baseball – under the auspices of a federal commission. What I am concerned about, the groups, no matter who they are, doing it without the direction of a commission. I have heard, just like you have probably heard, where people have paid money to get exemptions for people that have tested positive. That’s a little scary.”
Arum intimated he is open to having his stable of fighters undergo more stringent testing but stated that every eventuality must be accounted for.
“We will encourage everybody, even without a federal commission, VADA is a good organization to do this testing and we have to establish protocol with VADA who they would report to, etc.,” said Arum. “Let’s say Nevada finds someone who tests dirty. Now what happens? Who do they report it to? Is that basis enough for a commission? What are the consequences?”
Arum cited what happened with Andre Berto and Lamont Peterson, two fighters who tested positive this year for different substances and had their highly anticipated rematches subsequently canceled.
“And Peterson did not have a license to fight in Nevada. The same thing happened with Berto in California. So we haven’t legally thought out the consequences. How is it going to be handled?” asked Arum. “It’s a great thing. All fighters should be tested but we have to work out the consequences. It’s easy with a guy like [Antonio] Tarver who has participated in the fight, then his urine comes back allegedly dirty – that’s an easy consequence [Writer’s note: Tarver tested positive for Drostanolone following his June 2 bout with Lateef Kayode]. But what do you do with fighter “B” who agrees to submit and he has a dirty test? This is a new area and has to be worked out and it’s a lot easier to handle with a federal boxing commission.”
Arum has come a long way on the issue of improved testing in the sport since the idea was first introduced by Floyd Mayweather Jr. during negotiations for a Manny Pacquiao fight nearly three years ago. While only one fighter in Arum's stable is joining the better testing front, Donaire has raised the bar with his 24/7/365 testing protocol.
However, Arum is still skeptical that an independent testing group is the solution. He proposed that the testing must be run through the Association of Boxing Commissions or a federal boxing commission. While VADA has been successful, Arum feels groups like the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and VADA, though they offer quality services, need to be kept in check by the boxing commissions. The sport has enough independent and unregulated groups running around already.
“I am not OK with it,” said Arum. “Until this is quantified and handled by a legally authorized agency or a federal commission, you are in no-man’s land. With a testing agency, a willy-nilly, which gives exemptions to certain fighters and not to other fighters, is very dangerous. We talk about a level playing field and we’re not getting a level playing field. We have to think this whole thing out. Everyone, I believe, has good intentions but it has to be done right and done fairly. Something that is not only fair to the participants but also fair to the fans. We can’t let this thing be decided by demagoguery or by people making outlandish statements. It is a very serious problem and it requires a lot of thought.”
There will be more on Donaire’s upcoming July 7 bout next week on Maxboxing.com. For now, Arum and Donaire together looked forward into the future in the talent-rich super bantamweight division.
“Those who follow boxing know that the 122-pound division is chock full of superstars,” said Arum. “We have a long list of guys who will be making tremendous fights. HBO has recognized this and will concentrate on bringing to the public the best of 122 pounds in a series of bouts. We start off with the number one guy in the division, Nonito Donaire, who will be fighting a title unification fight against Jeffrey Mathebula of South Africa and also a world champion. Waiting out there is Guillermo Rigondeaux who has two Olympic gold medals to his credit and another world champion who will be fighting on the [Julio Cesar] Chavez Jr.-[Sergio] Martinez card on September 15. Another champion out there is Jorge Arce. And sitting at ringside, as I understand it, on July 7, watching Nonito Donaire, will be another champion, Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan. So these are really exciting times in the 122-pound division and it all kicks off on Saturday, July 7 with Nonito against Mathebula.”
By Gabriel Montoya, MaxBoxing (June 29, 2012) Doghouse Boxing (Photo © Chris Farina / Top Rank)
-
Nonito Donaire
Two weeks ago, super bantamweight champion Nonito Donaire announced he would be undergoing anti-doping testing 24/7/365 days a year under the supervision of the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA). On Wednesday, Donaire and his promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank Promotions spoke with the press on a conference call regarding the testing as well as his thoughts on his future in the sport.
“I decided to do this because I wanted to show that all of the things I have done, I have done through hard work. I want to show honesty towards my fans,” declared Donaire of his decision to volunteer for state-of-the-art drug testing. “A lot of guys have been getting caught but I just wanted to prove to my fans that the things I have done I have done by myself. I am a person that started with nothing. I am honest and I think it’s good for the sport. I hope everyone is inspired by it to prove they are legit and that it can help the sport.”
Donaire’s decision has inspired others. On Tuesday, former UFC champion B.J. Penn declared on his Twitter account that he would be doing VADA testing and asked his opponent Rory MacDonald to join him in a show of athletic cleanliness for their UFC 152 match in Toronto. This was all done via Twitter.
B.J. Penn first tweeted to MacDonald:
@rory_macdonald VADA anti-doping has offered to sponsor our upcoming fight.I've accepted and invite you to help me clean up the sport
@rory_macdonald VADA results will be released after the fight to ensure that the fight happens. Lets get started asap!!
MacDonald accepted the challenge:
@bjpenndotcom already worried BJ? honestly i think its a great idea 2, and im ready to do the testing for our fight aswell
@MsKomatoze
whitePenn and MacDonald accepted and all indications are that the two men will undergo the program leading up to their fight July 27. That said, there is no word yet if they will undergo the 24/7/365 testing Donaire will be taking part in.
“They will be doing a 24/7, 365-day random tests,” explained Donaire of his arrangement with VADA. “So they can, at any time, be knocking on my door. I have to let them know where I will be at all times.”
Donaire said that, while he is open to his opponent joining him in testing, it is not a prerequisite for fighting him.
“He is welcome to do it but I don’t force anyone to do it,” said Donaire. “If he agrees to it, the whole boxing body needs to know about it. I invite them to join but, most importantly, I want my fans to know what I am doing.”
Arum endorsed Donaire’s stance but added that the process of reform in the sport is just beginning. The goal is to ultimately be under one umbrella with regulated testing.
“I first want to commend Nonito for the position he is taking,” said Arum. “I think if you look at what is happening in Congress with the bill that Senators [Harry] Reid and [John] McCain have put in for a federal boxing commission – I would hope that if we had a federal boxing commission, that that commission would institute random drug testing for every single registered fighter in the United States so that we would have a system akin to what we have in the other major sports like football and baseball – under the auspices of a federal commission. What I am concerned about, the groups, no matter who they are, doing it without the direction of a commission. I have heard, just like you have probably heard, where people have paid money to get exemptions for people that have tested positive. That’s a little scary.”
Arum intimated he is open to having his stable of fighters undergo more stringent testing but stated that every eventuality must be accounted for.
“We will encourage everybody, even without a federal commission, VADA is a good organization to do this testing and we have to establish protocol with VADA who they would report to, etc.,” said Arum. “Let’s say Nevada finds someone who tests dirty. Now what happens? Who do they report it to? Is that basis enough for a commission? What are the consequences?”
Arum cited what happened with Andre Berto and Lamont Peterson, two fighters who tested positive this year for different substances and had their highly anticipated rematches subsequently canceled.
“And Peterson did not have a license to fight in Nevada. The same thing happened with Berto in California. So we haven’t legally thought out the consequences. How is it going to be handled?” asked Arum. “It’s a great thing. All fighters should be tested but we have to work out the consequences. It’s easy with a guy like [Antonio] Tarver who has participated in the fight, then his urine comes back allegedly dirty – that’s an easy consequence [Writer’s note: Tarver tested positive for Drostanolone following his June 2 bout with Lateef Kayode]. But what do you do with fighter “B” who agrees to submit and he has a dirty test? This is a new area and has to be worked out and it’s a lot easier to handle with a federal boxing commission.”
Arum has come a long way on the issue of improved testing in the sport since the idea was first introduced by Floyd Mayweather Jr. during negotiations for a Manny Pacquiao fight nearly three years ago. While only one fighter in Arum's stable is joining the better testing front, Donaire has raised the bar with his 24/7/365 testing protocol.
However, Arum is still skeptical that an independent testing group is the solution. He proposed that the testing must be run through the Association of Boxing Commissions or a federal boxing commission. While VADA has been successful, Arum feels groups like the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and VADA, though they offer quality services, need to be kept in check by the boxing commissions. The sport has enough independent and unregulated groups running around already.
“I am not OK with it,” said Arum. “Until this is quantified and handled by a legally authorized agency or a federal commission, you are in no-man’s land. With a testing agency, a willy-nilly, which gives exemptions to certain fighters and not to other fighters, is very dangerous. We talk about a level playing field and we’re not getting a level playing field. We have to think this whole thing out. Everyone, I believe, has good intentions but it has to be done right and done fairly. Something that is not only fair to the participants but also fair to the fans. We can’t let this thing be decided by demagoguery or by people making outlandish statements. It is a very serious problem and it requires a lot of thought.”
There will be more on Donaire’s upcoming July 7 bout next week on Maxboxing.com. For now, Arum and Donaire together looked forward into the future in the talent-rich super bantamweight division.
“Those who follow boxing know that the 122-pound division is chock full of superstars,” said Arum. “We have a long list of guys who will be making tremendous fights. HBO has recognized this and will concentrate on bringing to the public the best of 122 pounds in a series of bouts. We start off with the number one guy in the division, Nonito Donaire, who will be fighting a title unification fight against Jeffrey Mathebula of South Africa and also a world champion. Waiting out there is Guillermo Rigondeaux who has two Olympic gold medals to his credit and another world champion who will be fighting on the [Julio Cesar] Chavez Jr.-[Sergio] Martinez card on September 15. Another champion out there is Jorge Arce. And sitting at ringside, as I understand it, on July 7, watching Nonito Donaire, will be another champion, Toshiaki Nishioka of Japan. So these are really exciting times in the 122-pound division and it all kicks off on Saturday, July 7 with Nonito against Mathebula.”
