PEDs: Strict liability does not apply to boxing’s rich and famous

Let’s get straight to the point: the use of Performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in boxing. Many news outlets compete with each other these days to report on a boxer’s transgressions. But that’s basically where it all ceases to exist. We get the obligatory politically correct quotes from the promoters, B-sample countdown parties, and ineffective debates with a largely biased social media following. While this charade continues, there is little to no coverage or discussion of lenient and inconsistent punishments for failed doping tests.

So let’s have a detailed discussion for everyone who has been following the sport for the past few years.

Punishment for failed drug tests is generally inconsistent

Ryan Garcia was suspended for one year after coming to an agreement with the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) earlier this month after testing positive for Ostarine. Garcia’s April 20 decision victory over Devin Haney was subsequently overturned and declared void. He also lost his $1.2 million in prize money, which was less than what he received, returned it to Golden Boy (his promoter), and was fined $10,000 by the commission. Some say that NYSAC’s discipline of Garcia was both harsh and lenient. However, considering Team Garcia’s attempts to prove that his supplements were tainted, and that they were not convincing, it seems that his punishment had to go further.

On February 19, 2022, shortly after a brutal sixth-round TKO loss to longtime rival Kel Brook, Amir Khan gave a urine sample to a British Anti-Doping Agency (UKAD) official, which tested positive for Ostarine. He was informed of the positive result on April 6 and received a provisional and confidential suspension. About a month later, the former world champion announced his retirement, saying his “love for the sport was no longer there.” Khan was subsequently charged with two anti-doping rule violations, but insisted his ingestion of Ostarine was unintentional. Although an independent tribunal ruled out “deliberate or reckless conduct” by Khan, he was given a two-year ban. UKAD announced Khan’s suspension more than a year after their original ban.