Boxers to undergo testing for world title fights

PANAMA CITY, Panama, CMC – The World Boxing Association, one of the four major organizations that sanction professional bouts, officially launched its programme to combat the use of prohibited substances in the sport on Monday.

Fair Boxing is organized by the WBA in conjunction with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association and will integrate all boxers in the WBA world rankings.

“This is made possible by the WBA Medical Committee, who met in Panama to make Fair Boxing a reality,” said WBA President Gilberto Jesus Mendoza.

“This is also the product of a meeting with Mauricio Sulaiman (President of the World Boxing Council) in which we talked about how pre-competition anti-doping testing is much more important than post-fight testing, because there are substances that aren’t detected afterward.”

Mendoza added: “The solution is not in punishing the athlete, but to educate them so this doesn’t happen. This is why we’ll implement seminars and courses, so that we can offer a complete programme.

“Also look for our medical team to give advice on what that medication can be taken to avoid inadvertent mistakes that could jeopardize the careers of athletes.”

From now on, all of the WBA’s world-rated fighters must enroll in the Fair Boxing programme, especially if they want to be able to fight for world titles.

In addition to typical anti-doping methods around fights, boxers will also be randomly tested to ensure better monitoring and fair competition.

The programme began last Saturday in the fight between Demetrius Andrade and Jack Culcay for the WBA super-welterweight crown.