The relationship between professional boxing and banned substances is complex.
of Robert Helenius father Karl has never shied away from his opinions, and he won’t do so this time either.
He says without hesitation that professional boxing is plagued by a large doping problem, which is very difficult to get rid of.
– I know that I will get all sorts of crap on me again and this has the flavor of an explanation, but it’s just like a fact, Karl Helenius announces.
Known to everyone
The Finn is not alone in his opinion.
The actor returning to the ring after a ten-year hiatus Ricky Hatton opened his mouth in an interview with the Independent this week about doping in boxing, which he thinks should be controlled somehow.
The topic is not a well-kept secret in boxing circles, which perhaps says something. Conjecture is dispelled by positive test results, which are falling at a steady pace. Second generation strikers Chris Eubank Jr and Conor Benn’s the expected match was canceled at the beginning of the month because Benn’s sample was found to be clomiphene, intended for fertility treatments.
The substance is the same as a discus thrower used to be Timo Tompuria having coached Kari Mattilan in steroid seizure findings.
Hatton, 44, thinks cheating is easy in the sport.
– If you know your body and a chemistry expert and biology, you can get through it. This makes boxing look bad because it’s been happening for a while and nothing has been done about it, the Brit lamented.
He said the same thing over three years ago in an interview with the BBC last weekend of Robert Helenius knocked out Deontay Wilder. Anthony Joshua has, on the other hand, stated that the sport’s d-balling has “got out of control”.
It’s not just about athletes’ speeches. Vada (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency), which organizes testing in martial arts and works in cooperation with the World Anti-Doping Federation Wada, has stated that performance-enhancing substances are a significant problem in boxing.
Enough carts
Aleksandr Povetkin (pictured left) faced Hughie Fury in 2019. PDO
In boxing, there are four federations that can be classified as major, and some cautious progress has been made in testing them recently. The famous WBC today requires the top 15 of their weight classes to be part of the Vada (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency) test program, but for others it is voluntary. Criticism has arisen because the tests are only carried out for a short period of time, not nearly all year round.
In addition to the D-control, there is enough rocking in the punishments. In the sport, there are many examples of cases where the consequences of a cart are relatively mild to bear, or even non-existent at the most public.
The list of heavyweight boxers who have given a positive sample includes tough and successful names: Tyson Fury, Dillian Whyte, Aleksandr Povetkin, Bermane Stiverne, Luis Ortiz and the freshest Jarrell Miller.
Fury was retroactively banned from the competition, White found out on the day of the match that he would get away without a penalty, Povetkin, who was beaten twice, was not punished at all for his first challenge.
– If a guy clearly complains about doping and doesn’t get any kind of punishment, then he knows that there is something rotten, Karl Helenius raves about the events of 2016 of the Russian athlete.
When the biggest names don’t get in the ring, the revenue side of match nights and the merchandising of pay per view broadcasts changes significantly. In martial arts, money plays a prominent role.
Test drum in Finland
The long-time boxer who is a coach in Porvoo says directly that he thinks the unions responsible for implementing the sanctions are “total scoundrels”.
– Vada is an organization that works without muscles against these big countries, such as the USA, Great Britain and Russia. Today, Australia and Canada are starting to have them as well, father Helenius lists.
Karl Helenius reminds us that in Finland the system works with a completely different efficiency. Robert Helenius, who lives in Åland, has been tested at a steady pace since he was 17 years old.
– There has been no possibility of using any kind of substances, “Kalle” says.
Helenius is aware that his comments on the topic after the Wilder fight may raise questions about innuendo. That’s why he excludes the Alabamian from the scope of the topic for pure statistics.
– You can’t talk about Wilder because he has never fought.
Head high
You can hear the frustration in Karl Helenius’ voice when he is asked for a proposed solution to the topic. Realistically, there is no such thing, which is somewhat depressing. At the level of thought, he thinks it makes the most sense that doping could be legal in his own league.
Legally, the scenario would certainly not be possible, but Helenius reminds us of the hypocrisy of the current situation.
– Everyone knows it (the doping problem) and yet they are ready to pay expensive tickets there.
Helenius even teases that opening the d-gates would take “Robbe” to world champion, but hurries to emphasize that that option has never been considered and will never be considered.
– Absolutely not. Still not no matter what. Robbe won’t go for it and neither will this coach (Johan Lindström). After all, we can hold our heads high and say that we have climbed to the top of the world with clean fins, Karl Helenius concludes.