Lampley Names Dr. Margaret Goodman “Person of the Year”

JIM LAMPLEY OF HBO’S “THE FIGHT GAME” NAMES DR. MARGARET GOODMAN OF VADA BOXING’S “PERSON OF THE YEAR” AND VADA PARTICIPANT NONITO DONAIRE “BOXER OF THE YEAR”

(Las Vegas, NV) – In his well-regarded HBO show, “The Fight Game with Jim Lampley,” on Dec. 15, longtime boxing broadcaster Jim Lampley named Dr. Margaret Goodman of the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association “Person of the Year in Boxing.” In the same show, he named Nonito Donaire “Boxer of the Year” for his participation in VADA’s rigorous testing program.

In making the announcement, Mr. Lampley said Dr. Goodman “formed the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association, a performance-enhancement testing service which moved down the road faster than others in employing a state-of-the-art procedure called carbon isotope ratio testing, and as a result, scored prominent busts of the first two star fighters to request the service, Lamont Peterson and Andre Berto. In other words, it took VADA and Margaret Goodman two fights to establish the will to enforce standards which might help to reverse what many observers now see as an onrushing tide of performance-enhancing drugs in boxing…. For making her point forcefully, fearlessly and immediately, Dr. Margaret Goodman is the TFG Person of the Year in Boxing.”

Said Dr. Goodman, “I am deeply honored by the generous endorsement of Jim Lampley and ‘The Fight Game’ for my work with VADA, and am grateful for Mr. Lampley and HBO’s courage to step up and tackle the issue of performance-enhancing drugs in boxing. They are the first network to do so, and I salute them for that.”

During the announcement, Mr. Lampley spoke of the issues facing boxing today: “This sprawling, largely ungoverned enterprise has to protect itself and its participants from unwarranted mayhem…. Whatever is the worst thing that can happen as the result of boxers employing modern medical science to strengthen their bodies, it hasn’t happened yet. But if nothing is done to further strengthen testing standards and applications, it surely will.”

VADA aims to fill a gap in which testing for performance-enhancing substances is not always conducted effectively. “We believe that when testing is rigorous, comprehensive and unannounced, it can be an effective deterrent to use of performance-enhancing drugs in sports such as boxing,” said Dr. Goodman. Athletes tested by VADA do so voluntarily.

In announcing the selection of Nonito Donaire as “Boxer of the Year,” Mr. Lampley stated that Mr. Donaire’s willingness to undergo VADA’s testing earns him great respect. “Nonito Donaire is the TFG fighter of the year,” Mr. Lampley said, “because he is committed to random drug testing, 24/7/365 whether he is scheduled to fight or not. His test results are public. And he invites every opponent to join him in voluntary testing but doesn't require it. He'll go ahead and fight them anyway. At a moment when, elsewhere in the sport, you can find instances of star fighters who are testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs, test results which have allegedly been ignored or suppressed in favor of unobstructed commerce, enforcement efforts which get lost or fall short due to improper scheduling, inadequate testing methods, bureaucratic incompetence, if you are looking for the ray of hope, the light in the forest, his name is Nonito Donaire.”

Margaret Goodman, M.D., serves as President and Chairman of the Board of the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. She is a highly respected neurologist with a private practice in Las Vegas, and is a longtime advocate for unarmed combat-sport fighter health and safety.

The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association is an independent organization offering effective anti-doping programs in boxing and martial arts that help protect the health and safety of its athletes and the spirit of their sports. Through voluntary participation in a rigorous testing program, boxers and mixed martial arts competitors demonstrate their commitment to clean sport. VADA also educates participants, commissions and the public about the risks of using performance-enhancing drugs and the benefits of utilizing safe and effective nutrition and training practices.

For more about VADA, please visit its website at www.vada-testing.org or contact rconnolly@vada-testing.org.