Pascal Wants Random Testing For PEDs, Buck Stops With Kovalev Promoter Duva, Though

Published

9 years ago

January 18, 2015

WEDNESDAY UPDATE: Kathy Duva checked in with TSS, and talked about progress on the PED testing issue for #KovalevPascal.

“Sergey Kovalev has informed me that he wishes to arrange for random, WADA Code compliant VADA testing in advance of his WBO, WBA and IBF Light Heavyweight Title defense against Jean Pascal on March 14th,” she told me. “We are beginning to make the necessary arrangements with VADA today (Wednesday).

“Until mandatory drug testing is done year-round and regulated by a competent and neutral regulatory body that also provides education to boxers and their teams, I believe this kind of ad hoc enhanced testing is nothing more than a PR stunt. In my view, no meaningful progress toward cleaning up the sport will be made this way. Our efforts should be focused on reform and regulation,” she continued.

“However, since Pascal has accused Sergey of using PEDs, Sergey is eager to take Pascal up on his offer to pay for the tests. While I have consistently stated that I am opposed to such unregulated testing as a matter of policy, I understand why Sergey wants to take the tests and silence the critics.

“Because some have suggested that I oppose this kind of testing out of fear that Sergey will test positive, I wish to set the record straight right now. I am not the least bit concerned that Sergey is cheating. I am, however, worried that Pascal could test positive and we will have to cancel the fight. Both Pascal and Sergey stated that they would be willing to go through with the fight in the event of a failed test. However, this is not legally possible. Pascal suggested that a monetary penalty would be appropriate in the event of a failed test. So, apparently, Pascal’s concern for his own health and safety has a price.

“In a surprising number of documented cases, it was the fighter who demanded the enhanced testing who failed,” the promoter continued. “On the other hand, I do not believe that this kind of testing prevents or catches all kinds of cheating– especially where a fighter has a known PED provider on his team.” (ED. NOTE: This is a reference to the controversial strength and conditioning and supplement expert “Memo” Heredia, who does indeed advise Pascal.)

“Of course I am concerned for the health of all fighters. But it seems that much of the recent talk about ad hoc, unregulated testing is being promoted by the very “nutrition scientists” who simply want to prove to their clients that they can beat any test–thereby ensuring an uneven playing field.

Having said that, I believe that no matter what Jean Pascal does, he cannot beat Sergey Kovalev. This action by Sergey will allow everyone to focus on the fight rather than publicity stunts.?”

So there you go. Fightin’ Kathy Duva comes back with a hardcore flurry, as expected.

————————————————————————————————————————-

Jean Pascal seemed undaunted by the task of taking on Russian terminator Sergey Kovalev on March 14, in Montreal, at the NYC presser for the HBO bout which unfolded on Wednesday. The Haitian-born hitter was intense but polite at that event. But he’s gotten a bit more feisty around the issue of PED testing. Pascal told TSS that he’s keen to do random testing ahead of this bout, and he wants to make sure The Krusher is of the same mind.

“Kovalev is scared to do the test,” is the conclusion Pascal told me he came to.

Kovalev manager Egis Klimas checked with TSS on the matter. “We did agree to random testing if (Team Pascal) will pay for it,” he said. He suggested I talk to his promoter, Kathy Duva, to get more deets. So I did.

Duva’s response: “It has come to my attention that Jean Pascal has asked why Sergey Kovalev’s team turned down a request for drug testing,” Duva said. “Like Pascal, Sergey is a proud, clean professional athlete and he did not refuse to submit to enhanced drug testing. I am the one who doesn’t want to do it.

“I have consistently said that I do not believe promoters should attempt to act as regulators. None of us have the competence, expertise or neutrality that is necessary to conduct drug testing in a fair and transparent way. We understand that this is an unpopular position, but after careful consideration we believe it is the right position nonetheless.

“When Major League Baseball implemented drug testing, they conducted tests for years before imposing any consequences–which allowed for the development of responsible policies and player education. We do not have that luxury. The recent history of this type of testing in boxing has been spotty at best – results known to promoters but not disclosed to fighters, disputes over the consequences of a failed test, non-uniform tests and procedures, “lost” tests, planned tests that never happened, advance notice of when “random” tests would be administered, etc. Looking to other combat sports, the UFC announced, this month, that they had scrapped plans for a year-round testing program due to the failures and confusion caused by their experiments with enhanced drug testing.”

“I’ve talked to a lot of fighters about this,” Duva continued. “My question to them is always: If your opponent tests positive, do you want me to cancel the fight? Every one of them has said no. In fact, Jean Pascal’s management indicated that they would wish to go through with the fight and asked that a monetary penalty be assessed in the event of a failed a test. That is simply not possible. If someone tests positive for a banned substance, the fight cannot happen.”

I asked Pascal about this potential situation. He told me that yes indeed, he would agree to have the fight go on, and would accept a cut from the purse of a foe who tested positive, so the event could go forward.

Duva continued: “We explored the possibility that we might embargo the results until after the fight. Rightly so, our lawyers agreed that we could not conceal the results. These ad hoc, unregulated tests available only to fighters who can afford them are not a solution.

“Well-intentioned efforts often cause unintended consequences and simply create new problems. Enhanced drug testing is an issue that boxing commissions should study and work with before formulating plans for its implementation. These plans must consider all of the potential complications (for example, what constitutes in-competition and out-of-competition banned substances and when those periods start and end), testing at all levels, and education for all fighters. We fully support boxing commissions in those efforts.”

Pascal isn’t down with Duva’s stance. “She should be concerned about the health of the fighters, instead of losing money on a promotion,” he told me.

Duva’s daughter Nicole, an attorney, touched on the “health of the fighters” angle. “One thing to consider, though, what is the point of doing the testing if you’re willing to go through with the fight regardless of the result? You can’t claim it’s about the fighter’s health anymore,” she said.

Should Team Kovalev come around on the matter, Pascal said, he’s still willing to foot the bill for testing for both he and Kovalev, which he said would run anywhere from $25-40,000. He told me that he’s been doing random testing since he fought Lucian Bute on Jan. 18, 2014, and has been tested “two or three times.” He is not afraid to cite his association with controversial supplement specialist “Memo” Heredia, who has worked with for about two years. “I want a clean sport,” said Pascal, in closing.

My take: I’m seeing merit in what both sides are saying. I like Pascal’s push for testing. And I have less than zero reason to suspect Kovalev is on anything odious. And I don’t take issue with Duva’s well composed reasoning on the subject. This subject is such a work in progress, and we are in the infant stages regarding how we treat PED testing in fight sports.

So, I report, you opine. Talk to me…

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Michael Woods

Haney-Garcia Redux with the Focus on Harvey Dock

Published

1 day ago

April 22, 2024

Arne K. Lang

Haney-Garcia-Redux-with-the-Focus-on-Harvey-Dock

Saturday’s skirmish between Ryan Garcia and WBC super lightweight champion Devin Haney was a messy affair, and yet a hugely entertaining fight fused with great drama. In the aftermath, Garcia and Haney were celebrated – the former for fooling all the experts and the latter for his gallant performance in a losing effort – but there were only brickbats for the third man in the ring, referee Harvey Dock.

Devin Haney was plainly ahead heading into the seventh frame when there was a sudden turnabout when Garcia put him on the canvas with his vaunted left hook. Moments later, Dock deducted a point from Garcia for a late punch coming out of a break. The deduction forced a temporary cease-fire that gave Haney a few precious seconds to regain his faculties. Before the round was over, Haney was on the deck twice more but these were ruled slips.

The deduction, which effectively negated the knockdown, struck many as too heavy-handed as Dock hadn’t previously issued a warning for this infraction. Moreover, many thought he could have taken a point away from Haney for excessive clinching. As for Haney’s second and third trips to the canvas in round seven, they struck this reporter – watching at home – as borderline, sufficient to give referee Dock the benefit of the doubt.

In a post-fight interview, Ryan Garcia faulted the referee for denying him the satisfaction of a TKO. “At the end of the day, Harvey Dock, I think he was tripping,” said Garcia. “He could have stopped that fight.”

Those that played the rounds proposition, placing their coin on the “under,” undoubtedly felt the same way.

The internet lit up with comments assailing Dock’s competence and/or his character. Some of the ponderings were whimsical, but they were swamped by the scurrilous screeching of dolts who find a conspiracy under every rock.

Stephen A. Smith, reputedly America’s highest-paid TV sports personality, was among those that felt a need to weigh-in: “This referee is absolutely terrible….Unreal! Horrible officiating,” tweeted Stephen A whose primary area of expertise is basketball.

Harvey Dock

Dock fought as an amateur and had one professional fight, winning a four-round decision over a fellow novice on a show at a non-gaming resort in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. He says that as an amateur he was merely average, but he was better than that, a New Jersey and regional amateur champion in 1993 and 1994 while a student New Jersey’s Essex County Community College where he majored in journalism.

A passionate fan of Sugar Ray Leonard, he started officiating amateur fights in 1998 and six years later, at age 32, had his first documented action at the professional level, working low-level cards in New Jersey. The top boxing referees, to a far greater extent than the top judges, had long apprenticeships, having worked their way up from the boonies and Dock is no exception.

Per boxrec, Haney vs Garcia was Harvey Dock’s 364^th assignment in the pros and his forty-second world title fight. Some of those title fights were title in name only, they weren’t even main events, but, bit by bit, more lucrative offerings started coming his way.

On May 13, 2023, Dock worked his first fights in Nevada, a 4-rounder and then a 12-rounder on a card at the Cosmopolitan topped by the 140-pound title fight between Rolly Romero and Ismael Barroso. It was the first time that this reporter got to watch Dock in the flesh.

Ironically (in hindsight), the card would be remembered for the actions of a referee, in this case Tony Weeks who handled the main event. Barroso was winning the fight on all three cards when Weeks stepped in and waived it off in the ninth round after Romero cornered Barroso against the ropes and let loose a barrage of punches, none of which landed cleanly. Few “premature stoppages” were ever as garishly, nay ghoulishly, premature.

With all the brickbats raining down on Weeks, I felt a need to tamp down the noise by diverting attention away from Tony Weeks and toward Harvey Dock and took to the TSS Forum to share my thoughts. Referencing the 12-rounder, a robust junior welterweight affair between Batyr Akhmedov and Kenneth Sims Jr, I noted that Dock’s Las Vegas debut went smoothly. He glided effortlessly around the ring, making him inconspicuous, the mark of a good referee. (This post ran on May 15, two days after the fight.)

Folks at the Nevada State Athletic Commission were also paying attention. Dock was back in Las Vegas the following week to referee the lightweight title fight between Devin Haney and Vasyl Lomachenko and before the year was out, he would be tabbed to referee the biggest non-heavyweight fight of the year, the July 29 match in Las Vegas between Terence Crawford and Errol Spence Jr.

The Haney-Garcia fight wasn’t Harvey Dock’s best hour, I’ll concede that, but a closer look at his full body of work informs us that he is an outstanding referee.

—

While the Haney-Garcia bout was in progress, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman threw everyone a curve ball, tweeting on “X” that Devin Haney would keep his title if he lost the fight. Everyone, including the TV commentators, was under the impression that the title would become vacant in the event that Haney lost.

Sulaiman cited the precedent of Corrales-Castillo II.

FYI: The Corrales-Castillo rematch, originally scheduled for June 3, 2005 and aborted on the day prior when Castillo failed to make weight, finally came off on Oct. 8 of that year, notwithstanding the fact that Castillo failed to make weight once again, scaling three-and-a-half pounds above the lightweight limit. He knocked out Corrales in the fourth round with a left hook that Las Vegas Review-Journal boxing writer Kevin Iole, alluding to the movie “Blazing Saddles,” described as Mongo-esque (translation: the punch would have knocked out a horse). After initially insisting on a rubber match, which had scant chance of happening, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, Mauricio’s late father, ruled that Corrales could keep his title.

Whether or not you agree with Mauricio Sulaiman’s rationale, the timing of his announcement was certainly awkward.

Haney’s mandatory is Spanish southpaw Sandor Martin (42-3, 15 KOs), a cutie best known for his 2021 upset of Mikey Garcia. A bout between Haney and Martin has the earmarks of a dull fight.

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In a Shocker, Ryan Garcia Confounds the Experts and Upsets Devin Haney

Published

3 days ago

April 21, 2024

David A. Avila

In-a-Shocker-Ryan-Garcia-Confounds-the-Experts-and-Upsets-Devin-Haney

Its good to be crazy. Like a fox.

Ryan “KingRy” Garcia knocked down WBC super lightweight titlist Devin Haney three times to remind everyone of his fighting abilities in winning by majority decision on Saturday.

“I just knew what I could do,” Garcia said.

Fans will not forget the lanky kid from Victorville, California now.

Garcia (25-1, 20 KOs) fooled everyone in playing crazy weeks before the fight, then showed shocking power to hand Haney (30-1, 15 KOs) his first loss as a professional at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

Haney’s WBC super lightweight title was not at stake for Garcia because he weighed three pounds over the limit.

After Garcia seemingly acting out of control on social media, Haney’s guard must have slipped in the first round during the first few seconds as Garcia connected with that hellish left hook and Haney, with a look of shock in his eyes, almost went down. He barely survived the first round.

“He caught me with it,” said Haney.

During the next few rounds, Haney proceeded to advance toward Garcia seemingly fully aware of the lethal left hook. He used feints and rights to score with a busier approach as Garcia seemed cocked and ready to counter with a left hook.

In the fourth round it seemed Haney was confident he had regained control of the fight, but every time he opened up with more than a two-punch combination Garcia reminded him whose hands were faster and more dangerous.

Though Garcia seldom jabbed he seemed bent on looking for the right moment to unleash his deadly left hook. And every time the Southern California fighter opened up with a combination he scored and Haney dare not exchange.

A few times Haney smiled as if signifying he escaped.

In the seventh round Haney looked to punish Garcia’s body and instead was met with a three-punch combination included a left hook to the chin and down went Haney slumped on the ground. He managed to beat the count and as soon as Garcia came within reach Haney wrapped his arms around him with a python grip. Despite the warnings by referee Harvey Dock, the fallen fighter would not release and Garcia impatiently fired a weak punch during the break. The referee deducted a point from Garcia though he could have deducted a point from Haney for not obeying his instructions to release his hold. Haney actually went down three times in the round but only one was counted by the referee.

From that point on Haney was very cautious but still looking to win by decision.

Though Garcia kept using a shoulder-roll defense that left his body exposed, he would retaliate with three and four punch combinations that usually Haney could defend against other fighters.. But Garcia’s blazing combinations were too fast to defend.

In the 10^th round Haney looked to attack and was countered by Garcia’s right and a blinding left hook to the chin and another two blows that sent the former undisputed lightweight champion to the floor again.

It didn’t look good for Haney to survive.

Garcia walked into the 11^th round still composed and never out-of-control He dared Haney to exchange and when within striking distance Garcia unleashed another lightning combination and down went Haney again with a defeated look.

Both fighters had fought each other as amateurs six times so there were no surprises between them. But Garcia’s power and speed were superior and that was the difference in a professional fight.

In the final round both were cautious with Garcia’s combination punching proving too dangerous for Haney to open up. Garcia celebrated early as the round ended confident of victory.

After 12 rounds Garcia was seen the victor by majority decision 112-112, 114-110, 115-109.

“You really thought I was crazy,” Garcia told the interviewer and the crowd. “You guys hated on me.”

Other Bouts

Arnold Barboza (30-0) won a curious split decision victory over United Kingdom’s Sean McComb (18-2) in a 10-round super lightweight fight. McComb’s long reach and busy southpaw style gave Barboza trouble. But he managed to win the fight though the crowd was not pleased.

Bektemir Melikuziev (14-1, 10 KOs) defeated France’s Pierre Dibombe (22-1-1) by technical decision after eight rounds due to a cut on his eye from an accidental head butt. It was a very competitive super middleweight fight.

Costa Rica’s David Jimenez (16-1, 11 KOs) outworked John “Scrappy Ramirez (13-1, 9 KOs) in a 12-round scrap to upset the Los Angeles based fighter. After a few close rounds Jimenez simply bullied his way inside and forced Ramirez against the ropes and unloaded his guns.

After 12 rounds two judges saw it 117-111 and 116-114 all for Jimenez.

“I’m a hard-working man from Cartago I come from nothing,” said Jimenez. “My corner told me I had to work inside.”

Charles Conwell (19-0, 14 KOs) stepped on the gas early with vicious body shots and uppercuts and blasted through the resilient Nathaniel Gallimore (22-8-1, 17 KOs) for several rounds. After a brutal fifth and sixth round the referee halted the one-side beating in favor of Conwell who was fighting for the first time under the Golden Boy banner.

Another winner was Sergiy Derevyanchenko (15-5) by decision over Vaughn Alexander (18-11-1) in a super middleweight match.

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Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

Published

3 days ago

April 20, 2024

TSS Press

Haney and Garcia: Bipolar Opposites

One young man flew halfway around the world to take on a world champion in his own living room; not once, but twice. The other young man quit prior to one fight, and then again during another one.

The first guy mentioned is an obedient son of an ultra-streetwise father. The type of parent where, if he doesn’t know the answer (and more times than not he most likely does), he will know where to find it. The second guy doesn’t appear to have that quality guidance scenario going on for him, which is probably for the best, because he believes he has all the answers.

The first guy is on record as saying he wants to go down in boxing history as an all-time great. The other guy? He decided not to continue in a fight while he was still sporting an undefeated record. You may think to yourself if there was ever a time to soldier through, right?

Then yesterday, that same guy missed making weight by 3.2 pounds, and seemed to be more than fine with it, to the point where he actually appeared to be quite pleased with himself.

If you haven’t heard, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia are going to share a boxing ring in a twelve round go for God knows what will be at stake by the time they actually punch off. The fact that no one from Garcia’s team has stepped in and rescued him from these unfolding events, his own personal well-being, and/or not to mention Devin Haney is, well, troubling in and of itself.

Back in the amateur days, the record shows they split six fights. They were boys back then, so it means zero. If anything, you’d want to be the older of the two, and Ryan had over a three-month age advantage. If you’ve only been on the planet for a total of 120 months or so, every extra month could be a big enough difference in strength and development. Now as world class professionals in their prime? That’s different. Younger is always better. Devin is that guy.

Haney and Garcia fought six times for free but will fight only once as professionals. Then one of them will continue with their march for historic greatness, while the other will head back to Kamp Krazy, where he’s the current Mayor.

It’s never smart to lay 8-1, 9-1 in boxing. And if you see taking Garcia as a value bet with +500 to +600 and beyond, you don’t understand value and you evidently don’t like money.

There is, however, a wagering opportunity here.

Total Rounds: Fight doesn’t go 10.5 rounds.

Take anything over +125. It’s worth a unit on a scale of 5. Logically, there are a lot of ways to cash this ticket: legitimate victory, meltdown, catching lightning in a bottle, etc. Or simply the exiting stage left of a guy who may be already plotting his next career move.

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