After it was revealed during the two-city press tour for Jake Paul (12-1, 7 KOs) vs. Gervonta Davis (30-0, 28 KOs) on November 14 live on Netflix, that the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) would be the ones testing, FightsATW has learned that the main event fighters will be the only ones tested by them.
On Wednesday afternoon, FightsATW sent an email to USADA asking if testing had already commenced for the Paul vs. Davis fight. They replied via their communications account, “Testing is already underway, and testing efforts began earlier this month.” That answers any questions anyone may have concerning the legitimacy of the testing statement and when the process began.
The next question would be whether any of the other fighters who are in title fights on the undercard will be tested by USADA. They replied, “(Jake) Paul and (Gervonta) Davis are the only fighters USADA was contracted to test on this fight card.”
That means the rest of the card which features a women’s unified super featherweight title fight between the champion Alycia Baumgardner and Leila Beaudoin, women’s unified super bantamweight title fight between Ellie Scotney and Mayelli Flores, women’s WBC minimum title fight between the champion Yokasta Valle and Yadira Bustillos and the WBA super lightweight title fight between the champion Gary Antuanne Russell and Andy Hiraoka, will not have testing done by USADA or any other Anti-Doping Agency. The Florida State Commission will likely conduct its own version of testing after the fight, but it won’t be as comprehensive as the ones performed by USADA and VADA.
Although there is time to implement testing for the remainder of the card, it is unlikely to occur for one reason or another. Anti-doping testing has always been the subject of many conversations within boxing, as the associated costs have been a significant deterrent. VADA testing is funded by the promoters and/or fighters, and fighters have even mentioned that it could cost up to $30,000 for one fight. Additionally, because the promoter and/or fighter fund it, the results made public are subject to the person or company that pays for the testing. USADA is a non-profit organization that is “largely funded by the U.S. government and sports organizations,” making it likely the less expensive way to test. Additionally, results are sent out by USADA if there are any adverse findings, without requiring an organization and/or fighter to provide clearance.
Testing, or the lack thereof, for the undercard fighters may be a non-issue for casual fans, but given the numerous positive tests we have witnessed over the last five years and the recent string of deaths in the ring, the topic of anti-doping testing needs to be continually addressed, especially during title fights.