Lets stop being niave and face reality

I think its about time we take off our rose colored glasses, stop being niave nut-huggers and face the reality that the majority of our favorite athletes are, in all likelyhood, using or have used some type of performance enhancer. And to be frank, it really doesn't bother me.

I know I know, steroids are against the rules, they are a form of cheating, and athletes should not be using them. I'm not advocating PED usage.

I'm just sick of the incredibly niave way sports fans (not just boxing fans) view the subject of steroids. We just assume that all our favorites are squeaky clean, salt of the earth guys (qualities that regrettably seem to be somewhat rare in the world of boxing) who would never dream of using PEDs. And on the other side of the coin, we view guys caught using PEDs as villians, who have only gotten to where they are because of steroids.

Both views are incredibly unrealistic IMO. I'm supposed to look down my nose on guys like Mosley and Holyfield, warriors who spent hundreds of thousands of hours in the gym honing their craft, represented their countries in international compedition and earned their money battling it out in the trenches, while risking their health and well being? I can't do it. When I think of Holyfield and what made him a great fighter, I think of his heart, his will, and his skill, not the fact that he probably used a PED.

And with the many, many ways of cheating drug tests, it would be totally erroneous to say "Well he's never been caught, so I have no reason to believe he's done them." If testing was bullett proof, we wouldn't have steroids in sports. But the fact that boxers choose to risk their reputations and careers by using illegal PEDs should be sufficient proof that they feel fairly confident that they can get away with it. You also have to take into account the physical toll this takes on your body. Fighters don't get sick-leave pay. You don't fight, you don't get paid. So when these guys have nagging injuries that can impede their training, or potentially cancel the fight all together, you don't think there is pressure on them to take something that will help them heal up a little quicker? And the same goes for the aging fighters who suddenly find themselves not being able to do what they could 5-10 years earlier. They have families to feed too.

Sorry if this is a TL, DR kinda thing. I've just been kinda going nuts reading about people saying these guys are clean with as much certainty as if they were giving their birth dates. Lets stop kidding ourselves, steroids and other PEDs fit a brutal, wear-and-tear sport like boxing just like a hand going into a glove.

I agree it's very common in all sports. Even boxing.

I think ODH was using for the Mayorga fight. Just my opinion. But I don't think there's too many top guys who never done them. Hell, high school sports has a lot of it. You think they stop when they become pro's?

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Originally Posted by luvfightgame

I agree it's very common in all sports. Even boxing.

I think ODH was using for the Mayorga fight. Just my opinion. But I don't think there's too many top guys who never done them. Hell, high school sports has a lot of it. You think they stop when they become pro's?

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:-X don't really see why you'd think that, he was the naturally bigger man, he's always had power in his left hook, and he was leagues ahead of Mayorga in skill, Mayorga was open to counters all night and DLH connected flush all night, don't see how anyone could really think that that was due to roids

Oscar De La Hoya isn't naturally bigger than Mayorga who likely had 8 pounds on him in the fight at least.

This seems a cop out, you obviously like Holyfield and hes supposed to have been using since he moved to heavyweight, all his fights at heavy have been chemically enhanced, hes cheated, its the drugs that have allowed him to live with the natural heavyweights, its the drugs that nearly fuucked his heart up after the first Moorer fight, a cheat is a cheat.

Hes fighting Botha soon who also got found using and wa stripped of the IBF heavy title in 06.

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Originally Posted by Beanflicker

I think its about time we take off our rose colored glasses, stop being niave nut-huggers and face the reality that the majority of our favorite athletes are, in all likelyhood, using or have used some type of performance enhancer. And to be frank, it really doesn't bother me.

I know I know, steroids are against the rules, they are a form of cheating, and athletes should not be using them. I'm not advocating PED usage.

I'm just sick of the incredibly niave way sports fans (not just boxing fans) view the subject of steroids. We just assume that all our favorites are squeaky clean, salt of the earth guys (qualities that regrettably seem to be somewhat rare in the world of boxing) who would never dream of using PEDs. And on the other side of the coin, we view guys caught using PEDs as villians, who have only gotten to where they are because of steroids.

Both views are incredibly unrealistic IMO. I'm supposed to look down my nose on guys like Mosley and Holyfield, warriors who spent hundreds of thousands of hours in the gym honing their craft, represented their countries in international compedition and earned their money battling it out in the trenches, while risking their health and well being? I can't do it. When I think of Holyfield and what made him a great fighter, I think of his heart, his will, and his skill, not the fact that he probably used a PED.

And with the many, many ways of cheating drug tests, it would be totally erroneous to say "Well he's never been caught, so I have no reason to believe he's done them." If testing was bullett proof, we wouldn't have steroids in sports. But the fact that boxers choose to risk their reputations and careers by using illegal PEDs should be sufficient proof that they feel fairly confident that they can get away with it. You also have to take into account the physical toll this takes on your body. Fighters don't get sick-leave pay. You don't fight, you don't get paid. So when these guys have nagging injuries that can impede their training, or potentially cancel the fight all together, you don't think there is pressure on them to take something that will help them heal up a little quicker? And the same goes for the aging fighters who suddenly find themselves not being able to do what they could 5-10 years earlier. They have families to feed too.

Sorry if this is a TL, DR kinda thing. I've just been kinda going nuts reading about people saying these guys are clean with as much certainty as if they were giving their birth dates. Lets stop kidding ourselves, steroids and other PEDs fit a brutal, wear-and-tear sport like boxing just like a hand going into a glove.

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Thats not all.
When you think the two most famous soccer players were from the coke country of the world and the latest one was an outright addict at he end of his career. It makes you wonder who else used that enhancer in the past during fights and all other sports too.

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Originally Posted by luvfightgame

I agree it's very common in all sports. Even boxing.

I think ODH was using for the Mayorga fight. Just my opinion. But I don't think there's too many top guys who never done them. Hell, high school sports has a lot of it. You think they stop when they become pro's?

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the one thing that makes me question the original post and if ped's are that widespread... is ironically something regarding DLH too

if PED use was widespread in boxing why would oscar have allowed himself to lose the fights he did due to poor stamina, always seems to have been a problem for him and i think if they were that common hed have taken something to sort it

exactly, if most of them uses peds then they should have perfect lossless records, like pbf.

Why should we just accept it? I want to know that the best fighter isn't just the best cheater. Let's make random blood-testing the norm in all high-level bouts.

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Originally Posted by mnmc10

exactly, if most of them uses peds then they should have perfect lossless records, like pbf.

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well not really because at some point they would fight each other, i just dont think someone using would have such an obvious physical flaw such as poor stamina :-\