Steroids in Boxing

[Althugz]

Honestly I really can't see the problem in using them.

They can have harmful side effects. Whether the effects are negligable or solely the result of abuse (Which I don't believe) is irrelevant. An athlete shouldn't be forced to put himself in danger of these effects to compete with other athletes who are on these drugs.

But the fact is athletes are on these drugs..and smart athletes will continue to be. Boxing isn't a team game..You are the only one responsible for your performance. Which is why you MUST be at the top of your game every single fight, especially if you're an elite world class boxer or you can wave bye bye to those pay days.
As for side effects, they're different for different people but can be avoided/reversed by the knowledgable. Abuse IS usually when the side effects occur. Used responsibly steroids are actually beneficial to ones life..especially the older you get.

[Terp]

I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make here. Yes, athletes have to be in the best possible condition which is exactly why the bar shouldn't be raised artificially. If you think there are no negative side effects to these magic potions, good for you. I don't believe it and neither does any credible medical expert, including the FDA. There's definitely a risk of side effects and there's no justification to basically force athletes to risk their health if they want to compete at the top levels.

You talk about abuse. What's to stop an athlete from abusing these drugs and gaining a huge advantage over his competitors? Is it a consolation to his peers who were robbed of the accomplishments and status they were looking to achieve fairly and legally when the abuser dies of a heart attack at 42?

[Trainer Monkey]

When are boxers tested for steroid and other drug use? After or before their fight? And since boxing is international sport how do boxing commissions (WBO WBC IBF etc) regulate this problem around the globe?

Here in California we've heard of Vargas testing positive after the DLH fight, Mosley's name has been out there in reports. With the baseball report out today it makes us boxing question steroid use in boxing. Is it a hush hush issue??

Mosely has only come up,to my knowledge,in HGH,and that could be a total BS rumour

[Wasp]

You people who think steroids aren't in boxing like other sports, or that steroids have no use to a boxer, are all ignorant.

You have a preconcieved notion that when you think of steroid use, you think of GIGANTIC pro wrestlers and body builders. Steroids aren't just for guys who want to be 300lbs of muscle. They can make you physically stronger, faster, give your muscles more endurance. You think those qualities would go astray in boxing?

And of course, steroids can be used to help recovery time and faster recooperation of injuries and wear and tear. Boxing requires some of the hardest, high impact training out of any sport. Guys get sore, banged up, and injured in training all the time. Why wouldn't guys want to be taking stuff that will help them train harder and longer?

No offence but i think your being ignornat.

Taking steriods won't make you faster. That's down to your shape and your training.
Yes they can make you stronger. But if your already solid at a weight then theres no need, you will already be as strong as you can possibly be.
Yes some steriods probably can give you better endurance. But you will have to train as well.
You can take as many steriods as you like. But if you don't run you won't be on the same level.

They wouldn't want to take them because the longer and harder you trian you are likleyto build muscle and be unable to make the weight.

[Poom]

Honestly I really can't see the problem in using them.

They can have harmful side effects. Whether the effects are negligable or solely the result of abuse (Which I don't believe) is irrelevant. An athlete shouldn't be forced to put himself in danger of these effects to compete with other athletes who are on these drugs.

But the fact is athletes are on these drugs..and smart athletes will continue to be. Boxing isn't a team game..You are the only one responsible for your performance. Which is why you MUST be at the top of your game every single fight, especially if you're an elite world class boxer or you can wave bye bye to those pay days.
As for side effects, they're different for different people but can be avoided/reversed by the knowledgable. Abuse IS usually when the side effects occur. Used responsibly steroids are actually beneficial to ones life..especially the older you get.

You can do things to reduce the risk of the side effects, infertility etc, but you can't guarantee it , as someone said before, a fighter shouldn't have to risk these things to stay with the competition

[Althugz]

Honestly I really can't see the problem in using them.

They can have harmful side effects. Whether the effects are negligable or solely the result of abuse (Which I don't believe) is irrelevant. An athlete shouldn't be forced to put himself in danger of these effects to compete with other athletes who are on these drugs.

But the fact is athletes are on these drugs..and smart athletes will continue to be. Boxing isn't a team game..You are the only one responsible for your performance. Which is why you MUST be at the top of your game every single fight, especially if you're an elite world class boxer or you can wave bye bye to those pay days.
As for side effects, they're different for different people but can be avoided/reversed by the knowledgable. Abuse IS usually when the side effects occur. Used responsibly steroids are actually beneficial to ones life..especially the older you get.

You can do things to reduce the risk of the side effects, infertility etc, but you can't guarantee it , as someone said before, a fighter shouldn't have to risk these things to stay with the competition

Of course they 'shouldn't' have to! I totally agree but the fact is this stuff is out there and like to admit it or not it does get used. So athletes who want to keep having those big paydays and stay at the top of their game will take it. I just hate how much shit athletes get for getting caught. I guess at the end of the day its their own fault for getting caught but it makes people think he's the only athlete that is doing it. It gives them a bad rep and that is totally unfair in my eyes.

[Althugz]

If you think there are no negative side effects to these magic potions, good for you. I don't believe it and neither does any credible medical expert, including the FDA. There's definitely a risk of side effects and there's no justification to basically force athletes to risk their health if they want to compete at the top levels.

You talk about abuse. What's to stop an athlete from abusing these drugs and gaining a huge advantage over his competitors? Is it a consolation to his peers who were robbed of the accomplishments and status they were looking to achieve fairly and legally when the abuser dies of a heart attack at 42?

So you're basically repeating what I have said in previous posts? Did I say there were no side effects? No, I said they can be reduced and minimized with the correct knowledge and application. I also said that they affect people in different ways. You'd be stupid to believe there is no risk of side effects. How much research have you done on this topic? I've done about 3 years worth. Here's the deal, you give me one side effect of steroids and I will give you one way you can prevent, minimize or reverse it. Any side effect you want.
Also to answer your 2nd question, abuse doesn't tend to give you any extra performance boost as much as it does increase the risk of side effects. Also if you're genetically prone to heart problems, nothing can change that. You may be at more risk from taking the steroids (even then that risk can be limited) but if you're gonna die of a heart attack at age 40 then you're pretty much fucked anyway. My mums best friends brother died of a heart attack aged 36. Skinny as anything and lead a very active, healthy lifestyle. Never took steroids. Go figure.
Every drug has side effects..any medication the doctor gives you carries the risk of sides! Steroids are no different.

[Althugz]

You people who think steroids aren't in boxing like other sports, or that steroids have no use to a boxer, are all ignorant.

You have a preconcieved notion that when you think of steroid use, you think of GIGANTIC pro wrestlers and body builders. Steroids aren't just for guys who want to be 300lbs of muscle. They can make you physically stronger, faster, give your muscles more endurance. You think those qualities would go astray in boxing?

And of course, steroids can be used to help recovery time and faster recooperation of injuries and wear and tear. Boxing requires some of the hardest, high impact training out of any sport. Guys get sore, banged up, and injured in training all the time. Why wouldn't guys want to be taking stuff that will help them train harder and longer?

No offence but i think your being ignornat.

Taking steriods won't make you faster. That's down to your shape and your training.
Yes they can make you stronger. But if your already solid at a weight then theres no need, you will already be as strong as you can possibly be.
Yes some steriods probably can give you better endurance. But you will have to train as well.
You can take as many steriods as you like. But if you don't run you won't be on the same level.

They wouldn't want to take them because the longer and harder you trian you are likleyto build muscle and be unable to make the weight.

You're stating the obvious here, nobody said steroids were a magic pill where you could sit on your arse and just get in fight shape.
Also wrong of you to assume the longer and harder you train, the more likely you are to build muscle. Have you ever trained for hypertrophy? (building muscle) You can't train every single day and for long periods of time..this won't cause your muscles to grow, this will cause you to LOSE muscle if anything! Ever heard of over training? The intensity a boxer trains is very close to overtraining, pushing your body to the limit. Steroids will make a massive difference to your recovery which is probably the most important thing to a boxer.
Believe me this is a very deep subject and you havn't come close to even skimming the tip of the iceberg.

I hope nobody thinks i'm advocating the use of them here but i just hate misinformation due to media hype.

[Wasp]

Basically i would say you're wrong. It depends how much you eat.

If you train all day everyday and more calories than you're burning you will gain muscle and size.
Just like the strong men.
Obviously you have to eat a lot. Gallons of milk, kg's of chicked kg's of beef. etc..

So you say they help in recovery. Why bother. A boxer will get 6 months between fights plenty of time to recover.

I have no problems with peple in sport taking drugs. But it has to be one way or the other.
Either they totally legalise the drugs or they give life time bans to those who fail the tests.

[Althugz]

Basically i would say you're wrong. It depends how much you eat.

If you train all day everyday and more calories than you're burning you will gain muscle and size.
Just like the strong men.
Obviously you have to eat a lot. Gallons of milk, kg's of chicked kg's of beef. etc..

No offence bro but I can tell you know diddly squat on this topic..
Yeah and what boxers do you know that each that much?? If anything i'd say a boxers diet is more carb heavy than protein to keep up energy levels. Plus the smart ones will know which ones to take to minimise muscle gain and maybe maintain and increase power. Its not easy to put on muscle..you aren't gonna put on muscle by boxing unless you have freaky genetics. Its mainly a cardio sport..you will get ripped and burn fat but you won't put much on in the way of muscle. You need to hit the weights in general to put on size...and usually follow a certain protocol that will build muscles. Boxers don't usually train this way if they do weights. They would normally circuit or focus on specific power exercises.

So you say they help in recovery. Why bother. A boxer will get 6 months between fights plenty of time to recover.

I'm not talking about recovery between fights..I'm talking about your recovery WHILE you're training for a fight. Most fighters train daily and this is hard for the body to take, it can easily lead to over training. So believe me the most beneficial side of steroid use for a boxer would be the recovery aspect. The fact that you can go balls to the wall every time and not experience much loss in performance.

I have no problems with peple in sport taking drugs. But it has to be one way or the other.
Either they totally legalise the drugs or they give life time bans to those who fail the tests.

That would be fair but you're missing my point! The smart boxers will take the steroids that don't stay in the body for long enough to be detected!! Some steroids waste metabolites are out of your body within a week where as others like Deca (nandrolone) will hang around for 18 months..hence why moron James Toney got caught.
My point is the smart boxers will never get caught even if a lifetime ban is threatened!!

[porkypara]

Jus let everyone take whatever the hell they want and that way nobody can cheat any more.

Problem sorted.

I think pro boxers already put there long term heath in danger by the very nature of the sport so by everybody taking steroids boxers would be damaging there body even more.