HEAVYWEIGHT BOXER TONY THOMPSON believes that drugs should be legalised in sport, and that it should be up to individuals to make up their own minds over whether to dope or not.
Thompson, a two-time world title challenger, comes up against British heavyweight champion David Price in Liverpool on Sunday.
“I think they should allow doping, period, because for me it’s like the gun law,” he told 5 live Breakfast. “Only the good guys are listening. It leaves the good guys without the guns.”
The 41-year-old says it would be down to the competitor’s ‘choice’ whether to use performance enhancing products.
“It’s an issue of choice; I would never want to be doing anything to alter my body down the road anyway.
“My son plays football and basketball and the last thing I want to do is inject him with anything that’s going to alter his natural body rhythm. Same with myself; I don’t even like to take Aspirin.”
Thompson was being interviewed alongside Price on BBC Breakfast and the 29-year-old, who has won all of his 15 fights as a professional, strongly disagreed with the views expressed by the American.
“It is worrying and concerning that people out there are using drugs to enhance their performance, especially in boxing. It is not a level playing field at all if one person is on drugs,” the 29-year-old said.
“Prevention is better than cure and if we are putting people off the thought of doing it, then that is the way forward.”
