RETIRED FORMER UNBEATEN pound-for-pound top dog Andre Ward has revealed that he spent ‘tens of thousands’ of dollars over the course of his boxing career to ensure he wasn’t accidentally consuming any prohibited substances, and says while he won’t cast judgement over Canelo Alvarez without possessing all of the facts, he’s glad the Mexican superstar was flagged for an anti-doping violation earlier this year.
Ward, a 34-year-old two-weight world champion, dropped the curtain on his professional career following a second successive victory over fellow pound-for-pound contender Sergey Kovalev last year, and has since signed a multi-year punditry deal with ESPN.
Canelo Alvarez tested positive for Clenbuterol back in March Javier Rojas
Javier Rojas
Ward laughed aloud when quizzed about Canelo’s excuse for ingesting Clenbuterol (the Mexican blamed ‘tainted meat’, a widespread problem in his homeland) and confirmed that his initial reaction when he learned of the Guadalajara native’s anti-doping violation back in March was not dissimilar.
At the behest of the Nevada State Athletic Commission who handed him a backdated six-month suspension, Canelo in April submitted a hair follicle to a WADA-accredited (World Anti-Doping Agency) lab in Salt Lake City which came back negative for the banned substance, lending some credence to his pleas of innocence. He has also signed a contract to undergo year-round testing by VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency).
“I’ve heard of it (tainted meat),” Ward said. “I’ve heard of it, yeah. It’s tricky. I mean, that’s a heavy coat to put on somebody – that’s a heavy accusation.
He did come up dirty. That’s his fault – he has to own it. That’s why he’s getting the backlash that he’s getting.
“I’m just sensitive with those kind of things. I have my opinion, but I kind of reserve [judgement] before I get all the facts.
“Unfortunately, I think it is very prevalent,” Ward said of doping in boxing. “I think it’s swept under the rug. That’s why when I fought Sergey Kovalev two times it was mandatory that we do VADA testing. And it’s the cheaper agency, [but] a lot of times fighters don’t want to do it because it’s extremely expensive.
I also spent tens of thousands of dollars to do outside testing on all of my supplements personally – that had nothing to do with anybody else that was associated with the event – because I know that, one headline, and your career is over so to speak. You can keep going, but it’s something that you’ll always have to deal with.
“Guys are hitting each other in the face, in the head – this ain’t a game,” Ward said. “So we gotta make sure that the testing is up to par.
I’m glad that they caught what they caught with Canelo. I don’t know the details but, again, you would hate for a guy to be on something and then go in there and hurt somebody.
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'I spent tens of thousands to do outside testing on my supplements': Ward calls for boxing clean-up
RETIRED FORMER UNBEATEN pound-for-pound top dog Andre Ward has revealed that he spent ‘tens of thousands’ of dollars over the course of his boxing career to ensure he wasn’t accidentally consuming any prohibited substances, and says while he won’t cast judgement over Canelo Alvarez without possessing all of the facts, he’s glad the Mexican superstar was flagged for an anti-doping violation earlier this year.
Ward, a 34-year-old two-weight world champion, dropped the curtain on his professional career following a second successive victory over fellow pound-for-pound contender Sergey Kovalev last year, and has since signed a multi-year punditry deal with ESPN.
Speaking on the Worldwide Leader’s Get Up! programme on Wednesday, ‘S.O.G.’ claimed doping in his former profession is often swept under the rug – this just two weeks after former world champion Mia St. John admitted she had used PEDs for at least 20 of her professional fights.
Ward laughed aloud when quizzed about Canelo’s excuse for ingesting Clenbuterol (the Mexican blamed ‘tainted meat’, a widespread problem in his homeland) and confirmed that his initial reaction when he learned of the Guadalajara native’s anti-doping violation back in March was not dissimilar.
At the behest of the Nevada State Athletic Commission who handed him a backdated six-month suspension, Canelo in April submitted a hair follicle to a WADA-accredited (World Anti-Doping Agency) lab in Salt Lake City which came back negative for the banned substance, lending some credence to his pleas of innocence. He has also signed a contract to undergo year-round testing by VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency).
“I’ve heard of it (tainted meat),” Ward said. “I’ve heard of it, yeah. It’s tricky. I mean, that’s a heavy coat to put on somebody – that’s a heavy accusation.
“I’m just sensitive with those kind of things. I have my opinion, but I kind of reserve [judgement] before I get all the facts.
“Unfortunately, I think it is very prevalent,” Ward said of doping in boxing. “I think it’s swept under the rug. That’s why when I fought Sergey Kovalev two times it was mandatory that we do VADA testing. And it’s the cheaper agency, [but] a lot of times fighters don’t want to do it because it’s extremely expensive.
“Guys are hitting each other in the face, in the head – this ain’t a game,” Ward said. “So we gotta make sure that the testing is up to par.
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