Saturday, October 05, 2002
Copyright © Las Vegas Review-Journal

It is good to see the Nevada Athletic Commission, long the best overall boxing regulatory body in the country and perhaps the world, step up its testing for steroids.

Marc Ratner, executive director of the commission, said Nevada has randomly tested for steroids at championship fights for years, but it has not been a regular procedure until this year.

It is significant that the first pure boxer to test positive for steroids was Fernando Vargas in the biggest fight of the year. Vargas tested positive for stanozolol metabolite after he was stopped by Oscar De La Hoya in the 11th round of their junior middleweight championship unification fight Sept. 14 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center. A complaint was filed against Vargas on Friday.

Commission chairman Luther Mack, vice chairman Dr. Flip Homansky, Ratner and Dr. Margaret Goodman, chairman of the medical advisory board, agree that it was the concern of several people connected with the commission that led to the increased steroid testing.

"We heard rumors from people that small guys were getting bigger," Ratner said. "We decided to do random testing to see if there's anything to it, to see if we had some knowledge for education purposes, more than anything."

He said the commission's concern about steroids goes back several years.

The fact that the commission regulates kick-boxing and mixed martial arts also sparked its greater interest in steroids. Ratner said there were rumors of steroid use in kick-boxing and mixed martial arts, and two fighters in those disciplines tested positive this year.

Ratner said it was important that the commission have one basic policy for all of the disciplines it regulates. It can't have a steroid policy for regular boxing and another for mixed martial arts.

"We are trying to educate the fighters," he said. "We are concerned about them. Steroid abuse hurts them. There are long-term effects there. We are trying to learn as much about it as we can. Our first concern is for the health and safety of our fighters."

Mack sent a letter to all promoters July 1 asking for their assistance in informing their fighters of the commission's heightened focus on steroids.

"The commission has a long and consistent history of disciplining contestants for illegal drug use, especially the use of marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines, amphetamines and ephedra," Mack wrote.

"The commission is now in the process of stepping up its testing for anabolic steroids. The primary basis for the commission's testing is to promote the health and safety of the combatants.

"It will also ensure that all contestants will compete on a level playing field."

Mack asked the promoters to remind their fighters to inform the commission of any and all drugs, stimulants, injections, supplements and medication they are taking before fighting in Nevada.

It is important to note the commission began its stepped-up steroid testing in January and Mack's letter came 2 1/2 months before the De La Hoya-Vargas fight, so it is far from being a Vargas issue.

In fact, Homansky, aware of the legalities, would speak only about the steroid issue in general and not about Vargas.

"Our whole goal here is not discipline, but education," he said.

"We were the first to begin testing for HIV, we now require an ophthalmological test every year and we check for hepatitis. Our overall goal is to ensure fighters are as healthy as possible and that the playing field is even for all of those concerned," he said.

The Nevada commission has certainly been a leader in previous medical testing and it is proper, with the expertise involved with the commission, that it do so with steroids.

Royce Feour's boxing column is published Saturday. He can be reached by phone at 383-0354, fax at 383-4676 or e-mail at rfeour@reviewjournal.com.