Ex-‘Contender’ star faces reality of failed drug test

Joey Gilbert has some explaining to do.

The former "Contender" star tested positive for a variety of banned substances, including methamphetamine and the steroid Stanozolol, following his Sept. 21 win over Charles Howe at the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno.

And this isn't the first time Gilbert has failed a post-fight test, Nevada Athletic Commission chairman Keith Kizer said.

"He tested positive before for medications which he claimed were doctor's prescriptions," Kizer said. "They're still on the banned list, and this is the second time he tested positive for those substances in addition to the meth and the steroids."

Gilbert, ranked No. 6 among middleweights by the WBO, also tested positive for amphetamines, nordiazepam, oxazepam and temazepam. He tested positive for the four drugs following a fight in May. The reality show star admits he did the same four drugs before the Sept. 21 fight, Kizer said.

There are no plans to retest Gilbert's urine sample, Kizer said, and the tests conducted by Quest Diagnostics were 100 percent accurate.

Gilbert remains on indefinite suspension and is expected to appear before the NAC in November, though he could ask to be placed on the agenda for the Oct. 24 commission meeting.

Gilbert did not return phone calls seeking comment. But in a statement released Wednesday, the 31-year-old Reno resident said he plans to prove his innocence.

"I do not have much of an additional comment in that we have just received the commission report today," Gilbert said. "I know the commission is in place to protect and support its fighters, and I will be working closely with them to comply with whatever they need from me.

"Anyone who has ever seen me running our mountain trails or in the gym knows I work hard and train hard. Speak to any of my trainers or coaches, past or present. It is training and sacrifice which has gotten me to where I am today.

"I will apply that same determination to clearing my name and am certain there will be a satisfactory explanation and outcome. In all honesty, my world has been turned upside-down in the last 24 hours. I can only say the outpouring of support from friends and fans has meant more to me now than any title."

• DE LA HOYA NOT CONCERNED -- Given Shane Mosley's connection to steroids and the BALCO probe, Oscar De La Hoya is not worried about his Nov. 10 promotion that has Mosley fighting Miguel Cotto at Madison Square Garden.

"Absolutely not," De La Hoya said Saturday before the Manny Pacquiao-Marco Antonio Barrera fight at Mandalay Bay Events Center. "I trust Shane Mosley. I've known him since he was 10 years old, and I know he's not a cheater."

De La Hoya, who lost to Mosley in 2003, said he didn't think Mosley was on steroids when they fought.

"The only thing I complained about was I thought I had won the fight," De La Hoya said. "I never complained about him using steroids."

De La Hoya said Mosley-Cotto will be bolstered by a strong undercard, which features Joel Casamayor, Antonio Margarito and Victor Ortiz.

"I don't believe (the controversy) will impact the promotion," he said.

• PAVLIK'S FAUX PAS -- Apparently, the concept of direct deposit remains foreign to boxing.

By now, most boxing fans have heard about the embarrassing mistake Kelly Pavlik's father, Mike, made in leaving his son's check as well as his own check in their Atlantic City hotel room after Pavlik stunned Jermain Taylor on Sept. 29 to win the WBC and WBO middleweight titles.

Top Rank president Bob Arum quickly stopped payment on the checks, worth a combined three-quarters of a million dollars. Arum has seen his share of crazy occurrences in his five decades as a promoter, from guys losing their checks to the wrong fighter getting paid the wrong amount.

Obviously, whoever found the Pavliks' checks wouldn't have been able to cash them. But why don't promoters simply deposit the purses directly into their fighters' bank accounts?

The easy answer: Technically, the state commission is responsible for paying fighters, and sometimes checks have to be withheld.

Of course, there's no reason a commission couldn't use direct deposit to pay a fighter's purse once all conditions have been met, such as passing a post-fight drug test or any other legal or disciplinary matters.

The promoter can give the state commission permission to transfer the funds to the fighter at the commission's discretion. This way, hotel maids won't be misled into thinking they hit the lottery when they find checks for $666,750 lying on a table in the room they're cleaning.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.