This week, Oscar Valdez makes a defense of his World Boxing Council title despite flagging for banned substance Phentermine during camp.
The WBC, headed by President Mauricio Sulaiman, has explained why after days of adverse reaction to the decision.
Valdez got given the green light due to the amount of the stimulant in his system. Also, the time he tested positive before the fight.
Sulaiman also stated that Phentermine, a weight-cutting aid, is not a performance enhancing drug.
“Very, unfortunately, many fans, many members of the boxing community with vested interests. Some media outlets and individuals reacted immediately, without even understanding what had happened,” said Sulaiman.
“Positive Test!” “Guilty!” “Crucify the cheater.” The desire to see punishment moves today’s society, scandal, cheating, fraud, and tragedies.
“There is no will to investigate and balance the facts to conclude. Premature judgments are primarily based on assumptions.
“The World Boxing Council is the only organization that has a program that works worldwide to combat the use of prohibited substances.
“The WBC has invested hundreds of thousands of dollars. It has endured significant problems, especially when positive tests have come out during the six years of operation of the Clean Boxing Program.
“The program was designed and implemented with an expert agency, VADA, which administers it and is responsible for establishing the list of prohibited substances, which athletes will be subjected to random tests through the collection of samples without notice, as well as sending them to the laboratory plus promptly reporting the results.
From there, when there is an adverse result, the administration of our organization enters to manage the protocol to be followed, and it is the WBC who is in charge of results management and imposing the corresponding actions and penalties.
“The WBC carried out a series of actions to be able to study, analyze and understand all the aspects. The WBC held hearings with various parties involved, and in the end, a resolution was given.
“Óscar Valdez continues as the defending champion. The fight on September 10 will be for the world championship.
WORLD BOXING COUNCIL ACTIONS
“He will be subject to an important series of actions related to what happened. To monitor his performance in the months to come and educate him and his entire team on the issues of nutrition, hydration, weight management, and prohibited substances; all at a significant economic cost to himself.
“To issue the final resolution, important considerations were carefully assessed: the type of substance and its properties; It is a medicine that suppresses the appetite and does not give any competitive advantage. The levels of the substance, which were 77 nanograms per milliliter, while the allowed limit is 50.
“The test was taken a month before the fight, and the next test, taken on August 30, came back negative.
“The history of Valdez, as a two Olympic Games and as professional has had more than 30 tests without ever having a doping problem.
“In addition, he is widely recognized by all members of the boxing community, pointing to him as a hardworking, clean, dedicated young nan with an impeccable record.
“It is a real shame that there are those who do not have the slightest intention of studying and understanding what happened. They are not interested in seeing that it was a transparent and consistent process to the regulation.
“They only choose to have their own opinion. Their own conclusion, and thus express it publicly. It hurts the image of a young person and the integrity of the sport and the WBC.
“I am convinced that time will prove a lot about this sad episode. But it will also help to improve some of the things about how the World Boxing Council Clean Boxing Program is managed,” he added.
OSCAR VALDEZ PROBATION
Valdez got given twelve months probation for his misdemeanor. The Mexican has to pay future costs of monitoring his testing process.
The fight against Robson Conceicao will go down on Friday, but only under a significant cloud of controversy.
A lack of clarity in the systems of doping and punishments is the prominent bone of contention, as always.
