Eddie Hearn and Tony Bellew have been criticized for ‘jumping all over’ a test by Artur Beterbiev that the VADA testing program cleared.
During fight week for Beterbiev vs Callum Smith, Hearn well all in with the media about Beterbiev having an ‘atypical finding’ in his test.
However, testers VADA stated there was no problem as the substances occurred naturally in the body. There was no fail and nothing to write home about.
Beterbiev had elevated levels
Hearn was vocal in asking some of those in attendance to make as big a deal of Beterbiev’s elevated levels as they did with some Matchroom fighters.
Conor Benn failed two tests without explanation or clearance by the British Boxing Board of Control. He still isn’t licensed to this day and won’t be until he thoroughly explains how clomiphene got into his system in two separate failures.
Heavyweight Dillian Whyte, who failed three times, convinced the Board over one of those tests. The other two were the first being a lengthy ban and the final only recently.
The fact that the media asked many questions about those failures was something Hearn didn’t understand when those Beterbiev findings were somehow released to Kevin Iole.
Results like that usually stay out of the media to avoid confusing them with a failure.
Now, days later, trainer Dominin Ingle has spoken out. The ex-Kell Brook coach – who worked closely with Hearn for years, has questioned why the Matchroom boss and Bellew were so vocal.
Hearn’s media blurb was followed by Bellew, alleging that something untoward was going on with Beterbiev after he battered his friend Smith and stopped him.
Ingle doesn’t see what both have to complain about.
Jumped on by Hearn and Bellew
“A typical means not normal. It’s funny because the two substances that were found are two naturally occurring hormones in the body,” Ingle told Boxing King Media.
“They should be there at certain amounts, but the thing with growth hormone is it’s released at different times. It isn’t easy to detect it.
“You can get surges in it for different reasons; extreme dieting, fasting, and very hard training sessions will spike you.
“But to test it, you must test the blood within fifteen minutes. I think of exercise or injecting. You must catch them within ten to fifteen minutes of taking it.”
“Now, what they do because it’s a naturally occurring substance is they wouldn’t really release the information. They would step up monitoring on a more regular basis.
“What someone like UKAD might do is test you three times a week for six weeks and see if there are any more fluctuations. But VADA has released [to those involved] and said there has been a spike.
“There is not enough conclusive evidence to say that doping more than likely happened because of an intense training session.
“So it does make me smile when I see people like Tony Bellew and Eddie Hearn jumping all over it. They are trying to make out that all of a sudden, Beterbiev has become a beast overnight.
“He has been a beast for the past twenty years,” he added.
Beterbiev was angry at being accused of potentially taking something he shouldn’t. However, the Russian puncher had done nothing wrong and, as it stands, is a clean athlete.
