By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse
As the chief executive director of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart will be involved in Wednesday's hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission which will address its protocol for drug testing in general, and for steroids and illegal drugs in particular.
Various officials already have spoken to the NSAC during a meeting on Sept. 20, 2008, according to commission director, Keith Kizer, but this is Tygart's first go-round after having achieved a boxing first by implementing and overseeing the random testing of blood and urine on both Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley during the lead up to their May 1 clash won by Mayweather.
In this Q&A, Tygart speaks about a number of issues, including the testing schedule released for Mayweather and Mosley.
Mayweather had both blood and urine taken on March 22, April 1, April 13 and then on the night directly after the fight. Mayweather provided urine only on April 3, April 6, April 21 and April 24. Mosley provided both blood and urine on March 23, March 31, April 12 and directly after the bout on fight night. Mosley provided urine on April 3, April 6, April 21 and April 24.
FanHouse: Travis, what impact do you believe that the random drug testing of Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley has had on boxing?
Travis Tygart: You know, I think that it's caused a healthy discussion. Certainly, from our perspective, it was a sport that knew very little about the importance of having strong, anti-doping provisions in place. That has created an awful lot of discussion. You know, you had a successful program that was run for one of the biggest fights in history.
The Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight for random testing, that was unprecedented in that it was two professional boxers for the first time who voluntarily submitted to the World Anti-Doping Agency Code testing program, and I think that that speaks volumes about the importance of this issue.
And, you know, there is a hearing set for Wednesday with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, that I will actually be testifying at that hearing on Wednesday. I think that the fact that we've been contacted by a number of other state athletic commissions in boxing to have a discussion is a good thing. I don't want to name the different commissions, but we've got meetings set up with some, and have had contact with several others.
So I think it's certainly becoming an educational process you know? Ultimately, people can decide whether they want to do everything possible to protect the integrity of the sport for clean athletes or not. At least they'll have the information available to make that decision.
FH: I understand that Andre Ward and Allan Green have requested Olympic style random drug testing for their June 19, WBA championship bout that will be in Oakland Calif., so have you been in contact with those fighters or that commission?
Tygart: You know, I know that you're doing your job asking that question, but just, at this point, out of respect for those that have contacted us and have preferred that we not have this out in the media right now, I don't want to say. I think that the point that is important is that the discussions have started.
It's important that the first call that we got was a call to us, and not something that we made, and that it was back in December, and that a lot has transpired in a very short amount of time. This has created a good, ground swell. Ultimately will that end up with WADA Code programs being implemented in the 50 states?
I can't say that for sure. That would obviously be the best thing for clean athletes and a clean sport. But it took four years for that to happen within the Olympic movement -- from late 1999 until 2004. So, we appreciate that there are a lot of complex issues, and they deal with science, and they deal with law, and they deal with sport.
That's going to take a lot, particularly on state athletic commissions that have turnover and that are politically driven, meaning that they are typically appointed by the governor who changes from time-to-time in various states. So, hopefully, we're at a point where we can have a good, consistent dialogue with the states.
Hopefully, those that are in power can make the right decisions. It's the same easy decisions that hundreds of sport entities and national Olympic committees and governments around the world have made to implement the WADA code in their territories.
FH: What complicates it to the point where there is a debate as to whether or not this is needed?
Tygart: I think that there shouldn't be. When people understand, there shouldn't be a debate. But it's all based on the level of understanding of the issues. I mean, it's easy to say that you need to do blood testing, and for someone in my seat, it's a no-brainer.
It's simple: If you don't have it, you're not protecting clean athletes and the integrity of your sport. But others out there want to say that you can have a fine program without blood testing. And I think I heard early on, by someone who suggested back in early December around the Floyd Mayweather- Manny Pacquiao negotiations, that blood testing is antiquated.
Well, if that's someone's belief then they're just wrong. And it might take some time for us or anyone else why there is a need for blood testing, and then, to explain the procedures. And to explain that it's not a large amount of blood, but a very small amount of blood.
And that here sort of why you can't have a black out period or a 24-day or a 14-day period where you're not going to take blood or not test. That doesn't mean that you're going to test every minute of every day up to a competition in order to be effective. In fact, you can have an 18-day window [where no blood was taken from either fighter] like we did with the Mayweather-Mosley fight.
That was acceptable and it is an acceptable program when it is coupled with saving samples for later re-testing. A lot of people go into that specific situation. I heard that there was some complaint or criticism of that.
FH: How do you mean?
Tygart: The term random is misused sometimes. It was, from the two athletes' point of view -- Mayweather and Mosley -- completely random. They have no idea when they when they're going to be tested. We really call that 'No advanced notice.' So they don't know when we're going to show up.
But from our perspective, it's not random at all, but highly intelligent. So we map out exactly when we're going to test, and when we're not going to test. We do that to be the most effective. In this situation, with Mayweather and Mosley, we were basing it on a number of tests and the test results that we received.
Based on the fact that we were saving samples for later retesting, we were perfectly comfortable that we were running an effective program and not blood testing them within 18 days of the fight. That was absolutely by choice and by design. If there is criticism of that, then it's not well-based.
Why it's perfectly acceptable is that the athletes, No. 1, didn't know. So that the deterrent effect was still there. No. 2, we look at the total number of tests that we did as well as the fact that we're saving their samples. And they did a urine and a blood test after the fight.
So we're saving those samples for later re-testing. And it's no secret for those that know that there is a new, human growth hormone test on the near horizon that has a much longer window of detection.
So, having that post-fight with the ability to re-test it with that new test made us totally comfortable only having that blood test 18 days before the fight and not needing one more testing day in between.
And importantly, the reality is, the people who want to criticize, they were hoping that we were going to blood test the day of the fight or the day before the fight, or two days or four days before the fight.
And then, they were going to hope and pray that whatever fighter lost, that fighter was going to blame the blood test. So since that didn't happen -- and that testing didn't need to happen to have an effective program -- they now have to try to complain that the window was too big.
But they have no other argument. So, from our perspective, what we decided -- and this is doctors, scientists and people who do this day in and day out -- that we would do the right thing for clean athletes.
Given the re-testing, the new tests for HGH becoming available, and given a number of tests for both blood and urine, and given the no-advance notice, and the no blackout window for testing, we were totally comfortable that this was an intelligently designed program.
Source: boxing.fanhouse.com
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