PART I OF SERIES ON DRUGS & NEVADA
San Francisco, CA– Having been on the subject of “steroids in boxing” since 2004 when I broke a story that exposed Shane Mosley as at the very least a liar, this after Shane told the world he had never taken steroids. Shane was given both the Clear & the Crème, two designer steroids developed and provided by Victor Conte when he was running BALCO Labs. A couple of months ago, I showed you videotape of Mosley admitting to taking “EPO” as well, this in a taped deposition.
SO WHAT THE HECK IS EPO ANYWAY?
EPO or Erythropoietin is a naturally occurring hormone. It causes the bone marrow to produce red blood cells. Red blood cells carry oxygen and without enough red blood cells, our body (including muscles, heart and brain, kidneys) can’t function. It is why we become light headed when we don’t have enough red blood cells.
EPO, BY FAR THE “ULTIMATE” PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUG!
The word “ultimate” is not an exaggeration, nor is it a jab at the Ultimate Fighting Championships, to which I’ll address later. EPO can be given via pills or injection. Depending on the amount of time that EPO is taken, this will reflect on how many red blood cells are produced beyond the norm. Everybody produces EPO. A panel of experts I assembled for this series of articles conclude that EPO can increase the oxygen in your blood and muscles up to 50%. It is the ultimate performance-enhancing agent!
TRYING TO MAKE THIS AS SIMPLE AS POSSIBLE
Having chosen not to use medical jargon here, I’ll try and lay it out for you sixth grade style. The use of EPO can make you a far better conditioned athlete than if you hadn’t used it. Oxygen is the key to all athletic endeavors that work the cardio vascular system, which boxing and MMA certainly do. Look at it this way: Two fighters train for 12 rounds a day, but only one uses EPO. As both fighters enter the eighth round, the EPO guy has 35-50% more oxygen and red blood cells than his counterpart.
THE BRAIN “LOVES” THE ADDITIONAL OXYGEN
The EPO’d fighter is thinking more clearly, again because of the increased oxygen in his blood. For those of you that run, swim, or do some form of cardio, imagine running five miles in duration. In layman’s verbiage, because of the EPO your body is feeling like it only ran 2 ½ miles. You just went ten hard rounds, the EPO boxer, his body/cardio will react as if he had boxed only five. This blood doping, and that’s what EPO is, this is why it is the “ultimate” in performance enhancing drugs.
NEVADA BROUGHT OUT LARRY, CURLY, BUT NO MOE!
Last week the Nevada State Athletic Commission held one of their “dog & pony” shows. You know, where they come out and say that they are doing something positive for the sports they cover and their participants. Having watched this commission work for some three decades, I expected them to come out against a comprehensive drug testing policy that involves random testing. And not being a group to disappoint, they did exactly that.
EVERYBODY KNEW DIRECTION LARRY & CURLY WOULD GO!
Dr. Robert Voy, a Las Vegas resident, has been the “go to” guy if you had medical issues relating to boxing and needed to be licensed. At one point he ran USA Boxing, and he has been on select panels in Nevada and elsewhere on sports medicine. The other MD testifying, Dr. David Watson, he too was against random testing.
SAYING “EPO IS OF NO VALUE” IS LIKE SAYING GOLD IS WORTHLESS!
When Voy appeared at the commission meeting last week in Nevada, he said some things that boggle the minds of fellow physicians and experts alike when he said, “EPO does not offer any advantage.” What? 35-50% more oxygen and red blood cells in a fighter’s body and you don’t see it as an advantage? Victor Conte of SNAC.com, he had a litany of words about Voy’s verbiage, but I’ll just use a few. “It boils down to either his ignorance, or it’s propaganda,” said Conte when he read Voy’s baseless comments on EPO, and that drawing blood could cause serious hematomas (bruising).
URINE GOOD FOR ‘ROIDS, BUT ONLY BLOOD FOR EPO
Somewhere along the line, the public, aided by the paid for, and or under informed media, they have confused EPO & blood doping with steroids. Steroids are best detected in urine. But if you want to check for an abnormal % of red blood cells, you would have to take a blood test. Earlier, I said EPO was the “ultimate” in performance enhancing drugs. That should be clear to you as well now.
PART II GOES UP TUESDAY NIGHT FOR WEDNESDAY AM!
Part II: Performance Enhancing Drugs and the Nevada Commission. This second part will delve into the current testing process in Nevada, as well as the control that the Ultimate Fighting Championships seemingly has over the NSAC.
Pedro Fernandez