Expert opinions vary at drug-testing forum

It didn’t have the drama or trappings of a congressional hearing on Capitol Hill, but the Nevada Athletic Commission’s forum on drug testing Wednesday provided frank discussion about the effectiveness of catching cheaters inside the ring.

If you believe Dr. David Watson, the NAC has its act together. Travis Tygart, chief executive officer of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, said he thinks the commission can do a lot more to beef up its protocols. Dr. Robert Voy, a former chief medical officer for the United States Olympic Committee, said he thinks the NAC is doing an adequate job given its resources but that it has room to improve.

“(Nevada) can do better,” Tygart said. “Frankly, it’s inadequate. You deserve better. Your athletes deserve better.”

Watson, who works for the NAC as a ringside physician, said: “I think the commission is doing an outstanding job of staying on top of this issue.”

Said Voy: “The commission should be congratulated for testing (for steroids). However, the protocol is troubling to me. You have to have a very tight process. The athlete has to be assured there are safeguards in place to protect the athlete from tampering.”

NAC executive director Keith Kizer said the purpose of the forum was to give the commissioners an opportunity to learn from experts in the testing field and stay ahead of the curve.

“We rely on the experts,” Kizer said. “We were able to have a nice, open discussion, and this commission has never been afraid to change its rules. The commission wants to make the best regulations to ensure the safety of the fighters and the integrity of the sport.”

Tygart recommended the use of more blood testing for performance-enhancing drugs such as human growth hormone and other designer steroids. He also suggested the NAC consider changing labs, using USADA’s testing facilities in Los Angeles and Salt Lake City. The commission currently sends its drug tests through Quest Diagnostics, with facilities in Las Vegas.

“Blood testing is something the commission wants to look into,” Kizer said. “But you just want to make sure the tests are accurate and you don’t put the fighter at risk.”

Voy said that anytime blood is drawn from a person, the potential for risk exists.

“Taking blood is an evasive procedure,” he said. “There’s always risk. It can be dangerous. However, I don’t think taking blood close to a competition puts the athlete at risk.”

That was Manny Pacquiao’s contention when he refused to submit to random blood testing to make a proposed fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr. in March. Pacquiao since has said he would be willing to have his blood drawn within 14 days of a fight.

But Tygart said that still creates a window of opportunity for potential cheating.

“If you’re going to have a window, keep it as short as you can,” he said.

When Mayweather fought Shane Mosley on May 1, both fighters agreed to Olympic-style random drug testing, which included taking blood and urine samples. USADA oversaw the protocols for the drug testing, and the last blood tests administered to the fighters came 18 days before they entered the ring.

However, Tygart said the threat of testing the fighters remained in place during that period, which served as a sufficient deterrent had either considered cheating. Both fighters were tested eight times, and each tested clean on every occasion.

Kizer said any changes the commission makes to its protocols for drug testing will come with the fighters’ best interest in mind. “You don’t do drug testing for public relations,” he said. “You do it for health and safety.”

■ FUNEKA SUSPENDED — Lightweight Ali Funeka took a banned substance to reduce swelling in his legs from his long flight from South Africa to Las Vegas in March. But that didn’t get him off the hook with the NAC, which suspended him for nine months, fined him $35,000 and ordered him to pay back an additional $15,625 he received from his opponent, Joan Guzman, who failed to make weight when they fought March 27 at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Funeka took hydrochlorothiazide, a diuretic, which is banned in Nevada. The drug was given to him by his physician, Dr. Mark Blumberg, who admitted he didn’t know its use was against NAC rules.

Funeka lost a 12-round split decision to Guzman, and his record remains 30-3-3.

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