Anthony Joshua has acknowledged there is a doping problem in boxing but is unsure whether longer bans are the best solution for a cleaner sport.
Joshua was set to fight old rival Dillian Whyte at London’s O2 Arena on Saturday, but Whyte had to be pulled from the bout after “adverse analytical findings” were discovered in his doping test by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) and he now aims to prove his innocence.
It saw 39-year-old Robert Helenius drafted in as a last-minute opponent but the elephant in the room for Joshua’s latest fight week is the worrying trend of positive tests in the sport.
During the past 18 months British duo Amir Khan and Conor Benn have failed drugs test and while Benn’s suspension was lifted last month, pending an appeal by UK Anti-Doping, it adds to the long list of boxers to fail tests with Tyson Fury and Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvaraz previously serving suspensions.
Joshua reflected on the darker side of the sport ahead of this weekend’s fight with Helenius and says targeting local gyms would help get to the root of the problem.
“There is a doping problem in the sport, definitely,” Joshua said.
“I can’t speak on the numbers, I don’t really mix inside the boxing industry. I don’t know but it’s a problem.
“Am I surprised? It happens in boxing. It’s not the first and won’t be the last, so no, I was not surprised to be honest.
“It is a dangerous sport but I am not disgusted. Boxing is not an institution where you join a club and everything is presented to you, these guys go to local gyms and they are around people who might be doing dodgy stuff so you have to be very, very responsible.
“I hope it is a mistake (for Whyte) but it shows why I have to invest in these tests and the team have now got Helenius tested because it is important because this stuff happens.
“It doesn’t fill me with anger, no, but it’s not good. I don’t think we just need longer bans, I think we need to look at it at the root.
“I don’t know the solution but I always mind my Ps and Qs because I don’t want my reputation damaged.”
Joshua is no stranger to seeing his opponent embroiled in a doping storm after Jarrell Miller failed a test ahead of their planned 2019 fight, which subsequently saw Andy Ruiz Jr given a chance and produce a huge shock victory at Madison Square Gardens to become world champion.
Miller would later serve a suspension and test positive again a year later but it has not stopped him accusing Joshua of doping.
Brixton boxer Whyte, meanwhile, has already served a two-year doping ban in 2012 and yet has taken aim at his British rival in the past with accusations of Joshua being “the Lance Armstrong of boxing” in 2019.
Joshua questioned: “How can people get away with doping if you are getting random drug tests?
“I get drug-tested all year round. Every quarter I have to submit my whereabouts, where I am going to be, every day, for every hour of the day so they can turn up randomly.
“I have submitted that every day of my life since 2011. So, I don’t know why I am under this pressure but all these other boxers aren’t?
“When you sign up to a promoter, they should all have that in the deal. It damages the sport. Look where we are at with this situation, we lost the fight and nearly lost the card because of this situation.
“I have a long history of being drug-tested and sometimes you have to question the person who keeps pointing the finger.
“It’s funny that the two people who have accused me have popped dirty themselves.
“Maybe they did it because of my physique or my success, my rise. It maybe didn’t make sense to them but it’s God-gifted and a lot of hard work.”
Joshua first found out about Whyte’s failed test on Saturday morning and despite wanting to fight at O2 Arena, he would never have stepped in the ring with the south Londoner after learning of his test results.
“I don’t know what Dillian supposedly took,” Joshua said.
“(But) I wouldn’t fight him on drugs, no way. It’s not right, it’s not morally right.
“I was drug-tested in our previous fight, I have been drug-tested since 2011, I don’t know if he was on drugs when he boxed before, but I won.”
Julien 'The Black Dragon' Baptiste eyes bigger stage after defending Massachusetts middleweight title
Julien “Black Dragon” Baptiste, the reigning Massachusetts Middleweight boxing champion, successfully defended his title last Saturday, November 9, with a sixth-round TKO victory over Anthony Hines at Fall Reckoning in Dorchester. The main event saw Baptiste overwhelm his opponent with a flurry of punches, prompting the referee to stop the bout at 2:35 of the penultimate round.
With the victory, Baptiste improved his professional record to 8-4-1, cementing his place as a dominant force in the Massachusetts boxing scene. Reflecting on the win, he expressed gratitude and acknowledged the hard work that went into his preparation.
“And STILL!!!!” Baptiste exclaimed. “I would like to thank God ?? for another opportunity for me to showcase my skills and talents. Training camp was on point from beginning to end. Mark DeLuca made sure that I got 1% better each day. Was it easy? Hell no ?, but if you want to stay champion, you’re gonna have to be uncomfortable until you get comfortable to get the job done.”
The fight marked another milestone in Baptiste’s journey, one that began in his youth as the son of Jamaican and Grenadian parents. His mother, Donna Holder Willemsen, hails from Duncans in Trelawny, Jamaica, while his father, Egbert Baptiste, who is battling cancer, is from Grenada. Julien credits both of them for his drive and determination.
“Their strength and spirit, along with my mother’s, drive me to success,” he said.
Baptiste’s introduction to boxing came after his college football career as an All-American free safety. While pursuing his NFL dreams, he was invited to a boxing gym by a cousin from Jamaica, and from that moment, he found a new passion.
“I fell in love with it,” he recalled. “I was there every day. That was in New York. Then I left New York and came to Massachusetts, back to the town I went to school at, looking for work. The first gym I worked at just happened to have a boxing gym and a coach. And here I am now as Massachusetts champion.”
In 2023, Baptiste captured the vacant United States Boxing Federation (USBF) Middleweight title, which he has successfully defended three times. His Massachusetts title has also been defended on three occasions, adding to his growing legacy.
“I know what is at stake every time I fight because my belts are on the line every time I fight. Whenever I fight here in Massachusetts, both my belts are on the line,” he said.
Now 35, Baptiste acknowledges that time is not on his side in the sport, but he remains focused on his ultimate goals.
“I’m coming to the end of my athletic career. I just want to get on ESPN,” he said. “I fought on ESPN earlier this year at Madison Square Garden in February and lost by split decision. I want to get back on that stage, so hopefully by next year, I should be back on a bigger stage on television or something of that nature.”
Beyond boxing, Baptiste’s aspirations include securing a home and retiring from the sport with his health intact.
“I want to leave the game with my mind and my brains, my health. I want to be one of the ones leaving with my health. I want to help the youth and show that there are ways to get out of situations to better yourself,” he said.
With his dedication, resilience, and a drive rooted in his Caribbean heritage, Julien Baptiste continues to embody the spirit of a champion both inside and outside the ring.
JBA stages 1st fight card for 2024
The Jamaica Boxing Association staged its long awaited first fight card for 2024 with four fights and an exhibition bout on Saturday at the Stanley Couch Gym in Kingston. It was an all amateur fight card under the banner Gloves Over Guns Futures Programme.
Three of the four fights went to the Jamaica Defense Force (JDF) whose boxers looked well prepared and physically fitter than their opponents. Arguably the fight of the night was the final (elite) bout between Delano McLaughlin of the JDF and Kirk-Patrick Heron of the Port Antonio Gym in a light heavyweight match-up. Both fighters were very determined while going all three rounds of three minutes each. At times they traded blow for blow while taking some big punches but in the end McLaughlin landed more hits and was adjudged the winner.
The first JDF boxer to enter the ring was Gervin Garrison in a light heavyweight matchup with Sadeki Harris of GC Foster Gym. Both boxers got busy immediately but Garrison soon showed that he was the better fighter with cleaner punches and was more agile around the ring. Harris took a lot of punishment and showed a lot of heart to stay toe to toe with Garrison but just did not have the strength to throw some winning punches as Garrison came out the clear winner.
That fight gave way to another JDF match-up between with Shawn Morgan in a lop-sided super heavyweight face off with Vernando McKenzie of Funrobics Gym. McKenzie entered the ring confidently but could not handle the force and speed of Morgan. He faced referee Wayne Roberts count more than once in the less than two rounds that he was in the ring, as Roberts eventually stopped the fight midway in the second round.
The only boxer out of the blue corner to record a win on the night was Mark-Andre Mendez of Control Strike Gym against Hammid Gordon of Funrobics Gym. They put on a spirited light middleweight show for the crowd but Mendez sent down more punches and was definitely under less pressure in the ring.
The opening action on the night was an entertaining exhibition bout which went to Alex Grant of Suga Gym over Crishaun McPherson of Funrobics Gym. They were the youngest boxers on show at just fourteen years old.
Stephen Bomber Jones, president of the Jamaica Boxing Association was pleased with the response from the boxing community. “I am very encouraged. I am extremely encouraged by what I saw. I am more encouraged also by the response by the boxers, the gyms and the managers themselves because tonight represents what they have been asking for, at least an answer, one of the answers for what they have been asking for. They have had their boxers training without being able to showcase their skills so this gives a platform to answer that so I am very happy.”
He also said ‘the last Saturday of every month we intend to have the same show but going forward it won’t just be amateurs. We want this platform to be from the most novice boxer which is our grassroot boxers – children, the elite amateurs – those that will over the next couple of years give the activities so that they can represent us internationally and also those boxers who want to turn pro, we give them this platform to have monthly bouts so that they can build a professional record so that they can be the choice of boxers that we carry around the island. The public deserves the best boxers when we do the Fight Night Series so this will be kind of be a feeder programme into the Series. The best boxers, the best amateurs and the best professionals that come out of this we will showcase around the island.”
The fight card was sponsored by Pepsi, S&G Road Surfacing, Vere Events, Locker room Sports and Creative Sports
Joshua 'rolled the dice, but came up short' in Dubois defeat
Anthony Joshua is likely to call for a rematch against Daniel Dubois, having conceded he "came up short" after he "rolled the dice" in Saturday's bout at Wembley Stadium.
In front of a record-breaking, 96,000 crowd that had been further geed up by a performance from Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher, it was Dubois who turned in a supersonic display on Saturday.
Joshua saw his hopes of clinching the IBF heavyweight title slide away as Dubois dominated from the off, before delivering the knockout blow in round five.
Some pundits suggested this should be the end for Joshua, though the 34-year-old insisted he is not planning on stopping any time soon.
"Credit to him and his team. We rolled the dice of success, but we came up short," he told DAZN.
"You know I'm ready to kick off in the ring, but I'm going to keep my cool, keep very professional, and give respect to my opponent.
"I'm always saying to myself I'm a fighter for life... We keep rolling the dice.
"I had a sharp opponent, a fast opponent and a lot of mistakes from my end, but that's the game."
Promoter Eddie Hearn, meanwhile, claimed Joshua would likely take up the option of a rematch.
"I'm sure he'll exercise that rematch clause, it's a given, it's a dangerous fight because he's growing in confidence all the time but he'll believe he can beat him," Hearn told DAZN.
Dubois, though, will likely want to turn his attention to facing the victor out of Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, with their rematch set to take place in December in Saudi Arabia.
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