Charlo twins, others miss WBC drug tests

Jermell and Jermall Charlo are among the fighters who have recently missed WBC anti-doping tests.

Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images

The WBC continues to work toward making the sport of boxing that much better, with its emphasis on regular PED testing, via their “Clean Boxing Program.”

Testing in that spehere is performed by VADA, the Voluntary Anti-Drug Association, and the program has been in effect since May 2016.

The adherence to the CPB has been pretty solid and even critical sorts who tend to nitpick the sanctioning bodies at any and every turn have offered props to Mauricio Sulaiman, the WBC boss, for trying to push the players in the game to compete on level playing fields.

Part of that best-case construct has to come from peer pressure and a certain level of transparency about the program, who is taking part, and who isn’t.

The WBC put out a few days ago an update; from Oct. 1 to Nov. 20, there were 28 tests attempted by VADA within the CPB protocol, and 22 were completed. There were six missed tests, and one positive—a sample for Kevin Lerena tested positive for clompihene Oct. 18 in South Africa.

A WBC official informed me that these six athletes missed tests during the Oct. 1-Nov. 20 testing span: Paddy Barnes, Lodumo Lamati, Jermall Charlo, Jermell Charlo, Juan José Velasco, and Patrick Texeira.

The flyweight Barnes, an Irishman, is to fight TBA Dec. 22 in England. He is 5-1 and lost via KO in his last scrap, on Aug. 18.

The South African super bantam Lamati last fought in June, and holds a 14-0-1 mark.

The 20-1 Argentine Velasco is to fight Dec. 15 in Buenos Ares. He last fought July 14, losing to Regis Prograis.

The 29-1 Brazilian Texiera last fought Sept. 1, beating Nathaniel Gallimore.

The 31-0 Charlo, Jermell, is to fight Dec. 22 against Tony Harrison, in Brooklyn. Jermall Charlo, who holds a 27-0 mark, is to fight Willie Monroe on Dec. 22, on the same card as his twin Jermell.

My three cents: You want to give benefits of doubt. You understand that people travel, people miscommunicate, life is complicated. But for stringent testing to work, all parties have to make their best effort to be on board. Here’s hoping moving forward the five fighters get on the same page as testers so no clouds of doubt hang over their heads.