Amir Khan rematch in doubt after Lamont Peterson fails drug test
The world title rematch between Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson in Las Vegas on 19 July edged closer to cancellation on Tuesday night when it was confirmed the American has tested positive for testosterone use.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission, which is responsible for the conduct of the promotion, will take submissions from Peterson's legal advisers before delivering a judgment within the next day or so.
"Unless there's some real obvious and legitimate reason for the positive test, he's not fighting," NSAC's executive Keith Kizer told the Associated Press.
The development will cause concern for the estimated 4,000 British fans who have booked flights, hotels and fight tickets to support Khan as he seeks to reclaim the WBA and IBF light-welterweight belts lost in a controversial fight in Washington last December.
So, while anarchy was ruling the day in London at the announcement of David Haye's upcoming fight with Dereck Chisora, boxing was falling over itself in the United States to do the right thing, albeit clumsily. How the NSAC views the alleged use of a banned performance-enhancing substance will reflect its commitment to probity in the sport. Its record, generally, has been good; it banned Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997 and would not let Antonio Margarito box in Nevada after he was caught with loaded gloves before his fight with Shane Mosley in 2009.However it had no qualms about sanctioning Floyd Mayweather's fight with Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand last Saturday night – just three weeks before Mayweather was due to go to prison for domestic battery against his former partner Josie Harris.
Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, Khan's American promotional partners, on Tuesday night put meat on the bones of a story that has been bubbling up as rumour for days. He was not pleased that news of the test results had been slow to emerge. While Peterson's camp knew, Khan's did not – and the selling of tickets at the Mandalay Bay went ahead.
"We were informed by a call [on Monday morning] from Keith Kizer, the director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He said he had received a letter over the weekend from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada)."
The tests took place at a lab at the University of California (UCLA) in mid-March but were not relayed to the drugs agency until nearly a month later. "Why I was not informed, I cannot explain," Schaefer said. "I find it rather shocking that I was not copied into this letter. Nobody from Team Khan was copied into that letter.
"A urine specimen was taken from both athletes on 19 March. It was an unannounced, unscheduled visit by the collections officers [of Vada] following the press conference in Los Angeles, where both fighters, obviously, were present. The adverse result for Peterson's A-sample was reported to Vada by the lab [at UCLA] on 12 April. Again, why we were not informed until Monday – not even by Vada, but by the commission – is a mystery to me."
Vada told Peterson the results of the test the following day and said the B-sample would be analysed on 30 April.
Schaefer observed: "Why it took so long to analyse the B-sample is also a mystery to me. If I would have been informed about it, I certainly would have asked for expedited testing, rather than wait two weeks to get this sample tested."
Peterson had representation at the second analysis, Schaefer said. "The result of the B-sample confirmed the analytical result of the A-sample. Both showed that the athlete's specimens were consistent with the administration of an anabolic steroid, such as testosterone. There were follow-up samples taken from Peterson on 13 April and the laboratory reported it came back as negative on 6 May."
Peterson's attorneys will submit their explanation to the commission on Tuesday afternoon.
"In the coming days," Schaefer said, "I would assume by today or maybe the day after, we will know where we stand."
"We want to get to the bottom of this and do what is right. We cannot overrate how important random drug-testing is for the sport of boxing. This is not about hitting a baseball, running faster or jumping higher. This is toe-to-toe battle, where one's life is at risk every time these young athletes enter the ring. I think it's important that the Nevada commission have all the facts and them makes the ruling as they deem appropriate."Kizer told The Ring magazine last night that Golden Boy Promotions will abandon the whole show if Peterson is not granted a licence, and reschedule it for later in the year. That would be a blow for Gary Sykes, the 28-year-old Dewsbury super-featherweight who had landed himself a world title shot on the undercard against the unbeaten WBO champion, Adrien Boner.
The world title rematch between Amir Khan and Lamont Peterson in Las Vegas on 19 July edged closer to cancellation on Tuesday night when it was confirmed the American has tested positive for testosterone use.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission, which is responsible for the conduct of the promotion, will take submissions from Peterson's legal advisers before delivering a judgment within the next day or so.
"Unless there's some real obvious and legitimate reason for the positive test, he's not fighting," NSAC's executive Keith Kizer told the Associated Press.
The development will cause concern for the estimated 4,000 British fans who have booked flights, hotels and fight tickets to support Khan as he seeks to reclaim the WBA and IBF light-welterweight belts lost in a controversial fight in Washington last December.
So, while anarchy was ruling the day in London at the announcement of David Haye's upcoming fight with Dereck Chisora, boxing was falling over itself in the United States to do the right thing, albeit clumsily. How the NSAC views the alleged use of a banned performance-enhancing substance will reflect its commitment to probity in the sport. Its record, generally, has been good; it banned Mike Tyson for biting Evander Holyfield's ear in 1997 and would not let Antonio Margarito box in Nevada after he was caught with loaded gloves before his fight with Shane Mosley in 2009.However it had no qualms about sanctioning Floyd Mayweather's fight with Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand last Saturday night – just three weeks before Mayweather was due to go to prison for domestic battery against his former partner Josie Harris.
Richard Schaefer, chief executive of Golden Boy Promotions, Khan's American promotional partners, on Tuesday night put meat on the bones of a story that has been bubbling up as rumour for days. He was not pleased that news of the test results had been slow to emerge. While Peterson's camp knew, Khan's did not – and the selling of tickets at the Mandalay Bay went ahead.
"We were informed by a call [on Monday morning] from Keith Kizer, the director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. He said he had received a letter over the weekend from the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (Vada)."
The tests took place at a lab at the University of California (UCLA) in mid-March but were not relayed to the drugs agency until nearly a month later. "Why I was not informed, I cannot explain," Schaefer said. "I find it rather shocking that I was not copied into this letter. Nobody from Team Khan was copied into that letter.
"A urine specimen was taken from both athletes on 19 March. It was an unannounced, unscheduled visit by the collections officers [of Vada] following the press conference in Los Angeles, where both fighters, obviously, were present. The adverse result for Peterson's A-sample was reported to Vada by the lab [at UCLA] on 12 April. Again, why we were not informed until Monday – not even by Vada, but by the commission – is a mystery to me."
Vada told Peterson the results of the test the following day and said the B-sample would be analysed on 30 April.
Schaefer observed: "Why it took so long to analyse the B-sample is also a mystery to me. If I would have been informed about it, I certainly would have asked for expedited testing, rather than wait two weeks to get this sample tested."
Peterson had representation at the second analysis, Schaefer said. "The result of the B-sample confirmed the analytical result of the A-sample. Both showed that the athlete's specimens were consistent with the administration of an anabolic steroid, such as testosterone. There were follow-up samples taken from Peterson on 13 April and the laboratory reported it came back as negative on 6 May."
Peterson's attorneys will submit their explanation to the commission on Tuesday afternoon.
"In the coming days," Schaefer said, "I would assume by today or maybe the day after, we will know where we stand."
"We want to get to the bottom of this and do what is right. We cannot overrate how important random drug-testing is for the sport of boxing. This is not about hitting a baseball, running faster or jumping higher. This is toe-to-toe battle, where one's life is at risk every time these young athletes enter the ring. I think it's important that the Nevada commission have all the facts and them makes the ruling as they deem appropriate."Kizer told The Ring magazine last night that Golden Boy Promotions will abandon the whole show if Peterson is not granted a licence, and reschedule it for later in the year. That would be a blow for Gary Sykes, the 28-year-old Dewsbury super-featherweight who had landed himself a world title shot on the undercard against the unbeaten WBO champion, Adrien Boner.
