Keith Thurman’s Unthinkable Response to PED Consumption Resurfaces Amid Ryan Garcia Debacle

Ryan Garcia raised himself to boxing heights with his triumph over Devin Haney. However, subsequent reports of him failing to clear doping tests might have muddled the accomplishment. Both the primary and secondary samples of the young boxer reportedly returned positive results for the banned substance ‘Ostarine’. Boxing is enjoying a period where a slew of big, outstanding matches are taking place. The sport seems to have once again regained favor with the crowds. Thus, incidents such as the Garcia PED controversy appear to throw a spanner in the works.

From the reports of Floyd Mayweather Jr.‘s intravenous injection during the Manny Pacquiao fight to Amir Khan‘s ban, understandably, there appears to be renewed interest among fans going over old instances. In the middle of this hullabaloo, innocuous news on former world champion Keith Thurman‘s reaction to PEDs appears to have become a hot topic of discussion in the social media forum.

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Keith Thurman met Manny Pacquiao during a title clash on July 20, 2019. Reportedly, the lead-up to the fight witnessed a few changes to the standard drug testing practices. However, Thurman seems to have remained undismayed by the developments. He insisted that he had always been a ‘clean fighter’. “I mean, I’ve always been a clean fighter. I’ve been tested throughout my boxing career at all times—not all times, but whenever they so deem it fit,” he reportedly said.

When responding to a concern about the rigor of the testing for his fight against Manny Pacquiao, Keith Thurman responded with: “I always say, ‘Take steroids if you want, ’cause you might actually need it. I don’t really care.’” Thurman didn’t think Pacquiao looked out of the “norm,” anyway.
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Speaking about the fight, he added further, “We do; there will be testing, just like every fight; that’s a world championship fight before and after the fight, as as so as the people that came and tested us a few weeks ago, so you know, I mean that to me, that’s petty stuff, and uh yeah, I mean, I always say, take steroids if you want cuz; you might; you might actually need; you know, I don’t really care, you know.”

Ahead of the fight, news came that the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) would not be engaged to conduct drug tests on Thurman and Pacquiao. Instead, the responsibility would rest with the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC). According to a post-fight piece in ‘The Ring’, reportedly, the VADA did sample collection for the (NSAC). Now if only this bit of information was sufficient enough to raise eyebrows. It seems the testing happened when both boxers were well settled in their training camps. However, the ensuing confusion, if there was any, never seems to have perturbed Keith Thurman.

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Incidentally, he displayed the same devil-may-care attitude when the question hovered over his opponent. Talking about Pacquiao, Thurman said that the Filipino great appeared in great shape and never looked ‘out of the norm’. So given the storm that has come over with Ryan Garcia’s drug testing scandal, a completely nonchalant approach to the whole PED situation might come across, which might jolt a few out of the blue.

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Talking about ‘KingRy’, there has been the latest development in his story following the B sample results. His team has reportedly confirmed that the banned substance entered the boxing superstar’s body through supplement contamination. According to a World Boxing News article, Team Garcia claimed that VADA conducted tests on products they had identified. Subsequently, they returned a positive outcome for ‘Ostarine’. Hence, based on the new findings, it is hoped that the New York State Athletic Commission, which is looking into the young boxer’s case, might take a lenient approach, which includes a reduced suspension time.

What’s your take on boxing’s PED troubles? Do you agree with Keith Thurman’s earlier take on the banned substances?