Boxing needs to knock out the cheats

It’s time all governing bodies of professional boxing began to clean up the sport and dispell any chance of cheats prevailing in the game.

It is amazing how, with so much money ploughed into the sport, that testing is so easy-going in comparison to other sports.

Cycling and athletics are often referred to as ‘dirty’ with the highest rates of failed drugs tests.

However, while at university I produced a drugs and sport publication that, with interviews from across various sports, proved that whilst they may have the most failed samples, cycling has the most stringent of testing procedures.

It’s selective as well as random, meaning that less competitors can miss or avoid testing with both blood and urine samples mandatory.

However, in professional boxing they do not follow similar 'Olympic-style testing' and do not insist on blood samples -instead they just take urine samples in the run-up, and straight after contests.

Cycling has tarnished its imagine by cleaning it up in the hope it will cleanse the sport from the cheats, while ensuring fair and rewarding competitions for honest competitors.

Professional boxing needs to follow cycling’s example and ensure that fans can watch the sport confident that the champions that are being crowned are true winners.

The recent spat between Floyd Mayweather Jr and Manny Pacquiao has brought this situation to light and, while I agree it would have been unfair on the latter to submit to the demands put forward, blood testing has to come into play soon.

Victor Conte, the man who supplied Dwain Chambers and many other athletes with performance enhancing substances that for years went unnoticed, has come out and said that professional boxing testing is useless.

“The testing that is being utilised in boxing is virtually worthless," Conte told BBC Radio 5 live. The testing that is being utilised in boxing is virtually worthless," Conte told BBC Radio 5 live.

"I don't believe they want to know how rampant the use of drugs really is," said Conte. "Testing in boxing is completely and totally inept."

While Conte’s comments are not good news, what the head of World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), David Howman has said is even more worrying for fans of boxing.

He said: "Professional boxing is not in compliance and has made no effort to comply.

"They give the boxer every opportunity to hide what they may have taken previously and that is not the way the world operates these days."

The fact that professional boxing organisations are refusing to comply may mean that there is plenty to hide.

The governing bodies may be worried what effect a string of failures could have on the sport’s image that has already been tarnished by the amount of corruption prevailing in the game.

However, if they fail to bring in tougher testing then fans are going to start doubting the credentials of the fighters competing, especially after the claims by the Mayweather camp about Pacquaio’s apparent steroid use.

Of course, the amount of money on the line at the top level must mean that the purses are fairly won, but testing should also be much more strict because of the health danger that is carried by participating in boxing.

If a boxer is going into the ring against someone who has used a performance enhancing substance then their life is more at risk due to the fact that the drug may have made the cheating opponent stronger and/or fitter than they should be, thus giving the ability to cause more damage.

It is time professional boxing cleaned up and followed the examples of the amateur side of the game, athletics, cycling and other sports that follow 'Olympic-style testing' for the sake of the promoters that financially back it, the health of the fighters that compete and the fans that pay the money that helps keep the sweet science going.

Not Keane on Celtic move

Robbie Keane’s loan move from Tottenham to Celtic was a bit of a shock but, while it may have lit up a drab final day of the transfer window, it is not going to reignite the Republic of Ireland captain’s career.

The Dubliner has changed club’s more than most, but while not all his moves have worked out, like joining Inter Milan before he was ready and signing for Liverpool despite Rafa Benitez not wanting him, joining Celtic could be his biggest career mistake.

Having struggled to cement a place in Tottenham’s starting line-up since returning to White Hart Lane 12 months ago, a move away was a good idea, and a loan move an ideal chance to impress Harry Redknapp.

However, while Keane may believe he can score plenty of goals in the SPL and impress Redknapp, or maybe another Premier League manager, while also helping Celtic stage a dramatic comeback in the title race, he is kidding himself on both accounts.

First of all, no matter how many goals he scores, he won’t suddenly force Redknapp to change his mind and put the Dubliner in front of Defoe or Crouch.

Secondly, Celtic lie 10 points behind Rangers in the league table and have been far too inconsistent this season to stage a realistic title challenge. Wayne Rooney, even in his current form, would struggle to save The Bhoys.

The growth in the gulf in class between the SPL and the Premier League over recent years means scoring goals in Scotland is not as impressive as it once may have been.

In truth, Keane would have been better off joining Sunderland or another club in the Premier League who are not competing with Tottenham for fourth spot.

It’s doubtful that Celtic are coughing up Keane’s £65k a week wages, so he was surely affordable to other clubs.

Going out and scoring vital goals to keep a club in the Premier League would have been far more impressive - and a much tougher challenge that would improve him as a player.

And if it was Keane’s dream to wear the hooped shirt, then he should have followed in the footsteps of his namesake and gone to Celtic Park at the end of his career.

For the sake of the Republic of Ireland's chances of qualifying for Euro 2012, let's hope I'm wrong.