Holyfield on Drugs: opinions?

[binnie]

I'm sure a lot of people have read/heard about this.

There seems to be a lot of rumours and not a lot of information going around: what's anybody's take?

Don't believe it myself: sure he bulked up from Cruiser to Heavyweight but you don't need drugs to do that.

Thoughts/commeents/ information....

[binnie]

From sportsillustrated.cnn.com

HOUSTON (AP) -- Evander Holyfield is unsure how or why his name surfaced in an investigation of illicit sales of steroids and human growth hormone.

"I ain't got nothing to defend," the four-time heavyweight champion told The Associated Press. "Ain't nobody said I did nothing. It's a non-issue."

Holyfield is among a number of athletes linked to the inquiry, which is being investigated by Albany (N.Y.) District Attorney David Soares, who's preparing to release the names of athletes involved. The Times Union of Albany, N.Y., has reported that Holyfield was on a customer list at Applied Pharmacy in Mobile, Ala., one of the pharmacies raided in the investigation.

Holyfield is to fight New Yorker Vinny Maddalone in a non-title bout Saturday night in Corpus Christi. The 44-year-old boxer has insisted he's never used any illegal or banned performance-enhancing drugs.

He noted his fighting weight has remained relatively consistent throughout his pro career, which began in 1984. He says he'll be about 215 pounds for this bout.

Holyfield said Wednesday his representatives have spoken to "the people who are supposed to have the allegations and they said, 'No, we didn't have an allegation about you. Only thing that we said that your name was in here, and that's it."'

Soares spokeswoman Heather Orth said Thursday that DA investigators were combing evidence seized in raids on medical clinics and compiling a list of athletes' names linked to the inquiry. Those names eventually will be forwarded to the respective professional sports leagues or associations, Orth said.

She said no names had been released by Soares' office and couldn't confirm if Holyfield representatives had spoken to Soares or anyone on his staff.

Asked when the names might be released, Orth said, "We're hoping in the next week or so."

So far, 20 people have been indicted, and several Florida clinics raided. They allegedly were part of a scheme to provide prescriptions over the Internet to clients who never met with the prescribing physicians. A similar federal prosecution also is under way in Rhode Island.

Soares has said he's targeting distributors supplying illicit drugs and physicians writing prescriptions for patients they've never seen, not customers.

Holyfield's fight against Maddalone is part of his effort to win another world title, even an undisputed title. But he does so less than three years after New York revoked his license to fight in that state, citing diminished skills, and with his name linked to the investigation.

"There are a lot of things in life you have to endure to be successful," Holyfield said. "I was told when I was 8 years old I could be heavyweight champion of the world, but it took 20 years. Since 1992, when I lost to Riddick Bowe, I've been trying to get these titles back."

Holyfield (40-8-2), ranked 10th among heavyweights in the latest WBC ratings, began his comeback last year with two wins, both in Texas, and hopes to unify the heavyweight titles before retiring sometime in 2008. He says has overcome a shoulder injury he blames for a three-fight losing streak that appeared to mark the end of his career in November 2004.

One of those losses, to Larry Donald, prompted New York officials to revoke Holyfield's license, though he had no problem getting a license to fight in Texas last year.

"My shoulder's OK, I can move my head now, I can slip more punches," he said.

[binnie]

From the same site:

Sports Illustrated reporters Luis Fernando Llosa and L. Jon Wertheim are tracking the investigation of an illegal steroid distribution network that has implicated pro athletes. On Tuesday, they accompanied agents on a coordinated raid of an Orlando compound pharmacy and a Jupiter, Fla., "anti-aging" clinic that investigators allege conspired to fraudulently prescribe steroids, human growth hormone and other performance enhancing drugs over the Internet.

SI.com: In addition to major league outfielder Gary Matthews Jr., another prominent athlete whose name has surfaced in media reports is Evander Holyfield, the four-time heavyweight boxing champ. What do you know about his situation?

Llosa/Wertheim: Ironically, Holyfield's name does not appear in the law enforcement documents we reviewed. However, a patient by the name of "Evan Fields" caught investigators' attention. "Fields" shares the same birth date as Holyfield -- Oct. 19, 1962. The listed address for "Fields" was 794 Evander, Fairfield, Ga. 30213. Holyfield has a very similar address. When we called the phone number that, according to the documents, was associated with the "Fields" prescription, Holyfield answered.

SI.com: Is he tied to raids of compound pharmacies and "anti-aging" clinics as well?

Llosa/Wertheim: This case appears to be a little different. Rather than using the internet and receiving the prescriptions through the mail, "Fields" allegedly picked them up from a private Georgia urologist whose offices were raided as part of this ongoing investigation. But authorities tell us the drugs came from Applied Pharmacy, the Mobile, Ala., compound pharmacy the DEA raided last fall.

SI.com: Do you know which drugs were involved?

Llosa/Wertheim: According the records we reviewed, in June 2004, the individual that authorities believe to be Holyfield picked up three vials of testosterone, two vials of Glukor and injection supplies. Less than a week later, according to the document, he picked up five vials of Saizen, a brand of human growth hormone (HGH), and related supplies. In Sept. 2004, he returned for a follow-up visit for hypogonadism.

SI.com: Does Holyfield have an explanation?

Llosa/Wertheim: We contacted him today. He denied knowledge and offered to get back to us, which he never did. He did, however, release a statement through Main Events, the boxing promotion company. "I do not use steroids. I have never used steroids. I resent that my name has been linked to known steroid users by sources who refuse to be identified in order to generate publicity for their investigation. I'm disappointed that certain members of the media fell for this ploy and chose to use my name in headlines and publish my photo alongside stories ... about an investigation into a practice that has nothing to do with me or what I stand for."

SI.com: At 44, Holyfield is still fighting. What is boxing's policy with respect to steroids and HGH?

Llosa/Wertheim: Most commissions do ban steroids and HGH. But again -- and we can't stress this enough -- this investigation is about the chain of supply and this network. It's not about which athletes are or aren't using performance-enhancing drugs. The document makes no assertion that Holyfield used the drugs that he is alleged to have received.

Boxing is not like other sports where there is a league and union that agrees on standard policies such as drug testing. In boxing, anti-doping rules can vary by state commission. We spoke with several officials with the Nevada Athletic Commission, and while HGH is on a list of banned substances, boxers are not tested for it. Marc Ratner, the former head of the Nevada commission, also told us that boxers are only tested when they fight -- not out of competition. Still, a number of fighters in recent years, including James Toney and Fernando Vargas, have been sanctioned for using performance-enhancing drugs, serving suspensions of 90 days and nine months, respectively.

SI.com: Has Holyfield's name come up before?

Llosa/Wertheim: He has never tested positive. However Dr. Margaret Goodman, chairman of the medical advisory board of Nevada Athletic Commission, says that as early as 1994, when Holyfield fought Michael Moorer and suffered heart problems, the medical arm of the Commission questioned Holyfield about possible HGH use. "There were questions [because] the abnormalities Evander had with his heart were findings that could have been consistent with growth hormone use. The problem was there was no test and Evander denied any use of growth hormone."

Goodman went on to say that she believes that use of HGH is widespread in the sport. "I think it's readily available and used in boxing," she says. "I think we should have adopted the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards years ago. Boxing continues to hide its head in the sand that there's a problem with anabolic steroids and drugs like growth hormone -- and also substances like clenbuterol that guys are using in combination with growth hormone and anabolic steroids to give them an unfair advantage."

[binnie]

Apparently someone reckons Tyson used them too.

From aolsportsblog.com

Evander Holyfield Was Told Mike Tyson Used Steroids
Posted Mar 14th 2007 6:59AM by Michael David Smith
Filed under: Atlanta, Boxing

Evander Holyfield was one of the athletes whose names appeared among the list of customers of a pharmacy that was busted for distributing performance-enhancing drugs. Now Holyfield admits to taking a drug from the pharmacy, but says it was for a "hormonal problem" and that he took it only briefly. And he says he never used steroids but was encouraged to do so in the 1980s and told Mike Tyson was doing it.

"Somebody high up in boxing mentioned to me that there was this other fighter who did steroids and I should too because it wasn't illegal in boxing yet," he said. "I said, 'I'm not going to do that. I ain't no cheater.' I was the undisputed cruiserweight champion and I was in the Olympics. If I started taking steroids, people would say, 'He cheated at everything.' But this guy told me, 'Well, [Mike] Tyson is doing it, you should, too. I said, 'I don't care if Tyson is doing it, I'm not.' "
Holyfield said he is not accusing Tyson of taking steroids; he was just relating the story. He also declined to say who addressed the subject with him, adding, "The person is still in boxing. People sue people. I don't need to get into that.


As I've said before, I've always been a Holyfield fan, but I don't think there's much doubt that Holyfield used steroids. The human body just doesn't change in adulthood the way Holyfield's changed from the time he was a cruiserweight to the time he was a heavyweight. Tyson's body looks like that of a steroid user, too, although Tyson was a freak of nature as a teenager, not a guy who kept getting bigger like Holyfield or Barry Bonds. I think Max Kellerman is probably about right in his estimate of how many heavyweights are using steroids.

[binnie]

from bbc.co.uk

Holyfield denies drug allegations

Holyfield said he was "disappointed" by the allegations
Evander Holyfield and Pittsburgh Steelers doctor Richard Rydze have denied any wrongdoing in the latest drugs scandal to hit American sport.
Federal agents have launched a major investigation into the internet sale of steroids and human growth hormone.

Reports alleging that he was an online customer forced ex-world heavyweight champion Holyfield to say: "I do not use and have never used steroids."

Rydze said purchases by him were for elderly patients and not sportsmen.

Rydze, the 1972 Olympic platform diving silver medallist, was identified as having used a personal credit card to buy human growth hormone to the value of $150,000 (£76,000).

He told Sports Illustrated magazine that Steelers' owners the Rooney family were aware of his activities away from his work with the team.

It's a practice that has nothing to do with me or what I stand for

Evander Holyfield denies using illegal performance-boosting products

"The Rooneys are aware that I do this," he said. "They have trust I would never do this with an athlete."

In a statement, Steelers president Art Rooney II said: "There is no evidence that Dr Rydze prescribed or provided any hormone treatments to any of our players.

"He has assured me that this has never happened and will never happen.

"We will continue to monitor this situation to make sure that we can continue to feel confident in our medical staff in this area."

Holyfield, 44, who has returned to the ring in a bid to claim a fifth world title, is denying allegations that he bought steroids from a company in Alabama.

He said the authorities were investigating "a practice that has nothing to do with me or what I stand for".

Holyfield was suspended by the New York State Athletic Commission in 2004 after a poor performance, and was urged by boxing pundits to quit.

But he decided to ignore their advice, and other states have licensed him to fight on.

His next bout is on 17 March against fellow American Vinny Maddalone at Corpus Christi in Texas.

[binnie]

He kicked the shit out of Maddalone in three rounds, for anyone who missed it....

[sadaist]

Originally posted by binnie

Don't believe it myself: sure he bulked up from Cruiser to Heavyweight but you don't need drugs to do that.


Holyfield has maintained a pretty level body weight & muscle mass since he became a heavyweight long, long ago. If he were using steroids, I would think he would have beefed up more. Look at Bonds & Canseco now & their rookie cards. They don't even look like the same people anymore.

My opinion is he's clean. Plus, his knockout power has never increased. He never had the one punch threat like Tyson. It's his combinations, speed & stamina that make him a great fighter.

[chi-town324]

Guys names don't come up in investigations for the hell of it...there is usually something behind it...i have followed Holyfeild's career since we are the same age...i'm not sure if hes using , but hgh is very hard to test for...lets see what happens in the next few fights

[binnie]

Well, he had a shoulder inury for a couple of years which limited his head movement...thus the defeats.

That's fixed now and he's kicked the shit out of the last few guys he's been in with...

Not too sure what the next few fights will tell us..