10 biggest doping scandals in boxing

Professional boxing is a sport like no other. That being said, like many other sports, this sport also has to deal with doping. Depending on the match itself, the athletes involved will be subject to drug testing before and after the match, or consistently throughout match camp. Surprisingly, some boxers, depending on the commission, are not tested at all.

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These boxing fights were held with great fanfare, with participants earning some of the highest payouts in the sport.

But these 10 boxers not only took a drug test, they failed it. Some of these names include Hall of Famers and legends of the sport who still had their careers tainted by drug scandals.

Ten Jarrell Miller (vs. Anthony Joshua, Jerry Forrest)

'Big Baby' fails inspection of everything under the kitchen sink

• Jarrell Miller was scheduled to fight Anthony Joshua in June 2019.
• However, the match was called off after “Big Baby” failed a drug test for three substances.
• His comeback match against Jerry Forrest the following year suffered the same fate.

Jarrell Miller is different than many other names on this list. Boxers fail drug tests all the time, and “Big Baby” failed multiple times over multiple bouts. Not only that, the heavyweight also failed drug tests for multiple substances.

Miller famously missed out on a lucrative fight with Anthony Joshua in 2019 after failing drug tests for three different substances, including HGH. The following year, the heavyweight failed a drug test against Jerry Forrest and was suspended again.

9 Roy Jones Jr. (vs. Richard Hall)

“Captain Hook” failed a drug test in May 2000

In May 2000, Roy Jones Jr. defeated the hapless Richard Hall by knockout in Indiana. With this victory, “Captain Hook” comfortably retained the light heavyweight gold medal, but it was not without controversy.

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Jones Jr. failed a drug test, with his testosterone levels five to six times over the legal limit. However, the Indiana State Athletic Commission had no rules that would overturn results for failing a test.

8 Canelo Alvarez (vs. Gennady Golovkin)

Their rematch was postponed due to this test failure.

The Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin trilogy was riddled with controversy. The controversial results of his first two matches were bad enough that somehow he only got one scorecard in favor of “GGG”. Before the 2018 rematch, Alvarez failed a drug test.

Alvarez tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol and received a short suspension. The Mexican boxer has maintained his innocence in the case, blaming contaminated meat for failing the test.

7 Muhammad Ali (vs. Larry Holmes)

'The Greatest Man' should never have stepped into the ring

This is an unusual situation for a boxer to fail a drug test, but it didn't affect him too badly. In October 1980, Muhammad Ali came out of retirement to face the extremely powerful Larry Holmes. As expected, the young boxer won with a tenth round stoppage in a fight that shouldn't have happened.

After the match, it was revealed that Ali had failed a drug test for opiates and phenothiazines. However, it was also revealed that the boxer had been using drugs to try to train for a fight while experiencing early symptoms of Parkinson's disease. Ali's coaches injected him with a large amount of a substance in order to compete, something he shouldn't have done.

6 James Toney (vs. John Lewis)

'Lights Out' loses heavyweight gold medal due to failed test

In 2005, James Toney made history as one of only 24 people in boxing history to become a four-division champion. 'Lights Out' defeated John Ruiz by unanimous decision, cementing his move to heavyweight as a success.

However, Tony did not maintain that distinction for long. After the match, Legend failed a drug test for the steroid nandrolone and was suspended, resulting in him losing the heavyweight title. Old Tony never held gold again.

Five Connor Benn (vs. Chris Eubank Jr.)

In 2022, “The Destroyer” explodes this battle.

Just to be clear, this drug scandal is still going on in 2024. Conor Benn is currently set to become Britain's breakout star and was due to face rival Chris Eubank Jr. at the end of 2022. However, the match never materialized.

Ben failed two pre-match drug tests, resulting in the match being called off. However, the welterweight tried hard to avoid his suspension and also fought outside the UK. As a result, the BBBofC refused to license Ben, and Ben is now forced to fight in America.

Four Evander Holyfield was involved in a 2007 steroid ring

That year, “Evan Fields” purchased illegal drugs.

• In early 2007, Evander Holyfield was tied to an Alabama pharmacy known for trafficking steroids to athletes.
• The Real Deal has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
• Later that year, he was detained at an Orlando pharmacy and was under investigation for the same matter.

Just to be clear, Evander Holyfield has never failed a drug test. That being said, “The Real Deal” was associated with not one, but two different steroid rings. In early 2007, an Alabama pharmacy was investigated for supplying an athlete with steroids and his HGH.

Holyfield's name was not on the patient's paperwork, but “Evan Fields” was listed. Oddly enough, the man had his executive jersey number and his home address listed as his own. Later that year, Holyfield was tied to another pharmacy under investigation, this time in Orlando.

3 Tyson Fury (vs. Christian Hammer, Wladimir Klitschko)

'Gypsy King' failed multiple tests in 2015

• Tyson Fury failed a drug test for steroids weeks before his 2015 fight with Christian Hammer.
• This test was not made public until the following year, and Fury did not miss his title fight against Wladimir Klitschko.
• Fury passed another drug test ahead of his scheduled rematch with Klitschko.

Whatever the reason, Tyson Fury has managed to avoid much of the criticism for his drug failure. “The Gypsy King” defeated Wladimir Klitschko to win heavyweight gold that fall. But Fury's first reign with gold didn't last long.

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Fury famously failed a drug test for cocaine before his rematch with Klitschko, leading to the fight being called off. However, in February of the same year, he caused controversy when he failed a drug test for steroids during his match against Christian Hammer.

2 Floyd Mayweather (vs. Manny Pacquiao)

“Fight of the Century'' wasn't what fans expected

Outside of huge pay-per-view buy rates, Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao never quite lived up to the hype. The match itself was mediocre, as both fighters were past their prime. After a 12-round bout, “Money” won by unanimous decision.

But Mayweather's victory was not without controversy. After the match, it was revealed that the undefeated legend had used a prohibited intravenous fluid after the weigh-in without permission, but he received no real punishment.

1 Shane Mosley (vs. Oscar De La Hoya)

“Sugar” was reportedly a customer of BALCO.

The BALCO scandal was brutal, exposing some of the most beloved athletes by fans as steroid users. Sports like the NFL and MLB were the most affected, but boxer Shane Mosley was exposed as well.

Mosley is listed as a BALCO customer and testified before a grand jury that he used EPO in his 2003 rematch with Oscar De La Hoya. That night, “Sugar” defeated “Golden Boy”, but the fight was not overturned considering the drug use.