HEAVYWEIGHT contender Eric Molina has been suspended for two-years for taking an illegal substance, one that was found in his system after his December 2016 fight with Anthony Joshua. But Molina, who insists he is a clean fighter, says he merely took a vitamin B12 supplement that he did not know contained an anti-inflammatory.
Here the 36 year old explains his case to Boxing News:
Q: So, in your own words, what happened?
Eric Molina: “I woke up this morning and I see all these articles about me failing a drugs test after the Anthony Joshua fight and being banned for two years. I have received emails from UKAD, and they told me I tested positive for an illegal substance, one I have not even heard of ever (dexamethasone). I have offered to send them a picture and details of every single thing I had in my bag for that fight, after the fight. They have told me that the B12 that I took – and I routinely take B12 before a lot of my fights, as do plenty of other fighters – contained an anti-inflammatory. I did use B12, yes, but it’s a vitamin, that’s all.
“I’ve been a clean fighter my whole career, I’ve been tested by VADA for the last five years and I’ve always been clean. I am an advocate against fighters taking Performance Enhancing Drugs. I am happy that this has happened to me and that it has gone out all over the media, because I want to get my story out. An anti-inflammatory vitamin is not even a PED. They tell me I need a lawyer but I haven’t got a big lawyer, I have no money I can put on the table. The fight with Joshua was a year-and-a-half ago and I’m getting this now!”
Q: Do you buy B12 over the counter?
E.M: “I get it over the counter in Mexico. I’m not even sure if you can get it over the counter in the US. But to me, B12 is not a big thing, at all. Many fighters take it via injection before a fight. This makes no sense at all. They are giving me the maximum penalty. Why is it that all these other fighters, who get caught taking the heavy stuff, steroids and stuff, are back in the ring four to six months later, with their ranking reinstated? I’m so sick of the sport right now, I have such a sour taste that I don’t think will ever go away.
“My whole drive right now, my focus and my purpose, is on getting the story out. They do not do things the right way and I really want to raise awareness of this. It’s not about me fighting again, I just want to clear my name. I know what their motive is: it is to throw the book at someone and make an example of them, but they have picked the wrong fighter. They should have targeted one of these big-name fighters who is a cheat. I’m not a cheat.
“This is what is wrong with boxing. The sport will never be perfect, I know that, but I’m tired of this. I have kept silent too long. Yes, I did take [dexamethasone] that was in the B12 and I do deserve a penalty, but no way should it be the maximum, not two years. This is just not right.”
