Skip to main content
Boxing News
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Features
  • Schedule
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Features
  • Fight Schedule
  • Current Champions
  • Magazine

Follow us

  • YouTube YouTube
  • Instagram Instagram
  • Twitter / X Twitter
  • Facebook Facebook

© 2013—2026 Boxing News

Magazine

Panel: How prevalent are performance-enhancing drugs at the top level of the sport today?

This week's panellists were asked to talk about the rise of performance-enhancing drugs in boxing

BN Staff

25th October, 2022

Panel: How prevalent are performance-enhancing drugs at the top level of the sport today?

Ryan Walsh (Former British featherweight champion)

I suspect 98% of top athletes are doing them, with only a very small percentage of them unaware. The book “Game of Shadows” was very enlightening on this subject. Cheat or lose seems to be the idea. I also watched a documentary on the 1988 Seoul Olympics which was hugely enlightening. I lost a European title to a dirty, drug-using cheat, so, in my opinion, a ban should start at 10 years.

Denzel Bentley (British middleweight champion)

PEDs are more common than we think. A lot of top fighters get caught using them and then it all gets brushed under the carpet after a while because they bring in all the money. Never has a top-level fighter been popped for PEDs and either been banned for life or for longer than two years.

Maxi Hughes (Former British lightweight champion)

Maybe I’m naïve, but I still don’t believe PEDs are that common in the sport. That being said, I’m not that surprised when a failed test shows up, especially when there’s big money at play.

Bradley Skeete (Former British welterweight champion)

It seems a lot more common now that performance-enhancing drugs are being used at the top level of the sport. Sadly, more and more top-level fighters are testing positive for banned substances.

Jarrell Miller celebrates stopping Tomasz Adamek in 2018 (Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

More stories

Bakhram Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly

‘Fiercest champion on the planet’ lands fight on Murtazaliev vs Josh Kelly undercard

15 Jan, 2026
Fury vs Wilder and Fury vs Usyk

Tyson Fury has his say on Usyk vs Deontay Wilder: “That’s why he’s doing it”

15 Jan, 2026
Mario Barrios and Ryan Garcia

Conor Benn sees only one winner in Mario Barrios vs Ryan Garcia: “No doubt about it”

15 Jan, 2026
Oleksandr Usyk

Unbeaten heavyweight ready for stadium fight against Oleksandr Usyk: “It’d be incredible”

15 Jan, 2026
Boxing News

Since 1909

Editorial

  • News
  • Live Coverage
  • BN Investigates
  • Opinion
  • Features
  • Magazine

Boxing

  • Upcoming Fight Schedule
  • Current Boxing Champions

Company

  • About Boxing News
  • Contact us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy policy

Follow us

  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • X
  • Facebook
  • Google News
Copyright 2013—2026 Boxing News