TONIGHT (Saturday October 20) Billy Joe Saunders ought to have been defending the WBO middleweight title against Demetrius Andrade in Boston. Instead after an adverse finding with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association the Massachusetts State Athletic Commission denied him a licence to box. Saunders vacated the title, leaving Andrade to box Walter Kautondokwa for the belt and missing out on one of the largest purses of his career.
It cost him โhuge moneyโ said his promoter Frank Warren. โWhat can I say? Heโs going to sue them. Heโs instructed lawyers and heโs going to sue them,โ he continued. โThe whole way they handled it was amateur night out.โ
As well objecting to Billy Joeโs hearing being held only 11 days before the fight was due, when the VADA test in question took place in August. Warren notes of Saundersโ drug testing, โYou have a programme. With UKAD, WADA, they can come in any time of the day or night.”
“Those tests are ongoing all the time. Heโs had two VADA tests since that thing he had. Heโs had UKAD tests and he would have had more. But anyway it is what it is and itโs wrong. It was wrong and they got it wrong. They didnโt apply the rules correctly,โ Warren said. โTheyโre governed by [USADA] that are affiliated to WADA. VADA donโt have any disciplinary [powers] all they do is test you.โ
โDo you not think the British Boxing Board of Control would have kicked arse if they thought he did that? Letโs get it right, itโs not like heโs coming into it with a great reputation,โ Warren noted.
โAll the crap that heโs gone through, heโs let himself down badly with some of the stuff so itโs not like anyone is bending over backwards to help him.โ