PEDs back in the day?

I want to mention two fighters. One held titles in 3 divisions simultaneously narrowly missing out on a 4th. He is famous for the number of fights he had and his busy, aggressive and non stop style. He fought and won 27 times in 1937 winning 26 by KO. The other started out as a light flyweight. Gradually moved through the weights winning titles and beating some stellar opposition arousing some widespread suspicion along the way. I'm talking about Henry Armstrong and Manny Pacquaio. Hank achieved some amazing feats yet I've never once heard anyone suggest he may have been on something or had a helping hand whereas Manny isn't so lucky to have avoided this kind of suspicion. Now this article isn't intended to compare the two or to argue whether Manny is on something but it got me thinking is there a chance that some of the old timers used PEDs to achieve some of the great feats that they did?

Its something I've never really considered or even heard people talk about. Some of the great fighters used to fight every other week. Smaller men regularly beat and even knocked out guys weight classes above them. Others we have seen involved in extraordinary fights and at times seem super human. Some of the effort these lads put in and the punishment dished out and received was remarkable (eg The thrilla etc). Now I'm not accusing anybody of anything and this isn't my personal view but could some of the fighters from yesteryear have been using PEDS of some kind?

In this day and age its amazing that we can still think that drug testing in the sport isn't up to scratch or what it should be. The whole Peterson saga got me thinking if testing today isn't up to scratch now then it certainly wouldn't have been back in the day. I'm sure drugs weren't as sophisticated or advanced but I'm sure there were things available. Or were there? (Not really up on my PEDs) So do you think PEDs were used back in the day? If not why not? Also how come I've never ever heard it mentioned or suggested especially when discussing some of the seemingly super human feats some older fighters used to achieve. This is the bit I'm most interested in why it isn't even considered? For the record this isn't my own opinion but interested to hear others views on the matter.

Nice thought but i'm sure there were no effective PED's in Armstrong's day so my personal opinion is that they weren't around back then.

Obviously there must have been a period between when PED's became public knowledge and when sport's elite did what they wanted with them but I doubt it goes that far back.

A PED back then was probably a cigar!

armstrong had a enlarged heart from birth i think which helped him alot

Didn't necessarily mean to focus on Armstrong but used him as an example of someone doing some extraordinary stuff. From what I can see steroids trace back to before WW2?

Although PED's can be traced back several decades, it was not until the 50's when their benefits were exploited among sportsmen (mainly Soviet athletes).

Usage of these drugs mushroomed worldwide by the late 60's and early 70's when it became commonly known what the drugs were capable of.
Therefore, I'd imagine any boxer who fought before this period was almost certainly clean.

As things currently stand, I'm sure there are numerous high profile boxers that are using/have used gear. Unlike Peterson, most won't get caught.

The current blood tests in boxing are antiquated. Extremely easy to cycle around with short lasting esters (such as Test Prop).

However, there aren't really any means of testing that is 100% foolproof.

Even the much championed Olympic Style Testing can be worked around with careful and astute dosing/cycling.
That is why even most Olympians who compete in the strength events (weightlifting, Shot Put, Hammer Throw) rarely get tested positive despite the fact they're heavily juiced up most year round.

Unless an athlete is tested every day, it can be very difficult to catch them.

It also is worth mentioning that these blood tests don't also detect substances such as HGH and Insulin which are now seen as the main ingredients for a modern body-builder/strength athlete's drug protocol.

J.Benson II wrote:Although PED's can be traced back several decades, it was not until the 50's when their benefits were exploited among sportsmen (mainly Soviet athletes).

Usage of these drugs mushroomed worldwide by the late 60's and early 70's when it became commonly known what the drugs were capable of.
Therefore, I'd imagine any boxer who fought before this period was almost certainly clean.

As things currently stand, I'm sure there are numerous high profile boxers that are using/have used gear. Unlike Peterson, most won't get caught.

The current blood tests in boxing are antiquated. Extremely easy to cycle around with short lasting esters (such as Test Prop).

However, there aren't really any means of testing that is 100% foolproof.

Even the much championed Olympic Style Testing can be worked around with careful and astute dosing/cycling.
That is why even most Olympians who compete in the strength events (weightlifting, Shot Put, Hammer Throw) rarely get tested positive despite the fact they're heavily juiced up most year round.

Unless an athlete is tested every day, it can be very difficult to catch them.

It also is worth mentioning that these blood tests don't also detect substances such as HGH and Insulin which are now seen as the main ingredients for a modern body-builder/strength athlete's drug protocol.

Americans were doing it just as much if not better. There was a saying that US athletes took their marketing agents as well as their masking agents.

PEDs back in the day? Some boxers (so called ATGs) were swigging whiskey between rounds to toughen them up and give more aggression. Is it any wonder boxing them was nothing more than glorified toughmen contests?

Tool, enough said.

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Tool, enough said.

Not sure if that's aimed at the OP or Azania.

Steroids were invented to help bun victims recover. My understanding over the years it that they first became available to sportsmen in the 1950's. There is a long running debate over whether 1950's bodybuilding champion Steve Reeves took steroids or not. The guys in the 1940's were pre steroids by all accounts.

Arnold justifies his steroid use by saying steroids were legal when he was a bodybuilder. Dianobol was a legal drug until the early 1990's so you can be sure drugs like this were commonly used in the 1960's, 70's and 80's.

paperbag_puncher wrote:

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Tool, enough said.

Not sure if that's aimed at the OP or Azania.

Not the OP

Strongback wrote:Steroids were invented to help bun victims recover. My understanding over the years it that they first became available to sportsmen in the 1950's. There is a long running debate over whether 1950's bodybuilding champion Steve Reeves took steroids or not. The guys in the 1940's were pre steroids by all accounts.

Arnold justifies his steroid use by saying steroids were legal when he was a bodybuilder. Dianobol was a legal drug until the early 1990's so you can be sure drugs like this were commonly used in the 1960's, 70's and 80's.

Yes, the true purpose of the drugs is to help people with muscle-wasting diseases.

Its really hard to say with Reeves on weather he was natural or not. He clearly had great genetics but also came during the period when steriods began being commonly used by athletes. With him, I wouldnt be surprised either way.

Given that Arnold was always striving to be at the top of the sport, I'd imagine that he tried almost anything that was avaliable at the time. Generally, pro bodybuilders back than would using a fairly basic stack of Test/Deca and D-Bol. Funnily enough, thats the kind of stack that would be used by just your average gymrat in today's world.

Nowadays, most pro's are stacking a whole pharmacy of drugs. All the avaliable AAS (Test/Deca/Tren/Mast/DBol/Winny/Clen), other substances like HGH, Insulin and SEO as well as various Peptides and Diuretics.

It always makes me laugh when you see a pro, on an absolute truckload of juice, endorsing the latest protein powder and creatine supplement that he claims has totally advanced his physique

Imperial Ghosty wrote:Tool, enough said.

Shut up.

J.Benson II wrote:

Strongback wrote:Steroids were invented to help bun victims recover. My understanding over the years it that they first became available to sportsmen in the 1950's. There is a long running debate over whether 1950's bodybuilding champion Steve Reeves took steroids or not. The guys in the 1940's were pre steroids by all accounts.

Arnold justifies his steroid use by saying steroids were legal when he was a bodybuilder. Dianobol was a legal drug until the early 1990's so you can be sure drugs like this were commonly used in the 1960's, 70's and 80's.

Yes, the true purpose of the drugs is to help people with muscle-wasting diseases.

Its really hard to say with Reeves on weather he was natural or not. He clearly had great genetics but also came during the period when steriods began being commonly used by athletes. With him, I wouldnt be surprised either way.

Given that Arnold was always striving to be at the top of the sport, I'd imagine that he tried almost anything that was avaliable at the time. Generally, pro bodybuilders back than would using a fairly basic stack of Test/Deca and D-Bol. Funnily enough, thats the kind of stack that would be used by just your average gymrat in today's world.

Nowadays, most pro's are stacking a whole pharmacy of drugs. All the avaliable AAS (Test/Deca/Tren/Mast/DBol/Winny/Clen), other substances like HGH, Insulin and SEO as well as various Peptides and Diuretics.

It always makes me laugh when you see a pro, on an absolute truckload of juice, endorsing the latest protein powder and creatine supplement that he claims has totally advanced his physique

& don't forget the good diet with 8 litres of water a day! Horse meat for Alistair Overeem & 12lbs of bacon for Mariuz Pudzinowski!

In my experience the protein/creatine mxes that yield the best results always add on a decent amount fat as well as huge muscle gains. Which might explain why athlete opt for the steds.

Funnily enough George Foreman said there recently that he knew alot of some of the opponents he faced were juiced with various steroids but said it didnt bother him. He knew once he started hitting them it didnt matter what they were on. He seems to think they dont do a whole alot.

Yeah but thats George Foreman. For peterson it would be like fighting Martinez juiced or not hes going to beat the crap out of him.

Yeah but it just indicates that steroids had obviously come into play in boxing some time ago according to Foreman.

Oh yeah definately - especially I think at the 70 and 80s - a lot of the hw spent their nights partying, snorting coke and whoring how else would they stay ahead of the game. Morrison very recently said as much. I wonder though did people do it pre liston?

Would be interesting to know weather Foreman is referring to the opponents he faced during his first reign or during his comeback.
I'd guess that most HW's during the 90's were on something or other. In fact, the 3 guys who beat him during that time (Holyfield, Morrison & Briggs) were all pretty blatant juicers.

J.Benson II wrote:Would be interesting to know weather Foreman is referring to the opponents he faced during his first reign or during his comeback.
I'd guess that most HW's during the 90's were on something or other. In fact, the 3 guys who beat him during that time (Holyfield, Morrison & Briggs) were all pretty blatant juicers.

He said both, but especially during his comeback. So Id say it was the 80s and 90s that they began to become more widespread. It is interesting though given who he fought and the already suspicious circumstances around them. Hardly a vote of confidence from Big George.

manos de piedra wrote:Funnily enough George Foreman said there recently that he knew alot of some of the opponents he faced were juiced with various steroids but said it didnt bother him. He knew once he started hitting them it didnt matter what they were on. He seems to think they dont do a whole alot.

Big George and his sledgehammer hands, he's tough as nails.

I would have thought steroids would be more prevalent in the heavyweight division seeing as it also adds bulk, strength and if used correctly, endurance. In the lighter weights, it would not be as widespread because of weight cutting issues. But for a smaller boxer rising through the divisions and retaining speed, endurance, muscle mass etc, it is very possible. Shane took it when he moved from the lightweight division to welterweight. Interestingly he jumped the LWW division.

No comment on Pac.

Love it when Khan said that he agrees with Floyd on olympic style testing.