Al Bernstein: “ I think Pacquiao-Mayweather is going to be made” -- Eastside Boxing

By Geoffrey Ciani, Eastside Boxing

This week’s edition of On the Ropes Boxing Radio featured an exclusive interview with Showtime boxing commentator Al Bernstein. Following Andre Ward’s impressive victory over Allan Green in the final group stage two match-up of the Super Six Boxing Classic, Bernstein shared his views on the tournament and other aspects of the current boxing landscape. Here is some of what Al had to say:

On Andre Ward’s performance in his group stage two victory against Allan Green:

“Well he was outstanding and one of the things that made it even better was t hat he altered what he did against Mikkel Kessler in that brilliant performance. He decided that one of the things he could do against Allan Green was get in close and smother the big left hook of Green and land a lot of punches. He told us he was going to try and do that a little early in the fight but it worked so well for him that he kept it up during a lot of the fight. He’s a very smart fighter. He’s clever, he knows what he’s doing in the ring, he follows Virgil Hunter’s game plan perfectly, and he was too good and too disciplined for Allan Green.”

On whether he was surprised by how ineffective Allan Green was in his fight with Ward:
“Well yes and no. Yes, because this was the most important moment of his career and if ever he was going to show us what he had, and he kept telling everyone that would listen for weeks and weeks leading up to the fight that he was going to do it, and even as much as when we had the fighter meeting the day before so in that sense I’m surprised, but to be perfectly honest, Allan Green has been an underachiever so the burden of proof was on him to show that he’s not and he didn’t on that evening..”

On criticisms from fans who claim Ward’s performance was “boring”:
“What did he do that was boring? I’m amazed at that. I can’t even imagine how you could criticize that. He threw a lot of punches, he didn’t just pose, when he got in the inside he was working, throwing upper cuts, left hooks to the body, little short chopping right hands—what would anyone want Andre Ward to do that he didn’t do in that fight? He completely dominated it, he threw a lot of punches, the only thing he didn’t do was knock Allan Green out but beyond that he was just excellent. I didn’t find it boring. I mean, I found it boring because it was one-sided but I didn’t find Andre Ward’s performance boring.”

On who he considers to be the best super middleweight in the world right now:
“Obviously Bute is outside the tournament and so when we talk about him we’re not going to talk about in terms of this tournament. He’s clearly as good as the people in this tournament, there’s no question about that. Within the tournament, who’s going to win the tournament? That I don’t know. Even though Ward has the lead with four points, I could give you the rationale for several people still winning this tournament. For instance, I think Andre Dirrell has a very good chance to beat Andre Ward in the next fight. I really do, based on the way he fought against Abraham and based on the match-up of styles which is of course often what it boils down to. Andre Dirrell will probably need to win that fight in order to make it to the semi-finals. Arthur Abraham, I don’t think you could rule him out even though he gave a poor performance against Dirrell. You still have Froch, Kessler fought better against Froch then he had before. Lucian Bute would certainly be right in that mix. I don’t know that I could pick one that I would say right now I’m absolutely sure is the best, even with Ward’s two brilliant performances.”

On whether he believes Ward has the mental strength to continue forward and fulfill the potential he’s show in these first two rounds:
“Well he definitely has the mental strength. That’s the one part of Andre Ward that no human on the planet can question. He’s the most—I’m going to say the most, I’m not even going to qualify—he’s the most disciplined, organized, and focused fighter in the sport today, bar none. There isn’t anybody that touches him in those departments and no fighter, none in the sport of boxing right now, has a better or more organized corner. So all of that stuff he’s got going for him, that isn’t even in question. The only question with him, and the one that of course is with any fighter, is he going to see somebody whose style matches up much better than him (aka-maybe Andre Dirrell)? Is he going to face a big puncher who is going to land something that’s monstrous and be simply too much for him? He’s been down once in his career and he was hurt one other time, any fighter can be. Barring the answer to those questions, he reduces the chances that he’ll lose. He goes in there minimizing the chances of a loss as much as a fighter can and gives himself as good a chance to win as anyone and you can’t ask for too much more than that.”

On what he believes was the biggest surprise so far in the Super Six:
“Well, one of the first big surprised came when Kessler lost so dramatically to Ward. You know, certainly Ward could have won the fight but the way he lost was I thought kind of shocking, so that was a big surprise. The other surprise to me was how well Andre Dirrell did against Arthur Abraham. He did everything that you would want him to do in that fight. Of course, he won on a disqualification, but he performed so well during that fight so that kind of surprised me as well. The other surprising part I think is that other than Ward, nobody won two fights in a row so that’s pretty interesting.”

On who he thinks suffered the toughest break so far in the Super Six:
“Well, Kessler did a little bit in a way even though he fought poorly and was going to lose anyway, all those clashes of heads were difficult, so that added to his woes and he kind of got a tough break. I thought Andre Dirrell got a tough break, you could say, in not getting the decision against Froch in a close fight and then I would say Froch against Kessler—he could have easily been given that decision, very close fight. If fighters wanted to look at things that could have gone another way for them, those three certainly could look at it. I wouldn’t say Abraham got a tough break because I think he deserved to be disqualified.”

On which group stage three match-ups he believes are most intriguing and potentially most exciting:
“I think the most exciting could be Froch-Abraham because Froch is going to land a bunch of punches, try and get through that defense, will land something of note, and then I think Abraham when he comes out of that cocoon will land something of note and both men have really good chins. A close second, though, is Dirrell and Ward. I really think that’s going to be a great fight. They’re both boxers, but Ward’s not a runner and Dirrell can’t afford to be a runner in this fight because he needs this fight so badly so he’ll fight more like he did against Abraham, moving but still engaging and throwing punches, so I think that’s a really good fight. I would tell you that Green-Kessler is going to be good but I don’t know if Allan Green can summon up a good effort. Stylistically it’s a perfect fight for both fighters. They’re both in front of each other, they’re both power punchers, Kessler has the edge in hand speed and combination punching but if Allan Green comes to fight and is ready, it should be a really good fight between him and Kessler.”

On whether he believes having tournaments like the Super Six in other divisions would be good for boxing:
“I think the concept is good. One of the thing that makes this one good, and I think it’s a part of the equation, when we have single eliminations tournaments it’s good, it’s fun, but with single elimination tournaments you may have gotten the wrong style that day or whatever. When it’s not a single elimination like this it’s really interesting. These are not easily put together, though. Really, with all the promoters in boxing that have to get involved in this, all the different managers as evidenced by Shaw making that suggestion—which I also find interesting that he decided to go to HBO to suggest a tournament after he started one on Showtime, but that’s another story. It’s interesting. He was just suggesting what I think was a single elimination and he still couldn’t get four fighters involved so it shows how difficult it is. I know there’s been talk of a cruiserweight tournament, which by the way, is a division where—the places where these tournaments work the best, and a demonstration of that was how it didn’t work in the junior welterweight division. Those fighters have some cache already in terms of name recognition and notoriety and clout. Super middleweights didn’t have so much of that and they fight each other anyway. The cruiserweights are exactly the same. They clearly desperately need this kind of thing to get their names out there and they are already fighting each other on a regular basis so the cruiserweight division is probably the one where it would make the most sense.”

His views on the current health of the sport:
“Well for the most part boxing—and I think Pacquiao-Mayweather is going to be made, so in the grand scheme I think that will get there. Most of the big matches that people wanted to see were made in the last six or seven years, unlike the 90s, when boxing didn’t do it in the 1990s. That was an abyss for the sport. I think the sport has made a renaissance in the last five or six or seven years. It’s still something of a niche sport, at least in America, but then everything other than the NFL is a niche sport in America. Internationally boxing has really made great strides so I don’t see the sport in decline. I think it’s seeking its level and I think especially internationally, it’s in really healthy shape and in America the media is covering the sport a little bit more and that’s a plus.”

On how he views a potential fight between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr:
“Well I think it’s an interesting fight. I think we’re really going to find out in the first five rounds of that fight because Pacquiao is going to get hit with some kind of impressive right hand by Mayweather. He tends to get hit with a real quick fighter like Marquez who could hit him with the right hand. Mayweather is going to do that and Mayweather’s a good puncher, a sharp puncher, and might be physically a little bigger than Pacquiao or at least has been at higher weights more often. I think we’re going to know when Mayweather lands one of those right hands lands—did it hurt Pacquiao? Did it knock him down? Did it get him in trouble? Does it lead to more of an onslaught? If the answer is any of that, then obviously Pacquiao is in big trouble and he’s probably going to lose the fight. If, however, he gets hit with one of those right hands and he’s able to shake it off and continue with his onslaught of seventy or eighty or ninety punches a round and make Floyd Mayweather fight every second of every round, which he does not like to do, then I think this fight is going to get very interesting as we head into the second portion of it and I think that’s where Pacquiao certainly has a chance to win the fight.”

Source: eastsideboxing.com

Andre Ward Wins Unanimous Decision Over Allan Green -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

His challenger, Allan Green, bore the alternate nickname, "Ghost Dog," but it was WBA super middleweight (168 pounds) champion Andre Ward who set out to prove there was more bite in his own bark than there was in that of his opponent.

Making the first defense of the crown he won by 11th-round technical decision over current WBC king Mikkel Kessler (43-2-2, 32 KOs) in November, Ward simply outclassed Green and beat him literally from one side of the ring to the other throughout the fight.

Judges Glenn Feldman, Marty Sammon and Alfredo Polanco all had it for Ward, 120-108, meaning that he won every round.

FanHouse had it for Ward, 120-106, giving him two 10-8 rounds.

The 26-year-old Ward rose to 22-0 with 13 knockouts while the 30-year-old Green dropped to 29-2 with 20 KOs as part of group stage No. 2 of Showtime's Super Six Super Middleweight World Boxing Classic before Ward's hometown fans at The Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.

Ward out-landed Green, 267-to-148 in total punches, including 214-to-131 in power punches, 53-17, in jabs, and, 43-6, in combinations.

In victory, Ward locked up a position in the early 2011 semifinals of the tournament, even as his next opponent in the round-robin prior to the semis is slated to be his switch-hitting, 26-year-old former Olympic teammate and bronze medalist, Andre Dirrell (19-1, 13 KOs), of Flint, Mich, on Sept. 25.

"It will be difficult. I've been putting it off saying that we'll cross that bridge when we get there. But we're here, so we'll have to deal with it and do what we've got to do," Ward said of Dirrell, whom he considers to be a personal friend. "I'm going to take a rest and then we'll go back to the drawing board. I don't like giving away too much of what I'm going to do. It was a long training camp, I just want to rest and regroup, and then we'll come back and figure out how we're going to get through the next round."

Ward-Green was originally scheduled for April 17, and then on April 24, before Ward suffered a knee injury that forced their bout's postponement yet again.

At the time of the last postponement, however, an angry Green openly questioned the legitimacy of Ward's injury, saying, "I hope it's valid," as well as, "I honestly don't think he will ever get in the ring with me," and, "I don't think this is a fight Andre Ward and his people ever wanted."

"I feel like Kobe Bryant did the other night, I don't know how we got it done," said Ward. "We just worked hard, we prepared for Green, and he's a hard puncher. We couldn't tell him that we thought that before the fight, but he's a hard puncher. He's very skilled, and I'm happy to come away with the victory.

"His demeanor coming in just motivated me because I don't pick fights and I don't mess with anybody. But when I feel like I'm backed into a corner, I want to defend myself."

But it was Green who was constantly fighting in retreat from the opening bell, taking right crosses, uppercuts and overhand lefts and rights -- all from behind Ward's jabs and lead left hands.

"Last week of training, that wasn't the game plan. We planned on going inside against him, but not as much as we did. But after the second round, he obliged me, and so I said, 'Man, okay,'" said Ward.

"I said, if he wants to fight inside, let's fight inside, and I thought that he did a good job. He hung in there longer than I thought that he would. I did expect a little tougher fight, but every fight is tough. I don't care what it looks like. This guy is to be respected, and you've got to be mentally alert. That takes a lot of energy out of you, but we were just well-prepared, and I take my hat off to him, and I hope that he does well in the second round of the Super Six."

Ending was a six-bout winning streak that included four knockouts for Green, who was in his first fight of the tournament, having replaced former middleweight (160 pounds) champion Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KOs) in January. Taylor pulled out following a 12th-round knockout loss to Germany's Arthur Abraham (31-1, 25 KOs) in October.

Green's presence in the championship bout marks the first time since Tommy Morrison in 1993 that a fighter from Oklahoma has been involved in a world championship bout.

Green was coming off of October's unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten southpaw Tarvis Simms (25-1-1, 11 KOs).

Green had not lost since March of 2007, when he was beaten by unanimous decision over 10 rounds by Edison Miranda, whom Green floored in the eighth round before himself hitting the canvas twice in the 10th.

"You know what? Andre Ward fought a helluva a fight," said Green, who must next face Kessler at a site and on a date to be determined. "I don't want to harp on what he did too much, but the three training camps that I've done really sat me, and I had a hard way in training camp.

"I feel a little worn out. I came down to 166, which is a little lower than I expected, so by the time I got into the ring, I felt dead. You've got to understand that I've had three training camps since December. So that kind of really, really, really made me feel weak."

"You can ask my trainer. I had to stop running a few weeks ago because I felt so weak. I wasn't feeling right and I knew coming into this fight that I wasn't feeling my best," said Green. "Andre Ward showed me a lot of things, and a lot of experience. There were a lot of things that I couldn't deal with or react to."

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

USADA's Travis Tygart: 'Do the Right Thing for Clean Athletes' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

As the chief executive director of the United States Anti-Doping Agency, Travis Tygart will be involved in Wednesday's hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission which will address its protocol for drug testing in general, and for steroids and illegal drugs in particular.

Various officials already have spoken to the NSAC during a meeting on Sept. 20, 2008, according to commission director, Keith Kizer, but this is Tygart's first go-round after having achieved a boxing first by implementing and overseeing the random testing of blood and urine on both Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley during the lead up to their May 1 clash won by Mayweather.

In this Q&A, Tygart speaks about a number of issues, including the testing schedule released for Mayweather and Mosley.

Mayweather had both blood and urine taken on March 22, April 1, April 13 and then on the night directly after the fight. Mayweather provided urine only on April 3, April 6, April 21 and April 24. Mosley provided both blood and urine on March 23, March 31, April 12 and directly after the bout on fight night. Mosley provided urine on April 3, April 6, April 21 and April 24.

FanHouse: Travis, what impact do you believe that the random drug testing of Floyd Mayweather and Shane Mosley has had on boxing?

Travis Tygart: You know, I think that it's caused a healthy discussion. Certainly, from our perspective, it was a sport that knew very little about the importance of having strong, anti-doping provisions in place. That has created an awful lot of discussion. You know, you had a successful program that was run for one of the biggest fights in history.

The Floyd Mayweather-Shane Mosley fight for random testing, that was unprecedented in that it was two professional boxers for the first time who voluntarily submitted to the World Anti-Doping Agency Code testing program, and I think that that speaks volumes about the importance of this issue.

And, you know, there is a hearing set for Wednesday with the Nevada State Athletic Commission, that I will actually be testifying at that hearing on Wednesday. I think that the fact that we've been contacted by a number of other state athletic commissions in boxing to have a discussion is a good thing. I don't want to name the different commissions, but we've got meetings set up with some, and have had contact with several others.

So I think it's certainly becoming an educational process you know? Ultimately, people can decide whether they want to do everything possible to protect the integrity of the sport for clean athletes or not. At least they'll have the information available to make that decision.

FH: I understand that Andre Ward and Allan Green have requested Olympic style random drug testing for their June 19, WBA championship bout that will be in Oakland Calif., so have you been in contact with those fighters or that commission?

Tygart: You know, I know that you're doing your job asking that question, but just, at this point, out of respect for those that have contacted us and have preferred that we not have this out in the media right now, I don't want to say. I think that the point that is important is that the discussions have started.

It's important that the first call that we got was a call to us, and not something that we made, and that it was back in December, and that a lot has transpired in a very short amount of time. This has created a good, ground swell. Ultimately will that end up with WADA Code programs being implemented in the 50 states?

I can't say that for sure. That would obviously be the best thing for clean athletes and a clean sport. But it took four years for that to happen within the Olympic movement -- from late 1999 until 2004. So, we appreciate that there are a lot of complex issues, and they deal with science, and they deal with law, and they deal with sport.

That's going to take a lot, particularly on state athletic commissions that have turnover and that are politically driven, meaning that they are typically appointed by the governor who changes from time-to-time in various states. So, hopefully, we're at a point where we can have a good, consistent dialogue with the states.

Hopefully, those that are in power can make the right decisions. It's the same easy decisions that hundreds of sport entities and national Olympic committees and governments around the world have made to implement the WADA code in their territories.

FH: What complicates it to the point where there is a debate as to whether or not this is needed?

Tygart: I think that there shouldn't be. When people understand, there shouldn't be a debate. But it's all based on the level of understanding of the issues. I mean, it's easy to say that you need to do blood testing, and for someone in my seat, it's a no-brainer.

It's simple: If you don't have it, you're not protecting clean athletes and the integrity of your sport. But others out there want to say that you can have a fine program without blood testing. And I think I heard early on, by someone who suggested back in early December around the Floyd Mayweather- Manny Pacquiao negotiations, that blood testing is antiquated.

Well, if that's someone's belief then they're just wrong. And it might take some time for us or anyone else why there is a need for blood testing, and then, to explain the procedures. And to explain that it's not a large amount of blood, but a very small amount of blood.

And that here sort of why you can't have a black out period or a 24-day or a 14-day period where you're not going to take blood or not test. That doesn't mean that you're going to test every minute of every day up to a competition in order to be effective. In fact, you can have an 18-day window [where no blood was taken from either fighter] like we did with the Mayweather-Mosley fight.

That was acceptable and it is an acceptable program when it is coupled with saving samples for later re-testing. A lot of people go into that specific situation. I heard that there was some complaint or criticism of that.

FH: How do you mean?

Tygart: The term random is misused sometimes. It was, from the two athletes' point of view -- Mayweather and Mosley -- completely random. They have no idea when they when they're going to be tested. We really call that 'No advanced notice.' So they don't know when we're going to show up.

But from our perspective, it's not random at all, but highly intelligent. So we map out exactly when we're going to test, and when we're not going to test. We do that to be the most effective. In this situation, with Mayweather and Mosley, we were basing it on a number of tests and the test results that we received.

Based on the fact that we were saving samples for later retesting, we were perfectly comfortable that we were running an effective program and not blood testing them within 18 days of the fight. That was absolutely by choice and by design. If there is criticism of that, then it's not well-based.

Why it's perfectly acceptable is that the athletes, No. 1, didn't know. So that the deterrent effect was still there. No. 2, we look at the total number of tests that we did as well as the fact that we're saving their samples. And they did a urine and a blood test after the fight.

So we're saving those samples for later re-testing. And it's no secret for those that know that there is a new, human growth hormone test on the near horizon that has a much longer window of detection.

So, having that post-fight with the ability to re-test it with that new test made us totally comfortable only having that blood test 18 days before the fight and not needing one more testing day in between.

And importantly, the reality is, the people who want to criticize, they were hoping that we were going to blood test the day of the fight or the day before the fight, or two days or four days before the fight.

And then, they were going to hope and pray that whatever fighter lost, that fighter was going to blame the blood test. So since that didn't happen -- and that testing didn't need to happen to have an effective program -- they now have to try to complain that the window was too big.

But they have no other argument. So, from our perspective, what we decided -- and this is doctors, scientists and people who do this day in and day out -- that we would do the right thing for clean athletes.

Given the re-testing, the new tests for HGH becoming available, and given a number of tests for both blood and urine, and given the no-advance notice, and the no blackout window for testing, we were totally comfortable that this was an intelligently designed program.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com

Victor Conte: 'I Call This The Marion Jones Case With Boxing Gloves' -- FanHouse

By Lem Satterfield, FanHouse

BALCO ounder, Victor Conte, 59, is being sued for defamation of character and libel by 38-year-old WBA welterweight (147 pounds) champion, Shane Mosley (46-5, 39 knockouts), who will meet 33-year-old Floyd Mayweather (40-0, 25 KOs) in Saturday's HBO pay per view-televised clash at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

Mosley claims that he unknowingly took the steroids, "the cream," and, "the clear," in 2003, having received them from Conte through a relationship with his former strength trainer, Daryl Hudson. Mosley and his attorney, Judd Burstein, have conflicting assertions to Conte concerning the truth about what transpired.

Conte spoke to FanHouse during this, the second of a two-part Q&A.

FanHouse: Can you name any other athletes whom you helped to obtain steroids in the past who have, since then, denied they knowingly took them?

Victor Conte: Of course. I call this the Marion Jones case with boxing gloves. I believe that Marion Jones also committed fraud when she filed her defamation case. I believe that the lie detector test that Judd Burstein claims that he has, I don't believe that those are valid results.

Let me put it into context for you. Marion Jones claims to have taken a lie detector test and to have passed it. She was convicted and sent to prison. Track coach, Trevor Graham, also in the BALCO case, claims to have taken a lie detector test and passed. He was convicted of lying and spent a year in an ankle bracelet under house arrest.

So this lie detector stuff, it carries no weight whatsoever. And it wouldn't surprise me if Shane Mosley's results are bogus.

What is the structure of your new company, and how does it differ from BALCO in the way that it services athletes?

You've got to understand that I've had this product line and this business, well, actually, two businesses -- BALCO, which provided drug-testing, and then, SNAC, which provided nutritional supplements. So SNAC has been in existence since 1988, and I founded BALCO in 1984.

The newer company is called SNAC, and that acronym stands for Scientific Nutrition For Advanced Conditioning, and our website is SNAC.com. And we supply perfectly legal sports nutritional products and nutritional supplements.

Based upon a huge, data base that we have for testing blood samples of many, many world class athletes, over 250 NFL players, lots of professional baseball players, many athletes from track and field, other sports, and based upon their depletions and defiencies that we've found in athletes, I've developed a system of these products.

Due to the negative attention from BALCO, did it take some convincing for you to gain the respect from some of the SNAC athletes with whom you are working?

Let me say this: I work with a lot of athletes, currently. Some of them are okay with that being public knowledge, and others are not because of the stigma what would be attached. So, if their comfort level is there, then I don't have issues talking about it.

But if there is some sort of a problem, or stigma there, and they choose to keep that between the two of us, then I'm certainly willing to honor that and to do that.

What is your relationship with heavyweight contender, Eddie Chambers, in relation to SNAC?

My relationship with Eddie Chambers is ongoing and it's still very good.

Wasn't there at least one other prominent boxer you worked with in regard to SNAC?

Well, there was Andre Ward, but I'm no longer working with Andre.

Do you remember what it was like and can you describe what happened when BALCO was raided?

That was on September 3, 2003. There was a 26-member SWAT Team that was armed with assault rifles, and there was also a helicopter. And all of them were wearing flak jackets, and it was a raid just like on television when there is a bank holdup.

And they came in there, and it was crazy. Unmarked cars pulled up. There were five or six of them, and there were some 26 agents who piled out and who came crashing through the front door. Then, this helicopter was just a matter of, you know, five or six feet right above the front door on the roof.

And it was rattling the glass above the front door so much that one of them broke. It was a very, scary experience and something that I would not wish upon anyone.

What can you tell the public is the difference between the Victor Conte who founded and operated BALCO and the Victor Conte who is speaking us now as, sort of, a crusader against what you once stood for?

I'm now a part of the anti-doping movement. I'm trying to help those at WADA [The World Anti-Doping Agency,] and, USADA [The United States Anti-Doping Agency] to develop more effective anti-doping policies and procedures. And that's what I'm doing now, and I'm very outspoken about it.

The difference is that here is what people fail to realize, and that's that from 1984, which is when I founded BALCO, and until the year 2000 -- so, for 16 years -- I did things the right way. The only thing that I did was to do comprehensive blood and urine testing of athletes, and to develop individualized nutrition programs for them.

And I worked with many, many elite athletes. There was the entire Super Bowl-winning team of the Denver Broncos, that won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1997, and, '98. The entire Miami Dolphin team, the Seattle Super Sonics for two seasons, in '92-'93, and, '93-94, and many, many world class athletes for 16 years.

So, for those 16 years, I did everything the right way. But it got to a point, for me -- and this doesn't make it right, because it was certainly wrong, and it was certainly a mistake -- but I had gotten to a point where I thought differently.

I had gotten to a point when I realized that Olympic officials and those that control major league football and baseball were enabling, harboring, and, promoting this culture of drug use in sport. And I made the bad decision to join that culture. It was a huge mistake, and I wish now that I had never done it.

That point was in 2000, and, of course, I did that for the years 2000, 2001, 2002, and, 2003. So, for four years, I was about helping athletes to circumvent these testing policies. Once BALCO was raided, I realized how I had been reckless, and that I had put many others at risk.

Who are these 'Others' you are referring to?

That includes my family members. They didn't cheat. They didn't break the rules. Yet, they were punished severely too. And not only did the athletes who were involved with me -- who were a part of this conspiracy to cheat -- not only did they get harmed, but, also, their families and friends were also harmed.

Even after Marion Jones had sued me for $25 million, and I saw her once she was convicted, and had gotten a six month prison sentence, I saw her out on the court's front steps.

There were many, many journalists who called me and asked me if I had felt vindicated because I had been telling the truth, and she had obviously been lying. But I didn't feel any sense of vindication whatsoever.

What I saw, and what I continue to often see, many years later, Marion Jones' mother standing there on those front steps, and her family. I now realize that, 'You know what? Marion Jones made a mistake, but every one of those around her are in great pain, and experiencing tremendous suffering.'

And that's what I have not thought through before I made the mistake of joining that culture back in 2000. I would never, ever do that again, because I didn't understand at the time. I thought, 'You know, I'm a big boy, I understand there are risks attached to what I'm doing, and if this takes a bad turn, then I will accept the consequences.'

Even if it meant going to prison?

I went to a minimum security prison camp in Taft, Calif., which is West of Bakersfield, which is about 100 miles North of Los Angeles. I was there for four months. And, well, you what I didnt' understand was that there are other people who didn't break the law who would be harmed.

And you don't understand what damage can really be done until you're in prison, and your family comes to visit you, and you look into their eyes, and you see them crying. You see the pain and the suffering and you know that you're the one who caused it.

That's the worst punishment that I think that you can experience. And that's when I began to realize how reckless it was for me to do the things that I did. And if I would have known that, I would have never made that decision to take that road down the slippery slope.

Source: boxing.fanhouse.com