American former multi-division world champion Shane Mosley has inserted himself into Ryan Garcia’s positive drug tests scandal with heavy accusations launched at SNAC founder Victor Conte, delving deep into a territory of conspiracies in the process. Ironically, Mosley himself has admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs in the past.
During a pre-fight press conference between Canelo Alvarez (61-2-2, 39 KO’s) and Jaime Munguia (43-1, 34 KO’s) several days before their May 4th fight, Shane Mosley was approached by members of the boxing media as to his thoughts on Ryan Garcia’s (25-1, 20 KO’s) battle to prove his innocence after failing two tests for the banned substance of Ostarine.
Despite being not fully informed on the topic of Garcia’s PED case, with Shane Mosley continuously asking the media questions―suggesting his knowledge surrounding the case was limited to begin with, the retired boxer did not shy away from suggesting there could be a conspiracy at hand with Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC) founder Victor Conte implicated to have a major impact on Garcia testing positive for Ostarine [twice]. It should be noted that Conte was first mentioned by a reporter who insinuated Conte’s involvement in Garcia’s failed dug tests.
“He [Victor Conte] has a very close relationship with WADA [World Anti-Doping Agency] and also, what’s confused me, is that Victor Conte owns SNAC, which SNAC has all the fighters,” Mosley told reporters. “Victor Conte’s known for doing steroids, and having steroids, and he has a part in VADA [Voluntary Anti-Doping Association], whatever it is.
“So, if you take all that into consideration, it seems like it’s rigged anyway―if you have all the boxers of SNAC doing this.“
Victor Conte was convicted for helping several well-known athletes use performance-enhancing drugs through his company of Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) that was funded in 1984, and has claimed to have invented the banned substance known as Tetrahydrogestrinone―now more commonly referred to as THG. Conte later went on to establish the sports nutritional company of SNAC; a company a couple boxers have been involved with including Devin Haney (31-1, 15 KO’s) and Caleb Plant.
Notably, Shane Mosley was the only-known boxer to have been involved with BALCO and had admitted to using PEDs in October of 2009, specifically Erythropoietin (EPO), in the past―with his name further mentioned as a BALCO client amongst other well-known athletes such as Marion Jones and Barry Bonds.
Despite Conte’s past, the sports nutritionist/scientist has been a strong advocate against PEDs following his sentencing in 2005, and not a single fighter that has been involved with SNAC has yet tested positive for any PEDs―despite Mosley implying during the above-mentioned interview that SNAC boxers were known for using performance-enhancing drugs.
Moreover, both Haney and Plant had never been known as tremendously powerful punchers; a trait that can be associated with actual PED-users―which can perhaps be best attributed to Ryan Garcia who has shown above-normal feats of strength, particularly during his April 20th match against Haney.
Making this entire situation even more complicated is the fact that Garcia has actually worked with SNAC in the past; which does not exactly help Garcia’s case or prove his point given the recent exposure of his positive drug tests occurred after he stopped working with the company. Despite Garcia having implicated Conte in supplying Haney with PEDs before the April 20th fight, he has not mentioned his prior connection to SNAC.
Mosley also spoke of Conte having a relationship with VADA; a relationship that Conte expanded upon more than a decade ago during an interview with BoxingScene. During that interview, Conte revealed that while he engaged twice in conversation with VADA founder Dr. Margaret Goodman, he does not have a standing relationship with VADA―and was one of several anti-doping figures that met with Goodman.
The suspected relationship Conte has with VADA was arguably debunked years ago, yet Mosley conveniently avoided his own connections to Conte; a link that is indisputable given he was one of the athletes confirmed to have been a customer of BALCO, and was accused by Conte in the past of knowingly using steroids―if the fact of Mosley already admitting to using EPO can be ignored.
Conveniently, Shane Mosley also made no mention of his own relationship with Golden Boy Promotions―to which Garcia is signed―that might have skewed his opinion, with his son Shane Mosley Jr currently still contracted to Golden Boy. Mosley Sr himself has also fought for Golden Boy in the past and used to be partnered to the company before he eventually parted ways with them after a dispute.
