Barely a month after the announcement of the all-British September 21st card―that will be headlined by heavyweights Anthony Joshua and Daniel Dubois―controversy has already set in. Joshua’s management team, 258 Management, recently opted to publicly question Daniel Dubois, who appears not to have signed up for the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency’s (VADA) program.
258 Management (258 MGT), to which Anthony Joshua (28-3, 25 KO’s) is signed, publicly notified both Daniel Dubois (21-2, 10 KO’s) and Queensberry Promotions of Dubois’ exclusion from the VADA testing program through a post released yesterday [July 16th] on Twitter/X.
“Evening Queensberry [Promotions]… any update on why Daniel Dubois isn’t signed up for VADA testing yet??”
While applying to VADA’s anti-doping program is entirely voluntary and fighters are not forced to sign up with the organization, it is often used as the standard to both prevent and catch potential acts of doping.
Daniel Dubois had previously signed up for VADA for his August 2023 fight against Oleksandr Usyk (22-0, 14 KO’s), which notably marked the first time ever that Dubois was involved in VADA testing. Dubois did not do the same for his subsequent match on June 1st when he faced and defeated former IBF Croatian heavyweight (200+ lbs) champion Filip Hrgovic (17-1, 14 KO’s).
Though there are no repercussions for a fighter not signing on with VADA, it does put a blemish on Dubois’ career regardless of whether he wins or loses to Anthony Joshua for their upcoming September 21st bout. As Dubois is currently in possession of the IBF heavyweight title, his lack of participation in VADA testing puts the 26-year-old under a heavy lens of scrutiny regarding his cleanliness within the sport.
The past 12 months have seen several champions or well-known contenders test positive for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), indicating that doping continues to be an unresolved issue in boxing with no actual solution in sight.
While boxing is classified as sports entertainment, the sport notably adopts a loose structure that has allowed corruption and cheating to go either unnoticed or unpunished for the most part. However, potential ramifications still lurk for Dubois with UK Anti-Doping (UKAD)―a stringent anti-doping organization based in the United Kingdom―and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) potentially intervening.
UKAD has the authority to test fighters regardless of whether they’re affiliated with VADA, and through the support of the BBBofC―which will regulate and govern the upcoming September 21st card as it is held in London―can potentially require Dubois to go through random testing.
As the BBBofC and UKAD would have likely attempted to ensure each fighter set to compete on September 21st will go through the necessary anti-doping protocols, it is likely Dubois is already undergoing random testing by UKAD as he does hold a British boxing license, and will be fighting in the UK.
In essence, 258 MGT’s post does not indicate any wrongdoing on Dubois’ part, depending on whether he undergoes testing by UKAD, but it does underscore several questions regarding Dubois’ lack of enrollment in VADA―particularly questions that revolve around how clean the fighter actually is.
In the grand scheme of things, however, 258 MGT’s concerns are likely not merited with Dubois unlikely to undergo any sort of testing for doping unless both UKAD and the BBBofC have neglected to ensure the needed protocols to ensure a clean and safe boxing event.
