UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) faces scrutiny after mistakenly imposing a posthumous four-year ban on the late Mexican boxer, Moises Calleros, for cocaine use. The decision was swiftly rescinded, raising questions about the thoroughness of PED violations compared to recreational drug cases.

Initially, UKAD issued a now-deleted statement banning Moises “Taz” Calleros for testing positive for cocaine after his loss to British fighter Galal Yafai (7-0, 5 KOs) last year, as reported by boxing journalist Michael Benson on Twitter/X.

“Moises Calleros tested positive for cocaine in a UKAD test following his defeat to Galal Yafai last year and so has now been banned from boxing for four years,” Benson reported yesterday on Twitter/X.

This decision was reversed upon learning of Calleros’ death due to a suspected heart attack in March, prompting UKAD to acknowledge their oversight:

“UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) has today received information regarding the death of Mexican professional boxer Moises Calleros,” UKAD’s official statement reads. “UKAD received this information shortly after publishing details of the outcome from a case concerning Mr Calleros in accordance with the UK Anti-Doping Rules.

“Unfortunately, UKAD had no information regarding Mr Calleros’ sad passing at the time of publication and has now removed all details of this case from its channels.“

Calleros’ death had not been widely reported outside Mexican media, highlighting UKAD’s failure to conduct basic verification and contact with Calleros prior to their initial decision.

The severity of a four-year ban for cocaine use, which is considered a PED according to the World Anti Doping Agency’s (WADA) guidelines, raises questions given cocaine’s brief performance-enhancing effects compared to other PEDs.

Overall, UKAD has proven to be more strict when it comes to anti-doping violations, exemplified in the case of South African boxer Zolani Tete who received a four-year ban last year for the use of the illegal substance of Stanozolol. Stanozolol, often also known as Winstrol or “Winny”, is prominently used for burning fat and building muscle and can therefore be valuable during the preparation for a fight. In contrast, the use of Cocaine offers more euphoric benefits rather than competitive.

British contender Conor Benn (23-0, 14 KOs), was slammed with a provisional suspension by UKAD last year, but later saw his suspension overturned by the National Anti-Doping Panel (NADP) after he was cleared of intentional doping.

However, UKAD’s recent appeal in February has resulted in Benn’s provisional suspension being reinstated, and the next steps appear to now be in the hands of the NADP.

Benn could potentially resolve the issue by accepting a two-year ban starting from October of 2022, similar to Amir Khan’s own PED case in 2023, which can effectively end by October of this year, contingent on negotiations with UKAD and the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC).