Gilberto ‘Zurdo’ Ramirez comprehensively outpointed Chris Billam-Smith to claim the unified cruiserweight crown on Saturday, headlining a Latino-themed card in Saudi Arabia.
The stacked Riyadh Season event was delivered by Golden Boy promoter Oscar De La Hoya and boxing power broker Turki Alalshikh, with the pair joining forces for the first time.
Elsewhere on the card, William Zepeda secured the interim WBC lightweight title after edging a highly contentious split decision against former world champion Tevin Farmer.
However, most of the post-fight controversy has centered around Farmer’s latest comments, with the American claiming that no drug testing took place ahead of his showdown.
Tevin Farmer expresses drug testing concerns following his clash with William Zepeda
Zepeda is best known for his relentless work rate and high punch output, with his fan-friendly style often lending itself to a thrilling spectacle.
Sure enough, the Mexican produced a typically busy performance on Saturday, throwing a total of 1087 punches according to Compubox stats.
Yet still, the 28-year-old was forced to overcome some adversity in the fourth round, when he was dropped by a sneaky overhand left from Farmer.
But regardless, Zepeda was able to retain his mandatory position for Shakur Stevenson’s WBC title, and will target a showdown with the pound-for-pound star next year.
Since their enthralling dustup, though, Farmer has revealed that he and Zepeda were not compelled to undergo any drug testing before or after their clash.
He wrote on X: “Why [weren’t Zepeda and I] drug tested? I [asked] multiple times in the locker room before we fought.
“They said after the fight. And still no test. I’m just saying. Boxing is dirty. You never know. Thank you to all my supporters.”
- Read More [Shakur Stevenson highlights William Zepeda’s greatest strength ahead of their potential showdown]
Victor Conte reacts to Tevin Farmer’s concerns over drug testing
Naturally, suspicions over Zepeda’s remarkable stamina will now begin to emerge, with a lack of drug testing putting the integrity of his victory into question.
It is somewhat baffling, too, that the fight was sanctioned by the WBC and yet neither combatant was subjected to the body’s Clean Boxing Program.
The program, of course, is headed by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA), which is regarded as the gold standard for drug testing in boxing.
And so, drug testing expert Victor Conte has now urged De La Hoya and Alalshikh to explain why Zepeda and Farmer were not tested by VADA – or any other agency for that matter.
On X, Conte wrote: “[De La Hoya and Alalshikh] should answer these questions. Boxing is a dangerous sport and ZERO testing at the elite level is simply unacceptable.
“The boxers need to protect their own health and [safety] because often the boxing promoters do not consider drug testing as part of their budget.”