When it comes to the touchy subject of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs), boxing often throws up the strangest of surprises. You have Janibek Alimkhanuly, who is currently serving a one-year suspension for a failed drug test. Coming off hugely controversial episodes involving PEDs, Ryan Garcia and Conor Benn are now lined up for a title fight in September. What may seemingly puzzle a few is that some bouts involve fighters not undergoing any drug tests at all.

One prominent instance has now drawn attention to this trend. With just twenty-four hours remaining before he faces Errol Spence Jr., Tim Tszyu offered a shocking revelation when a reporter asked about drug testing for their bout, the main event of the PBC-Amazon Prime card.

“It’s a good question. I never even thought of that,” Tszyu said, looking confused. “There should be drug testing, and I haven’t been drug tested either. So there should be drug testing. That’s 100%. So yeah. Interesting.”

“Mate, I can only do what I can do,” the former champion added when pressed on whether anything could be done in that regard. “But to see something done, I think I’m not going to accuse him and think that he’s been doing something, you know. I don’t know. I don’t know. Honestly, I’ve got no answer to that.”

It is important to note that neither Tszyu nor Spence Jr. has publicly recorded a failed drug test or tested positive for a banned substance during their professional careers.

The hype surrounding Spence vs Tszyu centered largely on the comeback narrative of the two former champions. The American returns three years after his knockout loss to Terence Crawford. Tszyu, meanwhile, entered the fight after a string of losses left his career at a crossroads.

Given that the fight may largely decide the future path for both fighters, the subject of drug testing likely stayed in the background. That may explain why Tszyu appeared surprised by the question.

Also, there appears to be no official confirmation from the promoters or organizers regarding a drug testing protocol.

Given those circumstances, it remains speculative as to why no drug testing happened for such an important fight.

The most plausible explanation could be that Spence Jr. vs. Tszyu is a non-title fight.

While the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program mandates all top-15 ranked fighters to enroll in the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA)-administered random anti-doping program, the level of drug testing in on-title fights can depend heavily on the rules of the local athletic commission, sanctioning body, and the terms of the fight contract unless fighters or their promoters voluntarily agree to enroll in a comprehensive third-party test.

A compelling case to highlight this argument could be the 2024 Mike Tyson vs. Jake Paul. The eight-round bout at the AT&T Stadium on November 15 that year highlighted a broader regulatory practice under the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR).

According to the combat sports drug-testing guidelines of the state agency, which oversees different kinds of businesses and occupations, including combat sports in Texas, all contestants in title fights undergo pre-fight drug testing. However, testing in non-title fights is conducted on a random basis.

What it means is that fighters competing in non-title fights or “attraction” bouts in Texas may not undergo TLDR drug testing if they are not selected for testing.

The procedure, meanwhile, is not optional for contestants who are selected. In those cases, refusing to provide a sample or comply with the testing process can result in significant penalties.

Taking that background into consideration, it would be too speculative to say if the non-title fight between Spence Jr. and Tszyu falls under a similar category.

What is important, though, is to understand that Tszyu’s revelation once again points to the lack of a single, universal anti-doping standard across boxing. The level and timing of testing still depend on multiple factors.