Nonito Donaire Jr., who will try to unify the world super bantamweight crown with a July 7 encounter against South African champ Jeffrey Mathebula, has just signed up to become the first professional boxer to undergo a 24/7, 365-day drug-testing program.
The WBO champion known as the Filipino Flash has chosen to enroll in the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association program of Dr. Margaret Goodman of Las Vegas, which employs Olympic-style dope testing anytime, anywhere.
The program starts right after his fight with the 6-foot IBF title holder Mathebula, at the Home Depot Center in Carson, California.
“I’m all for cleaning up the sport and if they take care of their jobs with the stuff outside the ring, I promise to do my part as a fighter inside the ring. That’s why I’m doing this testing,” Donaire told boxingscene.com.
He will go through the program under the guidance of his nutritionist Victor Conte, who as former president of the Bay Area Laboratories, was convicted for peddling banned substance to major sporting stars.
“I think it’s good for the whole sport that an athlete presents himself in an honest way. Not only that, it gives credibility to my work with Victor and how great of a nutritionist and scientist that he is in terms of the body,” Donaire said.
In preparing Donaire (28-1-0 with 18 knockouts) against a bigger opponent like Mathebula, Conte said on Twitter that he’s going to apply special concoctions to build up muscles on the Filipino Flash’s usually lean, 5-foot-5 ½ frame, and make his body recover faster.
“I’m working with Victor, that’s pretty much about it. I know Victor is a great guy, we have chemistry, we’re like family,” Donaire continued. “I got a vein, you get a needle. Let’s test. I’m here. I’m a clean fighter and I think it’s good for boxing.”
Conte said: “He’s agreed to have them collect blood and urine which I think is an historic and very important thing in this climate of boxing. He’s leading by example.”