Lance Armstrong Faces New Doping Charges

Cyclist and triathlete Lance Armstrong avoided criminal charges in February but a new round of doping charges are being brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. Due to the new charges Armstrong is now currently banned from participating in World Triathlon Corporation sanctioned events which bans athletes under investigation for alleged doping offenses. If found guilty Armstrong may also face losing his Tour de France titles.

MMA Fighter Rafael 'Feijao' Cavalcante Tests Postive for Steroids

MMA fighter Rafael "Feijao" Cavalcante failed a recent drug test following his win over Mike Kyle in May. The failed test was due to the synthetic anabolic steroid Stanozolol which is commonly used by athletes. The California State Athletic Commission overturned his latest victory on May 19th over Mike Kyle to a no-contest, fined him $2,500 and suspended Cavalcante for a year. Cavalcante's camp has appealed and awaiting a hearing date.

The Day Boxing Died

Crooked judges, top fighters avoiding each other and greedy promoters. Yes I am talking about the further decline in boxing. Last week's split decision victory for Timothy Bradley over Manny Pacquiao has the boxing world in an uproar and for good reason.

Last Saturday's fight saw Pacquiao connect on 253 of 751 punches thrown (34%) while Bradley landed only 115 of 839 (19%). Pacquiao's punches at times stumbled Bradley while Bradley was pretty much ineffective except for staying in the center and challenging his opponent. In a poll of ringside reporters not one gave the decision to Bradley and even Bradley himself admitted to promoter Bob Arum that he came up short just before the decision was announced. Most unofficial judges and reporters gave Pacquiao anywhere from 9 to 11 rounds out of the total 12.

So why then did judges Jerry Roth score it 115-113 Pacquiao, Duane Ford 115-113 Bradley and C.J. Ross 115-113 Bradley? As soon as this was officially announced the boxing world went crazy and even promoter Bob Arum who repped both fighters said, "I'm ashamed for the sport." How can professional judges be that incompetent? I think it's more like corrupted judges. Many are calling for an investigation into this result.

With all the problems boxing already has this definitely worsened things for the sport. With Pacquiao being defeated and aging a match up with Mayweather seems less important. Fans including myself have just had enough.

Match Fixing in Italy's Serie A Soccer League

Last week another Soccer match fixing scandal broke in Italy, this time affecting the top level Serie A league. 19 people including players, coaches and officials have been arrested and the training site of the national team was raided by police. Prosecutors stated that a Hungarian gang with funding from Singapore is likely the group behind recent match fixes at all levels in Italian soccer leagues and elsewhere.

F1 Team McLaren's Costly Penalty

Last month at the Spanish Grand Prix the McLaren F1 team of driver Lewis Hamilton was penalized for a fuel irregularity. Once qualifying is complete all cars require enough fuel to return to the pits and provide a one-litre sample per the mandatory rules of the governing body of F1. Running lower levels of fuel can provide a performance advantage and regardless of that proof Hamilton did initially capture the pole position. After qualifying was complete McLaren ordered Hamilton to stop on the track due to lack of fuel caused by a fueling mistake from the team. The stewards rejected the reasoning and stripped Hamilton of the pole and had him start at the back of the field. Hamilton did finish on the lead lap and finished eight overall for the race but lost out on important season points by not finishing higher. Minimal race car tweaks can make all the difference but you have to make sure to follow all the rules or risk penalty.