Bernard Hopkins, a boxing legend and Golden Boy Promotions executive, has been accused of rubbing testosterone cream on Gervonta Davis’s back in an attempt to taint the boxer’s WADA sample ahead of Saturday’s bout with Ryan Garcia in Las Vegas.
Garcia, who is also promoted by Golden Boy, and Davis had a heated face-off after Friday’s weigh-in. Hopkins was present and appeared to rub his hand across Davis’s back, drawing the ire of the Baltimore native and his camp.
Davis’s trainer, Calvin Ford, later promoted a theory on social media that Hopkins was rubbing testosterone cream on the 28-year-old’s back to taint a test.
A text message that Ford shared on Instagram read, “Coach beware of B hop and testosterone cream… will make you test dirty. Be careful.” A Golden Boy spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The Davis vs. Garcia is significant for the sport of boxing as both are at the top of their games, and the bout is not following the path of big-name bouts that would have driven even casual fans to order pay-per-view.
The year’s most-anticipated card took place Saturday in Las Vegas, where both managed to clear the 136-pound limit agreed upon during negotiations.
The boxers and their camps have genuine animosity towards each other, and there is a war of words between them. Davis accused Garcia of possessing only a left hook, and Garcia said Davis didn’t have much punching power.
Oscar De La Hoya, CEO of Golden Boy Promotions, pointed out that Davis’s camp kept asking for various contractual demands to be met, which “points to a team looking to protect their fighter. … Nothing feels worse than your team not believing in you.”
Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions, said, “We’re the A-side of the situation. That’s how the A-side carries itself.” The card is a sellout, and it is expected to bring in major pay-per-view numbers.