SMITH JR. VS BARRERA PURCHASE TICKETS
June 1, 2017JOE SMITH JR. NEW YORK CITY MEDIA WORKOUT Mendez Boxing Gym – Tuesday, June 27th at 1PM
June 21, 2017SELDIN MEDICAL SITUATION FORCES STAR BOXING TO POSTPONE JUNE 15TH AT THE PARAMOUNT
New York – June 8, 2017
Star Boxing® regrets that it will postpone the upcoming June 15th date at the Paramount in Huntington, NY due to medical issues surrounding main event participant, Cletus “The Hebrew Hammer” Seldin.
Cletus has been under a doctor’s care and receiving testosterone therapy for an abnormally low testosterone count. Although Cletus voluntarily disclosed such therapy to the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) and VADA, an anti-doping athlete drug testing program that Seldin voluntarily participates in, the NYSAC has determined that it will not issue Cletus a license to box on June 15th.
On the advice of Doctor Jeff Vacirca, Cletus began testosterone replacement therapy due to an abnormal testosterone count, hypogonadism, and testicular dysfunction. The treatments are meant to bring his testosterone levels to a normal limit and not for enhancement. This is undisputable and there has been no claim that he would have an unfair advantage due to this replacement therapy as his testosterone count has remained below normal levels for a male of his age.
As a result of such treatment, Seldin’s T/E lab result was elevated beyond the NYSAC permissible ratio, which was the basis of the license denial. However, T/E is a ratio formula used as a method to detect the presence of exogenous testosterone as opposed to testosterone produced naturally by the body. Since Seldin admitted and even volunteered that he gets testosterone therapy, the elevated T/E ratio only confirms Seldin’s own acknowledgement. It is vital to recognize that Seldin’s total testosterone count remains and has always been lower than that of the normal average similarly aged male, thus reinforcing that this therapy has not enhanced his performance to give him any unfair advantage in competition.
Seldin’s manager and trainer, Pete Brodsky, had this to say about the situation, “The treatments began in the fall of 2016. When I received Cletus’ contract for the June 15th fight and the NYSAC drug acknowledgement form I noticed that testosterone was listed as a banned substance. Both Cletus and I were unaware of this since the drug acknowledgement forms for all of our previous fights were different and didn’t list testosterone. Upon reading the form, I immediately called NYSAC to advise them that Cletus has been undergoing therapeutic testosterone treatments administered by his doctor. My call was in the 3rd week of April and I asked the NYSAC to instruct me how to proceed with this situation. I was told that they would get back to me. However, after numerous attempts to get an answer from the NYSAC to no avail, Cletus and I decided it would be safer to immediately stop the treatments. His last treatment was April 27th, which was prior to him coming to Florida for training camp for this fight. Unfortunately, the NYSAC does not allow even therapeutic treatments of testosterone. They alerted Cletus via email yesterday that his license was denied because of these treatments. We are both very sorry that they decided to take this path. Cletus works very hard in the gym, is never in trouble, and active in the community and unknowingly did something that was not allowed by the NYSAC”.
Cletus Seldin said, “Unfortunately, for my fans and the general public, I am very sad that my fight on June 15, 2017, has been postponed. Miscommunications or misunderstandings with the NYSAC as to certain medical issues prompted the postponement of this fight. Please note, I will swiftly resolve this issue with the NYSAC that caused the postponement of my fight. To all my great fans and boxing public in general, I will be returning the ring to continue my quest for the world championship and I appreciate all your support.”
Joe DeGuardia, President of Star Boxing®, stated, “I am very disappointed by this situation and it is extremely unfortunate for all the fighters on the show, our partners at the Paramount, and our loyal fans”.
All tickets purchased for the June 15th date will be honored for the rescheduled date which Star Boxing® will announce early next week or may be returned to the point of purchase for a full refund.