Lamont Peterson's failed drug test demonstrates the costly balancing act event promoters face

There is no person with any decency or sense of fairness who would knowingly advocate allowing a fighter who is using performance-enhancing drugs to compete. The risks are too great. That's why the movement begun by Floyd Mayweather Jr. to implement random Olympic-style drug testing into combat sports is good. Lamont Peterson failed a drug test, putting his fight against Amir Khan in jeopardy. (Getty Images) Even that doesn't come without risks, though, as Richard Schaefer, the chief executive officer of Golden Boy Promotions, sadly found out this week. Schaefer can be thankful it was Lamont Peterson who flunked a drug test for an HBO-televised fight against Amir Khan that was supposed to be held on May 19 in Las Vegas, as opposed to Mayweather or Miguel Cotto, who met on May 5 in a wildly successful pay-per-view bout. The cost to Golden Boy after the expected cancellation of the Khan-Peterson card is going to be around $250,000, perhaps higher. The total cost, to HBO and to fighters who now won't be paid, will likely exceed $1 million.