Inside SNAC
11/25/2023

Victor Conte is a name that is synonymous with performance enhancing drugs in the United States of America. The American sports fan remembers Conte as the founder and president of BALCO, the Bay Area Laboratories Co-operative. BALCO created undetectable designer steroids, human growth hormone, testosterone and other illegal performance enhancing drugs. Conte admitted to supplying Olympic athletes Marion Jones, Dwain Chambers, Tim Montgomery and Kelli White with illegal performance enhancing drugs. Conte’s list of clients included a who’s who of American sports stars. These include Barry Bonds, Gary Sheffield, Jason Giambi, Bill Romanowski, Dana Stubblefield and Shane Mosley. In 2005, Conte plead guilty to conspiracy to distribute steroids. He served four months in federal prison.

Remi Korchemny is another name that is familiar to the American sports fan. While he was a coach/trainer with BALCO, he is most known for his work in the sport of track and field. Korchemny is currently serving a lifetime ban from USA track and field for conspiracy and cover up. As part of the fallout from the BALCO investigation, Korchemny was convicted of distributing illegal performance enhancing drugs to athletes in 2006. He was sentenced to one year of probation.

In 2011, Conte founded Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning (SNAC). He brought Korchemny along as a coach/trainer in the company. Ironically, SNAC System was the name of the illegal performance enhancing drugs program, created by Conte, that landed Conte in jail. On their website, SNAC boasts about their PED past:

Since 1987, SNAC System has been pioneering the expansion of human potential by utilizing clinical science to drive athletic performance. We pride ourselves on being the name attached to innovative products that have been proven to deliver measurable results beyond expectations.

SNAC founder and Chief Executive, Victor Conte, is an illustrious and world-renowned sports nutritionist who works with elite athletes to achieve world class results. As founder of BALCO Laboratories in 1984, Conte infamously pushed the envelope by being at the forefront of ingenious performance enhancing programs that directly contributed to the success and ultimate achievement of world-record holders, Olympic Gold medalists, and world champions.

Conte’s notorious BALCO years forever changed him and he is now one of the world’s most outspoken anti-doping advocates. But his commitment to guiding athletes to become their very best has never wavered.

Conte’s results-driven and unequivocally brilliant approach to sports science has benefited thousands of athletes.

The sport of boxing has a serious performance enhancing drug problem. In a sport where one punch can end your life, it’s amazing and disappointing that convicted steroid dealers can move unobstructed. Not so much as a peep from any sanctioning body or member of the mainstream media. In fact, you’ve seen quite the opposite. ESPN, the biggest and most recognizable sports outlet in the United States, has advertised SNAC on their platforms. Professional boxers of varying degrees of success are proud of their associations with Conte and Korchemny. Some have tested positive for banned substances. These are the boxers or former boxers that are or have been SNAC athletes:

- Terence Crawford
- Casey Morton
- Devin Haney
- Daniel Jacobs
- Demetrius Andrade
- Julian Williams
- Nicola Adams
- Amir Khan
- Arnold Barboza
- Chris Van Heerden
- Mikey Garcia
- Francisco Vargas
- Andy Vences
- Stan Martyniouk
- Luis Ortiz
- Erick De Leon
- Andre Berto
- Franchon Crews
- Glenn Dezurn
- Vanes Martirosyan
- Bruno Escalante
- Caleb Plant
- Shawn Porter
- Josesito Lopez
- Willie Monroe Jr.
- Ivan Redkach
- Mario Barrios
- Marcos Maidana
- Chris Arreola
- Robert Guerrero
- Mikael Zewski
- Jesus Cuellar
- Evgeny Gradovich
- Willie Nelson
- Jessie Vargas
- Petr Petrov
- Nonito Donaire
- Edwin Rodriguez
- Glen Tapia

One has to wonder why these boxers have chosen to work with Conte and Korchemny. One also has to ask the question of are these fighters getting an unfair competitive advantage, through the use of performance enhancing drugs. Conte is infamous for developing designer drugs that can’t be detected by PED tests. One also has to wonder if the actual testing is valid. A number of big fights in boxing has their testing conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association(VADA). Conte also enjoys a relationship with VADA founder, president and chairperson, Dr. Margaret Goodman.

One has to also wonder why is there a deafening silence by the keepers of the sport. The WBC, WBA, IBF and WBO hasn’t said a word. Matchroom Boxing, Top Rank and Golden Boy have not said a word. DAZN, ESPN and Showtime(for now) continue to put these fighters on without a mention of their associations with infamous PED pushers. You can’t rely on the mainstream boxing media and writers to get over their cowardice and talk about these issues. We saw how that worked out for Major League Baseball. These PED peddlers rely on systemic silence to operate in plain sight. If boxing is to ever truly get serious about ridding the sport of performance enhancing drugs, Victor Conte, Remi Korchemny, SNAC and their athletes would be a good place to start.