Victor Conte, the founder of the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative (Balco) and a central figure in one of the most significant doping scandals in sports

Gervonta “Tank” Davis stirred controversy on social media on Monday, posting a strikingly callous message in the wake of Victor Conte’s death: “A good day for boxing. No more Snack for you bustards (sic),” according to a post on his verified social media account. The timing was notable — it coincided with the cancellation of his highly anticipated fight against Jake Paul, a blow that cost Davis an estimated $30 million payday. Davis’ Social Media Outburst Victor Conte, the man once synonymous with one of sport’s darkest doping scandals, died following a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 75. Conte’s passing was confirmed by Devin Haney, one of several elite fighters who worked under Conte’s SNAC System banner. Despite his controversial past, Conte’s death was widely received with sadness, reflecting his later contributions to clean sport and anti-doping measures. Davis’ post was widely criticized across social media, particularly given his fractured relationships with Conte’s former protégés Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney. Both athletes benefited from Conte’s SNAC System during their careers. Observers noted that his post drew widespread criticism on a day that marked both personal and professional upheaval. — World Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) November 4, 2025 Fight Fallout: $30 Million Gone Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Netflix confirmed that the Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis event, initially scheduled for November 14 at Miami’s Kaseya Center, will no longer go ahead. “Our team has worked closely with all parties to navigate this situation responsibly,” said Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of MVP. “While we will not be moving forward with this event, our plan still remains for Jake Paul to headline an event on Netflix in 2025. Details regarding a new date, location, Jake’s opponent, and additional bouts will be shared as soon as they are finalized. We thank Netflix, the Kaseya Center, and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for their partnership.” MVP confirmed that fans who purchased tickets via Ticketmaster will receive automatic refunds within 14–21 days. Secondary market purchasers were advised to contact the original point of sale for assistance. The cancellation marked a significant setback for Davis, who had planned to retire with the lucrative payday. Now, he faces a return to professional boxing amid mounting criticism and an already fractured reputation. A Polarizing Figure Davis’ post about Conte’s death underscores the polarizing nature of his persona in modern boxing. While Tank has achieved immense success inside the ring, his public behavior continues to overshadow his accomplishments, drawing attention from fans, rivals, and media alike. Meanwhile, Conte’s legacy remains a study in contrasts as a man who fell from grace amid one of the most infamous doping scandals in history, only to dedicate the latter part of his life to reforming and educating athletes. His passing marks both the end of a controversial chapter in boxing and a poignant reminder of the complex stories that often unfold behind the scenes of the sport. For Davis, the incident adds to an already complicated public profile. About the Author Phil Jay is a veteran boxing journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the global fight scene. As Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) since 2010, Jay has interviewed dozens of world champions and reported ringside on boxing’s biggest nights. View all articles by Phil Jay and learn more about his work in combat sports journalism.

Boxing journalist Steve Kim has paid a warm and reflective tribute to Victor Conte, the founder of SNAC System and one of the sport’s most controversial yet influential figures, who passed away at 75 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. “On Monday morning, it was announced that the founder of SNAC, Victor Conte, had passed away after a short but hard-fought battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 75 years old,” Kim wrote. “Conte lived a long and productive life. No matter what you think of him, he made an impact and will be remembered.” Kim admitted that while Conte’s past divided opinion, those who knew him personally saw a man whose curiosity and candor reshaped how fighters approached science and performance. “Those of us who counted him as a friend just wish he was around a bit longer,” Kim continued. Their relationship dated back to 2010, when Kim wrote about the realities of performance-enhancing drugs in boxing. That piece drew an unexpected email from Conte himself — a moment Kim now recalls as the beginning of an unlikely friendship born from honesty and debate. “A day or two later, after that article ran, I happened to get an email that had Victor’s name attached to it. Within a few hours, we were on the phone, where we engaged in what would be the first of our long conversations,” Kim remembered. “It was surreal talking to Victor. I wasn’t necessarily star-struck, but this was different than talking to a boxer or promoter. This former bass player for Tower of Power had become a mainstream figure in sports for how he helped shape history — and the record books.” Conte’s journey — from BALCO infamy to his second act as a boxing nutrition and testing advocate — remains one of sport’s most complex legacies. Yet through Kim’s words, he is remembered not just for controversy but for connection, curiosity, and a relentless drive to stay relevant in a world that once turned its back on him. “No matter what you think of him, he made an impact and will be remembered,” Kim concluded — a line that encapsulates Conte’s enduring mark on boxing’s scientific and moral evolution. Read the full tribute by Steve Kim → at snac.com.

Gervonta “Tank” Davis stirred controversy on social media on Monday, posting a strikingly callous message in the wake of Victor Conte’s death: “A good day for boxing. No more Snack for you bustards (sic),” according to a post on his verified social media account. The timing was notable — it coincided with the cancellation of his highly anticipated fight against Jake Paul, a blow that cost Davis an estimated $30 million payday. Davis’ Social Media Outburst Victor Conte, the man once synonymous with one of sport’s darkest doping scandals, died following a battle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 75. Conte’s passing was confirmed by Devin Haney, one of several elite fighters who worked under Conte’s SNAC System banner. Despite his controversial past, Conte’s death was widely received with sadness, reflecting his later contributions to clean sport and anti-doping measures. Davis’ post was widely criticized across social media, particularly given his fractured relationships with Conte’s former protégés Shakur Stevenson and Devin Haney. Both athletes benefited from Conte’s SNAC System during their careers. Observers noted that his post drew widespread criticism on a day that marked both personal and professional upheaval. — World Boxing News (@WorldBoxingNews) November 4, 2025 Fight Fallout: $30 Million Gone Most Valuable Promotions (MVP) and Netflix confirmed that the Jake Paul vs. Gervonta Davis event, initially scheduled for November 14 at Miami’s Kaseya Center, will no longer go ahead. “Our team has worked closely with all parties to navigate this situation responsibly,” said Nakisa Bidarian, CEO of MVP. “While we will not be moving forward with this event, our plan still remains for Jake Paul to headline an event on Netflix in 2025. Details regarding a new date, location, Jake’s opponent, and additional bouts will be shared as soon as they are finalized. We thank Netflix, the Kaseya Center, and the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for their partnership.” MVP confirmed that fans who purchased tickets via Ticketmaster will receive automatic refunds within 14–21 days. Secondary market purchasers were advised to contact the original point of sale for assistance. The cancellation marked a significant setback for Davis, who had planned to retire with the lucrative payday. Now, he faces a return to professional boxing amid mounting criticism and an already fractured reputation. A Polarizing Figure Davis’ post about Conte’s death underscores the polarizing nature of his persona in modern boxing. While Tank has achieved immense success inside the ring, his public behavior continues to overshadow his accomplishments, drawing attention from fans, rivals, and media alike. Meanwhile, Conte’s legacy remains a study in contrasts as a man who fell from grace amid one of the most infamous doping scandals in history, only to dedicate the latter part of his life to reforming and educating athletes. His passing marks both the end of a controversial chapter in boxing and a poignant reminder of the complex stories that often unfold behind the scenes of the sport. For Davis, the incident adds to an already complicated public profile. About the Author Phil Jay is a veteran boxing journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the global fight scene. As Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) since 2010, Jay has interviewed dozens of world champions and reported ringside on boxing’s biggest nights. View all articles by Phil Jay and learn more about his work in combat sports journalism.

Victor Conte, the man once synonymous with one of sport’s darkest doping scandals before reinventing himself as an anti-PED crusader and boxing nutritionist, has died following a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 75. The news of Conte’s passing was confirmed by Devin Haney, one of several elite fighters who had long worked under Conte’s SNAC System banner. Haney’s confirmation came five months after reports that Conte had been undergoing treatment for pancreatic cancer. Conte, the former BALCO founder, shared details of an aggressive treatment plan that included chemotherapy and surgery. Despite a cautiously optimistic prognosis, Conte’s health deteriorated in recent weeks. From BALCO to Boxing Conte first gained global notoriety as the central figure in the BALCO scandal—the Bay Area Laboratory Co-Operative—which shook the foundations of elite sports in the early 2000s. The federal investigation uncovered an elaborate network distributing performance-enhancing drugs to high-profile athletes across baseball, track and field, and boxing. The scandal ensnared stars like Barry Bonds, Marion Jones, and Shane Mosley, and led to Conte serving a four-month prison sentence for his role in the scandal. It also produced the 2023 Netflix documentary Untold: Hall of Shame, a deep dive into the doping empire that exposed how designer steroids infiltrated professional competition. RIP Victor Conte.. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji’un — Devin Haney (@Realdevinhaney) November 3, 2025 Reinvention and Redemption Following his release from jail, Conte took on a new mission — transforming from the sport’s most infamous supplier to one of its loudest voices for reform. Through his SNAC System (Scientific Nutrition for Advanced Conditioning), Conte worked to promote clean training and nutrition programs for boxers, including Terence Crawford, Claressa Shields, Jesse “Bam” Rodriguez, and Haney. He also collaborated with the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA), offering expertise on how to strengthen detection methods and close testing loopholes. Despite these efforts, his presence in boxing always carried controversy. Critics and some fighters questioned whether someone who once engineered doping schemes could truly lead the charge for clean sport. Conte, however, maintained that his experience “from the dark side” made him uniquely qualified to combat the problem from within. Lasting Legacy Conte’s involvement in boxing became increasingly visible in the 2010s and 2020s, as SNAC-sponsored athletes began dominating world title scenes. Fighters credited him with developing advanced recovery and conditioning methods that improved endurance and power without breaching anti-doping regulations. Still, his past occasionally resurfaced — most recently during heated discussions surrounding Haney’s upcoming WBO welterweight title defense against Brian Norman Jr., where Conte’s history was again debated in media circles. Yet even as he faced renewed scrutiny and, later, his terminal diagnosis, Conte continued to engage publicly about drug testing reform, often advocating for year-round testing and transparency in athletic governance. A Complex Figure Victor Conte’s story remains one of sport’s most complicated transformations — from a figure vilified for systemic cheating to one who sought redemption through education, science, and advocacy. In the end, he died not as the villain from the BALCO headlines, but as a figure who had spent two decades trying to repair a system he once helped corrupt. Conte’s impact — both infamous and redemptive — will continue to echo across the sporting world, particularly in boxing, where his SNAC athletes helped define an era of modern conditioning. About the Author Phil Jay is a veteran boxing journalist with over 15 years of experience covering the global fight scene. As Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) since 2010, Jay has interviewed dozens of world champions and reported ringside on boxing’s biggest nights. View all articles by Phil Jay and learn more about his work in combat sports journalism.