A looming issue surrounding the Mike Tyson-Roy Jones exhibition fight is not headgear or even the size of the gloves.

It is drug testing.

According to multiple sources with knowledge reporting to The Ring, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) is in talks to administer random drug testing for the eight-round exhibition bout, which will take place September 12 on pay-per-view at a crowdless Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

Since 2011, VADA has conducted more than 2,000 urine and blood performance-enhancing drug tests.

“Drug testing is the major concern for this event,” one source said. “That needs to be the focus, not the size of the gloves, or the headgear.”

We reached out to VADA president Dr. Margaret Goodman for comment, but our attempts were unsuccessful.

According to a 2019 presentation from Goodman before the Association of Boxing Commissions, VADA generally performs roughly 40-50 tests a month. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodman revealed in an interview with NBC-affiliated television station KSNV that the number of tests has slowed down, but didn’t specify how much.

Another issue, as The Ring previously reported last Wednesday, is whether the living legends will wear headgear for their fight. We have been informed that the California State Athletic Commission is leaning towards no headgear for the contest.

Contracts for the event were inked in June, but both sides agreed to delay the announcement by nearly a month to debate waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic so that fans could potentially attend the fight.

READ THE MARCH ISSUE OF THE RING FOR FREE VIA THE NEW APP NOW. SUBSCRIBE NOW TO ACCESS MORE THAN 10 YEARS OF BACK ISSUES.