Dylan Hernandez: Victor Conte, of BALCO fame, has found a new home in boxing

LOS ANGELES - Only in America? Certainly.

In the case of Victor Conte, however, Don King's signature catchphrase should be slightly modified. More appropriate would be something like, "Only in boxing."

Only in what Conte described as the "red-light district of sport" can a convicted steroid distributor be part of a high-profile event and do so in full view of the public.

"I was banned everywhere else," Conte said with a chuckle.

Now a vocal advocate for year-round drug testing, the self-educated former BALCO mastermind helped lightweight champion Mikey Garcia move up to the heavier welterweight division for his showdown with hard-punching Errol Spence on Saturday at AT&T Stadium. Conte works with several other fighters, including top middleweights Danny Jacobs and Demetrius Andrade.

At a crowded hotel bar three nights before