Middleweight fighter Saul “Canelo” Alvarez drew a six-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission on Wednesday, the result of failed drug tests.
The suspension should come with a “save-the-date” note because it means that Alvarez will be eligible to fight again after Aug. 17, six months after the date of his first positive test. That could place a rematch with middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin in September, provided Golovkin successfully defends his IBO, WBA and WBC titles in a fight against Vanes Martirosyan on May 5.
Alvarez was scheduled to fight Golovkin on that date, but the bout was canceled earlier this month when it became apparent that Alvarez would not be cleared from a pair of failed drug tests in time. Instead, Martirosyan will fill in for Alvarez in the fight at the StubHub Center in Carson, Calif.
Both Alvarez and Golovkin have said they’re hopeful the rematch can finally take place as soon as Alvarez is free to fight again.
“We hope he can get back in the ring as soon as possible,” Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler said of Alvarez last week. “That’s the fight that GGG wants. Any type of positive test, regardless of the circumstances, has to be taken very serious in sports, especially in the sport of boxing. All we want is a level playing field.”
Golovkin never stopped training and clearly has no interest in cutting Alvarez any slack, nor does he give much credence to Alvarez’s stated explanation for two positive drug tests. Alvarez held a news conference earlier this month and explained how tainted meat is the reason he can’t fight Golovkin next month.
“Of course, like everybody said, he’s huge Mexican star,” Golovkin told reporters in Los Angeles last week. “Last press conference he said, ‘I can’t, I’m sorry, I apologize, it’s my fault.’ This is crazy, you know, this is crazy for people. He’s not sorry, no. He’s not a huge ambassador for boxing. He’s a terrible man.”
Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 knockouts) and Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) fought to a controversial draw last September, with judge Adalaide Byrd coming under criticism for her scorecard, scoring the fight that most thought GGG won for Alvarez by a 118-110 score.
While the first bout between the two was months in the making, Alvarez’s suspension and this unexpected delay could perhaps heighten interest and intrigue for a rematch that the boxing world already pegged as the most anticipated fight of the year.
“Whether it makes the fight bigger, I would say so,” Loeffler said. “All the controversy around it is going to make a much bigger promotion whenever the fight does happen. At the same time, if it was up to Gennady, he would want to fight him as soon as possible.”
The unanimous decision Wednesday by five members of the commission came quickly, according to ESPN. The standard recommended suspension of one year was lessened because of Alvarez’s cooperation with authorities. The suspension includes a requirement that he pass drug tests before fighting again in Nevada.
“Although most professional sports, international anti-doping agencies and United States boxing commissions treat meat contamination differently from other positive tests, Nevada does not. Canelo and Golden Boy Promotions respect the rules of Nevada and are therefore satisfied with the settlement agreement reached today,” Golden Boy Promotions said in a statement via the Associated Press.
It added that “Canelo looks forward to returning to the ring in September for Mexican Independence Day weekend to represent Mexico and boxing in what will be the sport’s biggest event of the year. He is ready to continue his remarkable record of fighting at the highest level.”
A complaint, filed last month, related to two dates in February on which Alvarez submitted out-of-competition samples that were positive for Clenbuterol, a banned substance that helps burn fat and increase lean muscle mass. When news of the failed tests emerged, Alvarez claimed that he had accidentally ingested the substance while eating tainted Mexican meat, a problem – and excuse – that a number of athletes have used in the past.
However, Robert Bennett of the NSAC said in the complaint that “Alvarez’s utilization, ingestion and/or consumption of Clenbuterol, whether intentional or not, constitutes an anti-doping violation.” He added that “by allowing Clenbuterol to enter his system, Alvarez engaged in conduct that reflected discredit to unarmed combat and he is guilty of foul or unsportsmanlike conduct that was detrimental to a contest.”