By Jim Dower: Saul Canelo Alvarez has reportedly tested positive for the banned drug clenbuterol while getting ready for his rematch against middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin on May 5, according to his promoters at Golden Boy Promotions.
The company states that Canelo tested positive for the banned drug, which they say came from contaminated meat that he ate in Mexico. The level of the clenbuterol in the positive test is what would be seen from someone having ingested contaminated meat. As such, the Canelo vs. Golovkin 2 rematch will go ahead for May 5th on HBO pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada.
According to Wikipedia, Clenbuterol is a drug that helps aerobic activity by increasing their aerobic capacity. It helps metabolize fat. Some bodybuilders use clenbuterol to help cut weight, so it’s good in theory if someone needed to drop weight. It’s been used in sports by some athletes, with a number of them having said that they unknowingly ingested the clenbuterol by eating contaminated food supplement.
As far as boxing goes, clenbuterol might help a fighter improve his aerobic ability during a fight, according to Wikipedia. It’s unclear what percentage of improvement a fighter would get aerobically by taking clenbuterol before a fight. If the fighter had stamina problems that prevented them from fighting at a fast pace, then a drug like clenbuterol could help them in theory.
Canelo made this statement about his positive test for clenbuterol:
“I am an athlete who respects the sport, and this surprises me and bothers me because it had never happened to me. I will submit to all the tests that require me to clarify this embarrassing situation and I trust that at the end the truth will prevail.”
Thus far, Golovkin hasn’t made any comment about Canelo’s positive drug test.
Unfortunately, A lot boxing fans are going to take the news of Canelo’s positive test for clenbuterol and see it with suspicion. Hopefully those fans will realize that eating contaminated meat is something that happens all the time in the sports world.
Canelo will be moving his training camp to the U.S from Mexico, and he’ll continue to be tested. The rematch with Golovkin doesn’t need the taint of positive drug tests to hurt the interest in the fight. The first fight between the two middleweight warriors ended with controversy due to the 12 round draw the judges scored it. The boxing public didn’t agree that Canelo deserved a draw, as many of the fans and members of the media felt he should have lost that fight.
In the past, Mexican fighters like Eric Morales and Francisco Vargas tested positive for this drug. Those were instances of them eating contaminated meat. Former WBA heavyweight champion Lucas ‘Big Daddy’ Browne tested positive for clenbuterol as well.