By Sean Jones: Gennady ‘GGG’ Golovkin doesn’t believe in Saul Canelo’s excuse that he tested positive for the banned drug clenbuterol by eating meat in Mexico. Golovkin says Canelo is either positive, which he obviously is, or he’s negative.
In Golovkin’s view, Canelo’s positive test means he was doping, and he sees that as “unpleasant”, because it means that he and his team chose to cheat by using the drug. Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) still would like to face Canelo on their scheduled date on May 5 on HBO pay-per-view at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada. However, if the Nevada State Athletic Commission elects to cancel the fight due to Canelo’s positive drug test, then Golovkin says he’ll face WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders in a unification fight.
“I was surprised that it happened, because I knowing Canelo, knowing his team, I didn’t expect that they were using some kind of medicine, forbidden substances,” Golovkin said to RingTV.com about Canelo’s positive drug test for clenbuterol. “This is very unpleasant to watch this, as I’d like to see a competition between athletes and not between laboratories. Since we are pro athletes, it was unpleasant to see this go in that direction, and have been using these drugs, these forbidden substances and whatever else made him test positive,” GGG said.
As you can see, Golovkin isn’t buying into Canelo’s excuse about him eating tainted meat in Mexico. Golovkin clearly sees Canelo as having cheated to try and gain an edge on him for their May 5th fight. The explanation for Canelo’s positive test being from meat contamination isn’t how GGG sees it. Golovkin thinks Canelo was popped for clenbuterol period. Golovkin is waiting to see what the Nevada Commission says about Canelo’s positive test. They’re currently investigating the case. If the Commission allows Canelo to escape punishment for the positive test, then it might look to some boxing fans like he was given preferential treatment due to his popularity. If Commission can show that they used the same standards in the past for other fighters that used the contaminated meat excuse as Canelo, then it won’t look as bad. As long as the Commission is sticking with the same standards they’ve always used for fighters using the contaminated meat excuse, then it won’t be as big a deal. Letting Canelo off for testing positive could lead to a stampede of other positive tests and similar excuses made by boxers. If fighters think they can use clenbuterol and be let off the hook by using the contaminated meat excuse, you can bet they’ll be following Canelo’s lead. It makes it bad though for the fighters that have to face the guys that are testing positive. It sets up an uneven playing field if the clean athletes are competing against fighters that have cycled on clenbuterol in preparation for their fights.
”I just want everything to be honest so that we fight like athletes in sport, but not using methods of laboratories,” Golovkin said. ”Yes, I was thinking that this is a situation where everything is in jeopardy now, but it is not me who will be making the decision, it will be the Commission and the regulations for that. I want a clean, proper fight, and not a medicine fight. This subject has been made public a long time ago, and there is no need to speak about bronchitis or meat. This is a simple test and he’s either positive or negative. It’s either you are doping or not on doping, and there is a Commission for that, and there is no need to talk more,” Golovkin said in responding to a comment made by the interviewer that clenbuterol is also used for people with bronchitis.
It’s hard to know where the Ring Magazine interviewer was going when she started lecturing Golovkin about how clenbuterol is also used by people with bronchitis. Surely, she should know that Canelo couldn’t make as his excuse for testing positive for clenbuterol. If that were the case, Canelo would need to prove that he had a doctor’s prescription for the drug. Canelo couldn’t blame the test on him having bronchitis, because the Golden Boy promotions press statement said he had tested positive for the drug due to him having eaten contaminated meat in Mexico. Coming up with second excuse by blaming it on him having bronchitis would look laughable.
The Nevada Commission needs to come up with a hard rule that rounds up all fighters that test positive for clenbuterol or any PED and treat them all the same. This means that if a fighter tests positive for a PED, they aren’t allowed to be cleared by using an excuse about having eaten contaminated food or nutritional supplements. The only way to keep fighters from not wanting to take the risk of using those PEDs is for the Commissions to be ultra-strict with them by banning all fighters that test positive for the drugs no matter what excuse they use. VADA needs to step up their testing for fighters by testing them well before 8 weeks before the fight. If a fighter is going to try and get around the tests by VADA, they’re going to cycle on the PEDs more than 2 months before the fights. It’s like with some football players using PEDs in the off season to bulk up, and then getting off the drugs when training camp begins.
”The situation right now showed our attitude to our favorite sport and the attitude of Alvarez’s team to do it,” Golovkin said. ”I still hope our fight on the 5th of May happens, as I would like to be on that level one more time, as it’s the biggest fight in the world of boxing right now. Obviously, if the Commission says the fight can’t happen due to a positive drug test and certain regulations cancel it, the next step is Billy Joe Saunders, as my dream is to get all the belts,” Golovkin said.
Saunders has a fight next month against Martin Murray on April 14. He’s going to likely win that fight, and he would be more than willing to face Golovkin in his next fight in the summer. It’ll throw Golovkin off having to stay out of the ring for a little while longer beyond May, but if the Commission chooses to ban Canelo for his positive clenbuterol test, then GGG has to do something. He’s probably not going to want to defend his titles against Jermall Charlo, Daniel Jacobs or Sergiy Derevyanchenko, as those are not fights that will further his status in the middleweight division. Golovkin wants all the belts at 160, and Saunders has the last title that’s not in his possession.
“I don’t want to call this fight a rematch or revenge. It’s a second fight,” Golovkin said of his May 5th fight with Canelo. “I expect it to be much more interesting, much better, and everything people say about me not getting to the body, I think we will make some correction and work on this. The second fight will be much more interesting and entertaining,” Golovkin said.
Golovkin will throw more body shots in the rematch with Canelo, because he knows he’s got to stay close to him to keep him from running for 12 rounds. If Golovkin stays on the outside, Canelo will try and land a pot shot or two, and then dash away to the left to use up time and get a breather. It’s how Canelo stole rounds against Golovkin last time they fought in September. Canelo would land a pot shot, and then run to his left to escape getting hit back. If Golovkin stays near Canelo and hits him with body shots, he’ll slow him down and take away his legs. Golovkin has done this before in the past. He should have realized that he needed to stay close to Canelo to keep him from playing the hit and run game all night long.
