By Sean Jones: After learning of Mexican superstar Saul Canelo Alvarez’s positive test for the banned substance clenbuterol, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said the WBC will be consistent in following the protocols in investigating the case.
Some boxing fans are already saying that they expect Canelo (49-1-2, 34 KOs) to be given a free pass for his positive drug test by the WBC, Nevada State Athletic Commission and the other sanctioning bodies. Canelo, 27, is blaming his positive test on having eaten contaminated meat.
Former WBA heavyweight champion Lucas Browne was stripped of his title after he tested positive for clenbuterol for his fight against Ruslan Chagaev on November 14, 2015. Browne maintained that his food had been contaminated with the substance while he was in Russia for the Chagaev fight, but he still ended up being stripped of his WBA belt due to the positive test.
”The @WBCBoxing will be consistent in following the protocol in the case of @Canelo investigating all the details. Clenbuterol is a problem,” WBC president Sulaiman said on his social media. ”A public health problem in Mexico and should be analyzed thoroughly before reaching conclusions @Canelo has always been negative.”
As you can see, Sulaiman ends by saying, “Canelo has always been negative.” Just what Sulaiman is driving at by pointing that out is unclear. A lot of fighters have been tested negative for drugs in the past, but when they do test positive, they’re still considered dirty. They’re not given breaks by the sanctioning bodies because they tested negative in the past.
Some fans are saying that Canelo should have known better than to eat Mexican beef given the risk of it containing substances in some cases that will show up on drug tests. The WBC and the other sanctioning bodies need to figure out how to address problems like this. We’re seeing a lot of Athletes saying they ate tainted food or supplements to escape punishment. If the tainted food and or supplements excuse works for athletes to get out of being punished, then why are they being tested in the first place?
Clenbuterol is used by some athletes to cut weight, but it’s also used to increase cardio ability to improve their stamina. It wouldn’t make sense for Canelo to be using clenbuterol on purpose for weight loss at this early stage of training camp to cut weight. He doesn’t get that heavy between fights. The increase in stamina might be an advantage for Canelo against Golovkin, because he was gassing out badly last September incapable of fighting hard for more than 1 minute of every round. Of course, with Canelo having eaten contaminated meat, his test results were caused by accident. Whether that excuse will be good enough for the WBC, Nevada Commission and other sanctioning bodies remains to be seen.
If Canelo does get suspended for the positive test for clenbuterol, which I see as extremely doubtful, it’s unclear whether Golovkin would look to face WBO middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders next or someone else. Saunders is defending his WBO title next month against Martin Murray on April 14th. Saunders could be available to fight Golovkin by the end of summer. If Canelo gets banned by the sanctioning bodies or the Nevada State Athletic Commission for his positive test, then Golovkin is going to have to fight someone. With Canelo out of the picture, Golovkin could fight Saunders, Jermall Charlo or Daniel Jacobs.