By Jeff Aranow: Saul Canelo Alvarez’s drug testing resumed last Monday with the Nevada State Athletic Commission traveling to his home in Guadalajara, Mexico, to test him, according to ESPN. Canelo (49-1-2, 34 KO) has also enrolled with VADA for year-round testing, as reported on Tuesday.
This was the first test for Canelo since last April before he was given a six month suspension by the Nevada Commission for his 2 failed tests for clenbuterol. It’ll 5 five days before the result of Canelo’s recent drug test is learned, says Dan Rafael. Canelo didn’t resist Monday’s drug test, which is a good thing, because the testing will help him regain his credibility with the boxing fans.
“I want to let you know that I just signed the contract with VADA for year round testing,” Alvarez said on Twitter.
The Mexican star wants to prove that he’s a clean fighter ahead of his next fight on September 15 on HBO PPV. There’s a good chance that Canelo will be facing Gennady Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) in a rematch. Both guys want that fight, and negotiations are underway to try and make the second fight happen.
Canelo’s enrollment with VADA is a move that is long overdue, as he should have done this as soon as his suspension was given him to him on April 18 by the Nevada Commission. Canelo let almost 1 month elapse before finally signing a contract with VADA for random drug testing to be done year round. Had Canelo enrolled with VADA last month, he could have avoided a lot of criticism he’s received from boxing fans in the last 3 weeks. The 27-year-old Canelo needs to be smart in the future to jump on these things right away rather than putting them off and letting a bonfire start.
Now that Canelo has enrolled in the drug testing with VADA, it removes an obstacle that has stood in his way preventing Golden Boy from putting together the lucrative rematch against Golovkin for September. Before negotiations could proceed, Golovkin wanted Canelo to enroll with VADA, which he now has done.
“What people don’t know is Canelo is getting randomly tested by the Nevada commission,” De La Hoya said to ESPN.com. “He wants to be tested year-round. He wants to do this for his fans and that’s why he’s doing this so they won’t doubt him.”
De La Hoya should have told the media that Canelo had started testing instead of saying that the testing would begin as soon as he signs for his next fight. De La Hoya told TMZ this week that Canelo would start his drug testing once he signed for his next fight. That comment from De La Hoya was like throwing fuel on the fire. It was the worst thing De La Hoya could say.
Canelo now being tested by VADA doesn’t mean that he’ll be fighting Golovkin for sure. They still need to negotiate the fight. Golovkin’s promoter Tom Loeffler will need to negotiate the purse split, venue and all the other finer details that go with putting a fight together. Golovkin likely won’t want the rematch to take place in Nevada after the bad experience he had in his previous fight against Canelo last September. We’ll have to see how Canelo feels about fighting in Las Vegas again after being suspended by the Nevada Commission. Had Canelo been looking to fight in Texas, he might have escaped being given a suspension by them, because his contaminated meat excuse might have cleared him. In Nevada, the Commission makes each fighter responsible for what they put inside their body. So when a fighter says they ate contaminated meat containing the substance, the Commission will still suspend them.
It’s got to be a huge load off Canelo’s mind now that he’s being tested again. The tests will speak for themselves to show the boxing world that he’s a clean fighter. Canelo can now focus on resuming his career and getting ready for his next fight on the Mexican Independence Day on September 15, be it against Golovkin or Gary ‘Spike’ O’Sullivan.