By Keith Idec
Less than an hour after the Nevada State Athletic Commission voted to extend Canelo Alvarez’s temporary suspension to six months Wednesday, his promoter announced his planned return.
In a statement released Wednesday morning, Golden Boy Promotions revealed Alvarez will return to the ring September 15, presumably in Las Vegas. The 27-year-old Alvarez’s suspension for two positive tests for clenbuterol in February should end after August 17 because his six-month suspension is retroactive to the date of his first failed test (February 17).
Assuming Alvarez is healthy and licensed to box by the NSAC, his middleweight championship rematch against Gennady Golovkin could be rescheduled for September 15 to coincide with the celebration of Mexico’s Independence Day (September 16). Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 KOs) will first fight junior middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan (36-3-1, 21 KOs) on May 5 at StubHub Center in Carson, California (HBO).
Mexico’s Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) was supposed to fight Golovkin again in a lucrative pay-per-view match May 5 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, where they fought to a controversial draw September 16.
“As we have maintained all along,” Golden Boy’s statement read, “the trace amounts of clenbuterol found in Canelo’s system in February came from meat contamination, and we provided the Nevada State Athletic Commission with a great deal of evidence to support those facts. 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. 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.”
2023-10-20 20:43:59
