On Tuesday, Mexican superstar Saul "Canelo" Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs) announced that he enrolled in year-round testing with VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association).
Canelo has been under fire since testing positive, twice, for the banned substance clenbuterol back in February.
While Canelo was firm that his positive tests were a direct result of ingesting contaminated meat in Mexico - the Nevada State Athletic Commission still suspended him for six months.
Because of the positive tests, Canelo's scheduled rematch with IBF, IBO, WBC, WBA middleweight Gennady Golovkin (38-0-1, 34 KOs) fell apart. It was set to take place on May 5th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Canelo will return to the ring on September 15th, as part of Mexican Independence Day weekend, and the rematch with Golovkin is the first choice on his list.
But there was some tension between the two camps, after Golden Boy Promotions executives Eric Gomez and Oscar De La Hoya, who handle Canelo, said their boxer would not begin a drug testing protocol until the rematch with Golovkin was signed.
Tom Loeffler, who runs Golovkin's promotional company, was very pleased to hear the news - and feels Canelo is doing the right thing to clear his name.
“I think it’s the right thing to do, especially for someone who has been proclaiming his innocence,” Loeffler said to Yahoo Sports.
“Gennady has been clear that he would have no problem continuing to be tested through the fight in September, and he expected the same from Canelo, so this is a step in the right direction.
“It would have been a requirement [to make the fight], but they never balked at doing it. It was a matter of when it would start. When he said he’d start testing when the contract was signed, that raised a few flags, but really, if he’s being tested now, there are no issues. This was a good step.”
