By Miguel Rivera
WBA President Gilberto Mendoza is very surprised the recent decision by the Nevada State Athletic Commission to temporarily suspend Saul "Canelo" Alvarez.
Canelo was suspended - ahead of his rematch with IBF, IBO, WBA, WBC middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin - because he tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol in two separate tests that were taken in February.
The rematch is scheduled for May 5th, at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Canelo will now have to state his care at a hearing with the NSAC on April 10th - and then the Nevada Commission will make a final decision on whether or not he can fight Golovkin on May 5.
Mendoza believes the hearing date is not fair to Canelo and he sees no reason for it.
The sanctioning body leader believes Canelo, who claims the failed tests are directly linked to his consumption of contaminated meat.
Mendoza finds it very odd that the NSAC has set this April hearing date, when they likely have enough evidence right now - to make a ruling on the matter - including numerous tests from the month of March where Canelo was completely clean.
He's not sure why the NSAC is dragging things out and making Canelo wait.
"I was a little surprised about the Nevada decision. I am positive that Canelo is innocent because he's had a long career where he never had any positive results. Some strange things have been raised this week, where GGG is talking about [Canelo's] muscles, about injections," Mendoza told ESPN Deportes.
''With respect to the Commission, I think they had to handle it immediately, I'm very pleased that a test result of mid-February, was analyzed later that month. I feel that it's a little unfair that they make a hearing on April 10 because Canelo had been negative in the subsequent drug results, with the last one done on March 17.
"I think that the due process of the commission was to attack the case immediately. Why? Because it seems they are reacting to the comments of Canelo and Golovkin from the prior week, but I do not understand this because if the commission already has the drug test results that came after the adverse result of Canelo, so why are they mentioning a temporary suspension.... they could [make a decision on all of this] privately. Why raise this publicly, to say that they are going to make a temporary suspension when it's just as easy to make a definitive suspension. If they have enough evidence [to make a decision], it seems strange, strange to me."
