How does Canelo get back in the ring after doping violations?

What is Canelo Alvarez’s future and what does contaminated meat have to do with his doping violation? We explain the way forward after the cancelled Gennady Golovkin rematch.

Canelo Alvarez is serving a temporary suspension pending a full hearing from the Nevada State Athletic Commission over a pair of doping violations in the lead-up to his now-cancelled May 5 bout with Gennady “GGG” Golovkin. Alvarez is one of the most prolific boxers on the planet, and what happens next for him is the biggest question in the sport.

While Golovkin intends to fight somebody on May 5, it won’t be Alvarez. More pressing than that potential match, which can’t be as big as the one that was originally scheduled, is when Alvarez can get back in the ring and what will happen with his failed drug tests.

There was a hearing set for April 18 with the Nevada commission, but Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez said on Tuesday that the Alvarez situation is “extremely unlikely” to be resolved by then. Gomez then cited a need to properly promote the rematch with Golovkin as the primary reason for cancelling the match.

So what happens next?

Alvarez’s failed tests

Alvarez tested positive on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20 for the weight loss accelerant/stamina elevator clenbuterol. He maintains that he did not knowingly ingest clenbuterol, and claimed that the positive tests were due to contaminated meat.

Miguel Angel Nazul, a doctor speaking on Alvarez’s behalf, said that the levels of clenbuterol were consistent with those that occur when tainted meat is ingested, and that there was not enough of the chemical to give Alvarez any kind of competitive advantage. Alvarez’s top priority is restoring his reputation, which has always been solid.

“I am truly shocked by what has happened. I don’t want anyone to have doubts about my integrity. I have always been a clean fighter and will be a clean fighter,” Alvarez said. “To my fans, I have not let you down. I have always been a fighter with integrity. I am proud of the career which I have had, a career in which I have never done anything illegal to disrespect the sport.”

The hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission will likely go forward on April 18, and Alvarez has said that he will respect the ruling, which many believe will not be favorable to him unless he can obtain conclusive evidence that the clenbuterol wasn’t knowingly ingested.

Contaminated meat?

This is a common explanation, especially concerning athletes from Mexico, and it’s not necessarily one you should assume is untrue. Nobody really knows what happened save for Alvarez himself, but his stated reasons to hold some water.

Clenbuterol is used by farmers in cattle feed in Mexico and some other countries, including China. In the past, the NFL Players Association warned its players to avoid eating meat in China or Mexico due to the potential for tainted meat. This was in the wake of Duane Brown getting a 10-game suspension overturned after testing positive from clenbuterol he claimed he ingested through tainted beef.

Will he be punished?

The general feeling for some time has been that the ruling will not be favorable for Alvarez, likely due to the fact that the contaminated meat explanation has been used by my so many boxers and that Alvarez is such a big name in the sport. The standard NSAC punishment for a first-time doping violation is one year, but as reported by SB Nation’s Bad Left Hook, that year can be a lot less if Alvarez cooperates.

“The hearing is what’s most important,” NSAC executive director Bob Bennett told Bad Left Hook. If Canelo “decides to take ownership,” and “say, ‘I am responsible,’” that could absolutely affect their ruling, he believes. And if ownership is taken by Canelo, “the commission could reduce that up to fifty percent.”

In this instance, “taking ownership” doesn’t necessarily mean admitting that he knowingly ingested clenbuterol. It could be as simple as admitting that he is in a position where he should have the luxury of monitoring where his food comes from.

Is the GGG rematch completely done?

If Alvarez satisfied the commission and gets, say, a six-month suspension, it will be retroactive to Feb. 17, the date of his first positive test. That would make him eligible to return to competition in August.

Both Alvarez and Golovkin want the rematch, so there is every reason to expect the match will be made again. Golovkin plans to fight on May 5 still, but nobody they could get on this short notice would likely present much trouble for him. The rematch should absolutely be the first order of business once Alvarez has his issues taken care of.