Blaming tainted meat not worth chewing on

IT’S AS simple as some basketball coach selling rump roasts out of his car in Lithuania: If a positive drug test for the banned substance Clenbuterol doesn’t earn “Canelo” Alvarez a suspension and postponement of his May 5 rematch against Gennady Golovkin at T-mobile Arena, then it’s really not a drug test at all.

It’s a joke.

It’s a test simply to tell the public you’re administering one.

I thought the year’s only meat story worth noting would be that nutty Virginijus Šeškus, who coaches brothers Liangelo and Lamelo Ball at Prienu Vytautas while offering a full-service deli from his trunk after practice each day.

But then it was announced Monday that Alvarez, training for his unified middleweight world title match against Golovkin, tested positive and has blamed tainted meat in Mexico for his Voluntary Anti-doping Association sample coming back dirty.

GRANEY

is the director of SMRTL, the WADa-accredited lab that conducted the tests.

Loeffler said Golovkin declined to comment on the postive test until he speaks with the NAC.

“It’s hard to comment until we have all the information,” Loeffler said. “I really have to defer comment based on what happens with the ruling from the Nevada Athletic Commission. We just have to wait for more information from the Nevada commission to see how they’ll deal with it.”

“Hopefully there’s nothing adverse to make this fight go forward.”

Bob Bennett, the commission’s executive director, said an investigation has started to determine whether Alvarez used performance-enhancing drugs.

“As of right now, it’s on,” Bennett said of the fight. “I’m not determining that it will stay that way. We’re still doing the investigation. There’s a litany of things that still need to be done for us to (make a ruling). We’re not really at a position to make that determination at this point.”

Alvarez will immediately move his training camp from Mexico to either San Diego or Colorado. The rematch follows a highly controversial draw

in the fighters’ first meeting in September.

It’s the first time in his 13-year professional career that Alvarez has tested positive.

“I am an athlete who respects the sport and this surprises me and bothers me because it had never happened to me,” Alvarez, 27, said in a statement. “I will submit to all the tests that require me to clarify this embarrassing situation and I trust that at the end the truth will prevail.”

When asked if he was disappointed with Alvarez not staying away from meat in Mexico before a big fight, Loeffler said, “That’s a better question for Golden Boy.”

Golovkin, the three-belt middleweight champion, has never had a drug test return positive.

“Abel Sanchez (Golovkin’s trainer) especially has insisted on testing for all of ‘Triple G’s’ fights because he punches so hard,” Loeffler said. “Abel never has wanted to have any doubt to his punching power or conditioning.

“I know (Golovkin) always wants an even level playing field in the sport of boxing. He just wants to make sure it’s a clean sport because it’s such as dangerous sport.”

Contact Gilbert Manzano at gmanzano@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Gmanzano24 on Twitter.