Alvarez suspended for 6 months, could be back in September
Nevada boxing regulators gave Canelo Alvarez a reduced penalty for doping violations Wednesday, potentially allowing him to return to the ring in September against Gennady Golovkin.
Alvarez was given a sixmonth suspension instead of the standard one year for first-time violators. His May 5 fight with Golovkin was called off earlier because of the doping, but with the Nevada Athletic Commission suspension retroactive to February he would be available for a possible fight with Triple G on the traditional Mexican Independence Day weekend in September.
Golovkin, meanwhile, announced Wednesday he would defend his WBC, WBA and IBF titles against Vanes Martirosyan at the StubHub Center in Carson on the May 5 date he was supposed to meet Alvarez.
Caroline Bateman, a Nevada deputy attorney general, suggested a punishment of six months from the day of Alvarez’s first positive test on Feb. 17. She said Alvarez also must undergo drug tests, but added no fine was recommended because past fines have been based on future purses.
Bateman said during the commission meeting that Alvarez has been cooperative since testing positive, which was a contributing factor in handing down a punishment less than the standard disciplinary sanction of one year. PACQUIAO SAYS SPLIT WITH ROACH IS NOT FINAL >> Manny Pacquiao hasn’t entirely turned his back on a 16-year working relationship with trainer Freddie Roach.
The eight-division world champion said he will be trained by Restituto “Buboy” Fernandez and Raides “Nonoy” Neri for his fight against Lucas Matthysse for the WBA welterweight title in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on July 15, but that it was on an experimental basis.
“I am still not closing the door for Freddie,” Pacquiao said.
Tennis
DJOKOVIC NEEDS 10 MATCH POINTS TO ADVANCE >> Novak Djokovic and defending champion Rafael Nadal needed a combined 14 match points to reach the third round of the Monte Carlo Masters in Monaco.
After Djokovic finally converted his 10th match point to beat Borna Coric 7-6 (2) 7-5, Nadal required four in a 6-1, 6-3 win against Aljaz Bedene 6-1, 6-3.
Djokovic first missed two match points with Coric serving at 5-3, then wasted another seven in a marathon game when serving for the match.
Colleges
NCAA SAYS NO TO FORMER FOOTBALL PLAYERS AT PRACTICE >> The NCAA Division I Council has banned college football teams from using former players in practice and tabled a proposal to let players participate in four games while still redshirting.
The Division I Council announced several rule changes, including a new recruiting calendar for all sports not including football and basketball. The council also lifted a ban on alcohol sales at NCAA championships, following a two-year pilot program where alcohol was available at several events.
Alabama has drawn attention for using former players such as Trent Richardson and Blake Sims on scout teams in recent years. Last year, Clemson had former Tigers quarterback Tajh Boyd mimic Alabama’s Jalen Hurts in practice to prepare for a playoff game against the Crimson Tide.
Soccer
VAR DECISIONS AT WORLD CUP TO BE EXPLAINED ON GIANT SCREENS >> Fans attending World Cup matches in Russia won’t be left wondering about the reasons behind decisions of the video assistant referee.
After the VAR’s decision is made, replays will be shown on giant screens inside the stadiums accompanied by a written explanation.
It’s all part of the VAR information system that FIFA unveiled Wednesday.
FIFA will place someone in the VOR (video operations room) who will listen in to the VAR’s decisions and communicate them to both TV commentators and stadium personnel operating the giant screens.
NFL
HESTER, FORTE TO RETIRE AS BEARS >> Record-setting return specialist Devin Hester and running back Matt Forte will sign one-day contracts with the Chicago Bears and retire as members of the organization where they starred. The team says they will make it official at a ceremony on Monday. TITANS WILL EXERCISE FIFTH-YEAR OPTION ON MARIOTA >> The Tennessee Titans announced they will exercise their fifth-year option on quarterback Marcus Mariota. The move keeps the 2014 Heisman Trophy winner under contract through the 2019 season.