How Many Times Has Canelo Alvarez Failed Doping Tests?

Canelo Alvarez has just attained the position of the fourth richest athlete in the world, as per Forbes. Alvarez is currently the undisputed king in the Super Middleweight division. Now he is ready to put all of his titles against the Undisputed junior Middleweight World Champion Jermell Charlo on September 30. Canelo Alvarez has gone ahead to engrave his name as the legendary Mexican boxer, besides the legend himself, Julio Cesar Chavez. Be it inside or outside boxing, ‘Cinnamon’ has garnered immense respect.

However, there’s one stain that would come and haunt the pound-for-pound king for eternity. It’s the incident that took place back in 2018 when the rematch against Gennady Golovkin was canceled due to a failed VADA doping test. This will always be a huge blotch on his remarkable record of 59-2-2.

When and how many times did Canelo Alvarez fail the doping test?

Months ago in 2017, Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin went against each other. Their bout resulted in a draw by a split decision. This instantly demanded a rematch in the boxing community, and both fighters’ teams worked hard to make it happen. But the fight couldn’t happen, as Canelo Alvarez tested positive for a banned substance on two separate occasions.

In 2018, on two separate occasions, Alvarez tested positive for clenbuterol, which is a banned substance in the sport. The drug is a prescribed medicine for asthmatic patients. In addition, it also helps in gaining lean muscle mass and burning fat. Due to this, it’s notably banned in combat sports. But the presence of this substance put Alvarez on the radar of suspicion.

The moment this tests came out to be positive, the rematch which was scheduled for the Cinco De Mayo celebration event, on May 5th, 2018 was canceled. There was also a ban imposed on the Mexican boxer for some time.

How long was Canelo Alvarez’s suspension?

After all the accusations started to settle, Canelo Alvarez instantly denied any intake of such a banned substance. He was cooperative throughout the entire process. Well, due to him being a first-time offender, and his cooperation as the reason, the commission allowed a “maximum reduction” in his suspension.

After the entire investigation, it was declared that Canelo Alvarez would be banned for six months from taking on the gloves. During the time, Alvarez was being promoted by Oscar De La Hoya, who came out publicly to announce that the failed test was due to meat contamination. At that time, Eddie Hearn, who later ended up promoting the boxer, demanded a “lifetime ban” on Alvarez. This was further substantiated by the commission at the end of April, as they approved that the test was indeed due to the intake of meat.

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This gave the boxer a green flag to compete in August. Well, this has previously happened back in 2011 as well, when the whole Mexican Football team tested positive for this substance just before the Gold Cup. So there was always a benefit of doubt in the case of Canelo Alvarez. What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments section.

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