Canelo Alvarez Withdraws From GGG Rematch After Testing Positive for Steroids

The potential fight of the year is off

Last September, middleweight champions Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin fought to a thrilling draw in Las Vegas. The two fighters were both set to do it again on May 5th.

And then Alvarez failed a drug test on February 17th and then another test on February 21st.

And now the fight is off.

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On Tuesday, Golden Boy Promotions president Eric Gomez, the team that promotes Canelo, announced that the fight was canceled. On April 18th, Alvarez was supposed to meet with the Nevada Athletic Commission. However, Gomez decided to kill the fight early because it was extremely unlikely to get resolved in time to make the May 5th date. And making that date is crucial to how the fight gets marketed. (The two biggest fight weekends are Cinco De Mayo and Mexican Independence weekend in September.)

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The steroid Alvarez tested positive for was a banned anabolic agent called Clenbuterol. Canelo says he didn't cheat. He also said the failed tests came after he ate contaminated meat in Mexico, where he's from.

Canelo held a press conference in LA about the results. He said:

I have always been a clean fighter and I always will be a clean fighter...I want to prove without a doubt that I have never intentionally ingested Clenbuterol. I have nothing to hide and I want to be open and transparent through this process...I have never taken illegal substances and this is no different.

As for Gennady Golovkin, who is better known as GGG, not much has changed. The Kazakhstani boxer will still fight on May 5th. An appointment hasn't been announced yet.

Source: ESPN