When it was announced that Canelo Alvarez tested positive for a banned substance just ahead of his Cinco de Mayo super fight rematch with GGG, many immediately began to speculate if the accusations were serious enough to put the most in-demand fight of the year in jeopardy.
While many pundits agreed the PED bust wouldn’t be enough to knock the fight off track, GGG himself is speaking out about the situation, & it’s not going over so smoothly with his camp:
Via, LA Times:
In a Wednesday conversation with the Los Angeles Times at his Big Bear training facility, three-belt middleweight champion Golovkin (37-0-1, 33 knockouts) said the Nevada Athletic Commission and the sanctioning bodies must hold the sport’s most popular fighter accountable.
“We are elite athletes, and I want to keep boxing on this elite level,” Golovkin said. “There are laws and a commission and [anti-doping scrutiny], and we have to fulfill them. They have to take action in that case, either disqualify him or [deliver] penalties. But if it’s neglected, why do we need a commission? And why talk about tests?
“When you get to this level, people should be watching the skills you muster from yourself, not wonder which laboratory you have.”
Golovkin of course wants to participate in the lucrative bout with Alvarez, but says he has options to pursue if the fight is scrapped.
“My first impression is athletes at this level cannot fail or show any positive because it’s bad for sport, bad for everything … failing a test at this level either means he doesn’t want to fight, has problems or has problems with his team,” Golovkin said. “This is showing your true face.
“They know what [clenbuterol] is. It’s not something new. There’s lots of precedents.”
The World Boxing Council is working feverishly to iron out the details & get to the bottom of what happened, in order to preserve the fight.
Canelo’s defense is the banned substance has historically been found in contaminated Mexican meat, which is a part of his normal diet. He says he’s in no way a cheater.
It’s clear GGG isn’t open to hearing any excuses, and he does have a point. At this level, championship world class fighters are a fortune 500 company, and if found not to be fit-to-fight, that responsibility should lay with that fighter & their camp.
I would be lying if I said GGG stance didn’t surprise me at all though. If the fight is compromised; both fighters stand to lose millions, but he seems to be more committed to the purity of the sport.
I can’t be mad at him for that.