MEXICAN star Canelo Alvarez pulled out of his rematch with Gennady Golovkin. Alvarez tested positive for traces of clenbuterol and, with the fight scheduled for May 5, his focus is on proving that he did not ingest a prohibited substance intentionally. He believes the clenbuterol came from eating contaminated meat in Mexico.

“However I respect the Nevada State Athletic Commission and I understand that under its laws and its regulations there are certain penalties and certain sanctions even for unintentional positive results and even for consuming meat. The reality is that unfortunately as a result of this the rematch will have to wait a little longer. I am truly disappointed and upset that I will not be able to participate in the rematch against Golovkin. I was very much looking forward to this fight. I’d been training and I wanted to get in the ring and prove once and for all that I am the best middleweight in the ring. I am sad and I feel powerless that I can’t make this fight happen at this point. I have informed the Nevada State Athletic Commission that I am willing to do whatever they request to prove that I am a clean fighter. I will take whatever additional exams they request and I will do everything in my power to prove without a doubt that I never intentionally ingested clenbuterol. I have nothing to hide,” he said.

In his defence Canelo said, “I am truly shocked by what has happened and I lament that this had led people to have doubts and suspicions about my athletic integrity. I have always been a clean fighter and I always will be a clean fighter. I want to apologise for all of the inconvenience that this has caused to HBO, MGM, Tecate, Hennessy, all my other sponsors, the media and to everyone who is involved in the promotion of this event. And especially to the fans, to whom I want to say I have not let you down. I respect the sport and I have always been a clean fighter.”

He continued, “Now I’d like to clarify this situation. I have always done tests before my fights with VADA. These tests are voluntary and despite their being voluntary I have agreed to do them in every single one of my fights. I have asked that they do these tests and they have always come back negative. I am a clean fighter. On this occasion the results showed small traces of clenbuterol. I know many are asking themselves, how could this happen if I didn’t intentionally take clenbuterol? Unfortunately there is a public problem in my country, Mexico. Over the last years many athletes from many sports, including cycling, football, soccer and boxing have tested positive for clenbuterol after eating meat in Mexico. This substance can be transmitted to humans through meat being eaten in Mexico and contaminated meat is what caused this test. That is my case. It has affected athletes in all sports and this is the situation we have now. Since the positive tests I have submitted to various additional tests with the same laboratory and those results have all come back negative. To be clear I am a clean fighter.”

He hopes to make his case that this result was unintentional. “I want to be transparent and open during this process and because of the respect I have for the sport and myself as a fighter, I will do whatever I need to demonstrate that I have not taken any illegal substance and that is the most important thing for me at this time, to prove that I’m a clean fighter. Throughout 12 years in the sport I have had over 90 tests all of which have come back negative. I can assure that I have always operated my career as a clean fighter. I have never taken any illegal substances and this is no exception. I am a clean fighter and will always be a clean fighter because I respect the sport and I respect myself in the sport and that is 100 percent true. I respect the sport unconditionally along with my trainers, my family, my team, my country and I would never do anything intentionally that would tarnish something that I have worked so hard for and I have given so many sacrifices for. I will accept and respect any decision of the commission and I will wait for the time at which I can have this great fight. It saddens me that people are accusing me of doing something that is improper. I have always been a fighter with integrity but I feel calm and I am proud of the career that I have, a career in which I have never done anything illegal and I have never done anything to disappoint or disrespect the sport of boxing, nor will I ever do so,” he said.

Canelo Alvarez

He maintains, “From here on out I will take increased precautions with future fights and I will ensure that this never happens again. Again I want to thank everyone that has support me during this time, to my fans, to my team, to my family, to my sponsors, to all of you who believe in me. I am thankful that you have come here today and I am ready for what comes in the future.”