Drug Cheat or Dodgy Meat?

As a lifelong sports fan and an avid follower of all things boxing, I was hugely disappointed to hear that the biggest name in boxing had failed a drug test for banned performance enhancement clenbuterol.

As the heir to the Mexican the throne and hero to millions of Mexicans Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez did not disappoint. Promoted by ‘Golden boy’ himself Oscar De La Hoya and employing the famous Mexican style of exciting, come forward, attacking boxing that Mexicans before him were famous for. It was only a matter of time before the Ginger baby faced assassin would be catapulted to the very top of the sport. That is exactly what happened when ‘Canelo' was offered a fight with the number one fighter on the planet at the time, Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather.

That fight was a disappointment for Mexicans however, with Floyd winning a one-sided majority decision that should have been a unanimous one. This did nothing to dampen the shining star of 'Canelo' and he went on to dominate all opposition and take Floyd's place as the biggest money fighter on the planet.

Questions still remained as did 'Canelo's' detractors. Why was 'Canelo' the Ring magazine champion? Why was he fighting at 155 when the middleweight limit was 160 and why was he not signing to fight the other monster in the division? The Kazakh, Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin or Triple G to his friends and anyone who can’t pronounce it.

The answers to aformentioned questions are simple. Working alongside Floyd Mayweather, Canelo and his promoter had learnt more than how to employ a shoulder role to avoid head shots. They had learnt how to stack the odds in their favor and get the win at all costs. If that meant making your opponent drain down or bulk up to a weight that they don't usually fight at or vacate a belt in order to avoid a fight altogether, then the team was willing to do so. To clarify, 'Canelo' won the vacant WBC middleweight title by beating a past it Miguel Cotto. He then went on defend the title against Amir Khan (a welterweight) before avoiding a fight with mandatory challenger Triple G by vacating the belt and fighting at Light Middleweight. Some labelled Canelo as a coward. This writer is not about to label any boxer a coward and often decisions like this are not made by the fighter. They were made nonetheless to the detriment of Canelo's legacy and the fans' entertainment.

Clenbuterol

Having hung around gyms for years and being around some fairly serious lifters, I have heard the drug mentioned fairly regularly. To clarify, the drug is used in bodybuilding as part of a steroid cycle before competition. The strength and muscle gains are limited but the main benefits of the drug are reduced body fat and increased stamina. Perfect for an athlete that is in a position where they need to lose weight and maintain fitness levels.

Meat Contamination

After two failed tests, the biggest boxer in the sport Saul 'Canelo' Alvarez was in hot water for about 12 hours until his promotional team explained that there had been a problem in Mexico over a long period of time and that many, many sportsmen and women had failed tests for "Clen." This was because meat that they had eaten was contaminated. I think it's important to understand that if something is banned then it doesn't matter where it came from or how you consumed it. As far as I'm concerned, a sports person has a responsibility to follow the rules. In other words, don't eat Mexican meat if you know people are failing tests for it, or don't cheat and use this as an excuse.

In a miraculous turn of events a third test was completed. And guess what? He was clean. So now the other tests don't count but the third one does. We can all sleep tight in the knowledge that when the two best middleweights enter a ring in order to punch each other in the head that they are on an even playing field. No one has taken precautions to tip the balance of odds in their favor. And let's also forget that Triple G clearly won the first fight but was only given a draw. We can be sure that if the judges are given the task of scoring the fight they will do their job with class and honesty, this time.

Gennady Golovkin vs Canelo Alvarez two takes place on the 5th of May at the T-Mobile arena in Las Vegas.