Jul 23, 2018

  • Ramona ShelburneESPN Senior Writer

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    • Senior writer for ESPN.com
    • Spent vii years at the Los Angeles Daily News

SAN DIEGO -- Canelo Alvarez said information technology was "my error" for non knowing more than well-nigh the risks of eating meat in his native Mexico, which he asserts caused two positive tests for clenbuterol and the cancellation of his May 5 rematch with Gennady Golovkin.

Speaking to ESPN in advance of the rescheduled Sept. 15 megafight, Alvarez denied using whatever drugs to enhance his performance but said it was his responsibility to meliorate educate himself on the dangers of eating meat in Mexico, where farmers oft include the substance in cattle feed because it helps reduce fatty and increase lean musculus mass.

"I don't want to become anyone else involved. This was my mistake for not reading upward on the risks, non researching more, more on the bailiwick, on what's going on with the beef in Mexico," Alvarez said.

"But I didn't do anything intentionally. I didn't do anything to try to raise my performance. I would never exercise anything like that. It was a fault and zip more, non educating myself almost this problem in Mexico. It was my mistake, and I won't repeat it."

To that end, Alvarez said he has stopped eating beef entirely, fifty-fifty when he is not in Mexico.

"After all this happened, I've been really careful," Alvarez said. "I mean, also careful. I call up we've gone to the farthermost -- to the extreme of not eating beef.

"United States beef is different. I can eat information technology without whatever risk because there's more control here. But I'g trying to get used to not eating beefiness. Because well-nigh of the time I'm in Mexico, and I've stopped eating beef."

Alvarez has ever contended that he tested positive for trace amounts of clenbuterol in random urine tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20 because he consumed a small amount that was present in the meat he ate, as opposed to taking larger doses of the substance as part of a doping program. Larger doses would be more likely to remain in his hair follicles for months later on he stopped taking the substance.

According to Dopeology.org, which extensively covers doping in professional cycling, "Clenbuterol, similar many other substances, accumulates in very pocket-size amounts in hair follicles. If an athlete has taken the substance over a period of time in the by, his/her pilus test might return a positive for a menstruum of six months or longer. Conversely, if the clenbuterol resulted from a unmarried incident, in which the field of study had eaten meat for example, a hair test would well-nigh certainly exist negative."

Alvarez submitted to hair follicle testing at the request of the Nevada Land Athletic Commission on March 29. The results document, which was provided to ESPN, was returned on Apr twenty with a single notation in the section reserved for analysis details: "Hair sample tested for clenbuterol. Clenbuterol was not detected."

"The samples are there. It isn't just coming from me. Information technology isn't coming from the commission or from VADA. The samples speak for themselves," Alvarez said. "The samples they took don't lie. I think that'due south the most important attribute -- that'south the truth. It'southward non me talking. The samples speak for themselves."

Alvarez said his error was in not spending enough fourth dimension or energy researching the dangers of meat, contaminated with clenbuterol in Mexico, despite numerous other instances of athletes testing positive for the substance later consuming meat in Mexico.

In June 2011, five Mexico soccer national team players were suspended from the CONCACAF Gilded Loving cup after testing positive. The players were after exonerated by WADA due to meat contamination. In Oct 2011, FIFA revealed that more than half of the players who participated in the U-17 Earth Cup held in United mexican states tested positive for clenbuterol while stationed in six Mexican cities ranging from the northeast to the key part of the country. In November 2011, WADA issued an official alert for athletes travelling and competing in Mexico to be mindful of beefiness consumption post-obit the FIFA tests.

The following year, nonetheless, boxer Erik Morales tested positive prior to his scheduled fight with Danny Garcia at the Barclays Center. In April 2016, boxer Francisco Vargas tested positive prior to his scheduled June 4 bout.

Clenbuterol has been establish in drug tests within 24-36 hours of the subject eating contaminated meat. Alvarez gave six instances of meals in which he ate beef within that time frame before his 2 positive tests.

Asked why he and his squad weren't more careful about eating meat in Mexico so close to a huge fight, despite the long history of issues, Alvarez called it "irresponsible on my part."

"I read some headlines virtually it, but I didn't really dig any deeper. I didn't read plenty most information technology. And I think that'due south my mistake, not having read further into it, not being aware of what was happening. But I think, whether or non my team should have said something or warned me about this, I was just leading my normal life similar I normally exercise, and zero like this had ever happened," Alvarez said.

"After all this happened, I've been actually conscientious. I mean, too conscientious. I think we've gone to the farthermost -- to the extreme of not eating beef." Canelo Alvarez

"Since 2011 I've been doing this. Unfortunately, it happened now, information technology happened before this fight. Only, and I know some other boxers who have tested positive for clenbuterol, only I didn't really research what was happening. I think that was irresponsible on my role, not looking up more information on the subject, on why it had happened, what they had tested positive for. That was my responsibility in the end.

"But it was never intentional. I didn't even know well-nigh it, and to be honest I don't need illegal substances to assistance me in a fight. No. All the preparation I do and the subject area I accept, those are what aid me in a fight. I've never needed anything throughout my life, and I won't ever need annihilation because I'm make clean, I'thou an honest person, and I dearest what I practise, I respect what I exercise. I'd never practise anything like that because battle is my life, and I don't want to give boxing a bad reputation. It's something I love. I wouldn't want my kids to see that, to have that paradigm of their dad. Of course non. I would never do annihilation like that. Being clean is more than important than anything else."

In April, Alvarez was suspended for half dozen months past the Nevada State Athletic Commission for declining two drug tests, the lightest punishment typically given for this kind of infraction. Alvarez'southward suspension will exist lifted on Aug. 17, six months after February. 17, the appointment of his first positive drug examination.

He has taken offense to numerous suggestions past Golovkin and his team that his career and legacy should exist tainted by the positive clenbuterol tests.

"They can say whatever they want," Alvarez said. "Merely I think it'south an excuse because he'due south going to lose on Sept. fifteen, so he's just clinging onto that idea. I think they need to do some enquiry considering clenbuterol isn't a steroid. It's non a steroid, and it doesn't help at all. It doesn't help functioning, doesn't add muscle, cipher similar that. I think they should exercise some research before talking.

"They're putting up a lot of excuses because they know he's going to lose on Sept. xv."

ESPN'southward Dan Rafael contributed to this study.