Canelo Álvarez Temporarily Suspended For Tainted-Meat Drug Tests

After two weeks of reviewing his purportedly tainted-meat induced positive drug tests, the Nevada State Athletic Commission temporarily suspended Canelo Álvarez just over a month ahead of his upcoming rematch with middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin.

The NAC issued Álvarez a temporary suspension on Friday in response to his testing positive for clenbuterol, a steroid used for breathing disorders and also for burning fat. The positive tests, submitted by Alvarez on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20, were initially reported on March 5; the NAC has been investigating the case for the past two weeks. Gilbert Manzano of the Las Vegas Review Journal reports that Alvarez will go in front of a appeals commission on April 10 to defend himself and fight the suspension.

Álvarez maintains he did not knowingly take any banned steroids, with his team saying the positive tests were the results of some bad meat Álvarez ate in Mexico. This isn’t exactly unprecedented—back in 2016, the NFL Player’s Association warned players about consuming meat in Mexico after it resulted in a positive test for Houston Texans tackle Duane Brown.

The GGG-Alvarez rematch is still scheduled to go down May 5.