MMA isn’t the only sport struggling to tackle doping, and the UFC is far from alone in trying to clean things up. It’s a topic that has again surfaced ahead of GGG vs. Canelo 2, giving the latter’s drug test failure earlier this year.
Los Angeles, CA — While the MMA world anticipates McGregor vs. Nurmagomedov, on the boxing side, fans are awaiting the rematch of one of last year’s biggest fights: Canelo vs. GGG 2. In the original, Canelo Álvarez and Gennady Golovkin fought to a split draw through twelve rounds. That pretty much guaranteed a sequel, which arrives next month, almost a year to the date after the original fight.
Canelo Alvarez has not fought since last year’s draw, while Golovkin picked up a win in May. Of course, that May 5 win over Vanes Martirosyan was supposed to have been a fight against Alvarez. However, Alvarez tested positive for the banned substance clenbuterol in March, leading to a retroactive six month suspension.
Lest anyone question USADA’s work, it’s rare to see a UFC fighter earn less than a year away from the business for a failed test.
Over the weekend, Cageside Press had a chance to speak with GGG promoter Tom Loeffler, about drug testing for the bout, and bringing it all together.
“The most difficult thing was getting both guys to agree on the final terms,” Loeffler said of the overall process. “We were very close for a long time, but until we actually had the final agreement, the fight wasn’t done.”
As for drug testing, “if the commission allows it, both guys are doing VADA testing,” he said. “This is the longest Canelo has been testing. GGG started testing right after the May 5 fight. So, you know, there’s only so much you can do.” That said, it sounds like GGG’s camp is trying not to worry about things outside their control. “Right now, everyone’s focused on the fight. GGG is very motivated. He’s going to put on even more pressure than the first time.”
If you think this might be the last big boxing match for GGG, think again. “There’s a lot of big fights for GGG,” Loeffler suggested. “Billy Joe Saunders, he’s got the WBO title. [Ryota] Murata is out there. There’s a lot of big fights. Ramirez, El Zurdo Ramirez at 168. You never know what’s going to happen after that. But right now, he’s focused September 15. I think after this, a lot of options are going to be open to him.”
