In a 5-0 vote by the Nevada State Athletic Commission at its monthly meeting on Wednesday, Canelo Alvarez's suspension for failing two drug tests was extended to six months, the lightest punishment he could have received under the commission rules.
Alvarez has been under temporary suspension since April 3. His much-anticipated rematch with unified middleweight world champion Gennady Golovkin, scheduled for May 5 at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, was canceled.
If Golovkin defeats late substitute opponent Vanes Martirosyan on May 5, the rematch with Alvarez can be rescheduled for the Mexican Independence Day weekend in mid-September, because Alvarez's suspension will be lifted on Aug. 17, six months from Feb. 17, the date of his first positive drug test. They fought to a heavily disputed draw that most thought GGG won last September.
Alvarez twice tested positive for the banned performance-enhancing drug clenbuterol in random urine tests conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association in his hometown of Guadalajara, Mexico, on Feb. 17 and Feb. 20. He claimed the he did not knowingly take a banned substance and that it was in his system because he ate contaminated meat. This has been a long-standing issue with athletes in Mexico, where farmers often include the substance in cattle feed because it helps reduce fat and increase lean muscle mass.
The typical punishment from Nevada for a first offense for a positive clenbuterol test is one year, but commission rules allow for any suspension to cut by 50 percent if the athlete cooperates with the investigation. Alvarez (49-1-2, 34 KOs), 27, of Mexico, did and was rewarded with the light punishment.
