In April 2018, the boxing world was shocked to learn of the six-month suspension of Mexican fighter Saul Canelo Alvarez after he tested positive in a doping test.
The Mexican tested positive for clenbuterol prior to his fight against Gennady Golovkin, but the Guadalajara native’s public relations team handled everything in a smart way so as not to cause further damage.
Canelo’s training partner, Ghanaian fighter Sena Agbeko, recalled that tough episode in the Mexican fighter’s career.
“I was in Canelo’s camp at a time when Canelo was tested for Clenbuterol and was suspended for six months,” Agbeko told FightHype.
“His PR team did a great job. They came back with him contaminated, and now that’s something that’s already forgotten,” added the African.
Canelo’s team argued at the time that the positive test was due to contaminated meat consumed in Mexico, where the use of clenbuterol in cattle has been a documented problem, which even affected several players of the Mexican national soccer team.
The Mexican fighter was suspended for a period of six months by the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), but the rematch against GGG finally took place, and the fans completely forgot about the ban Canelo faced, thanks to the good work of his team who knew how to turn the controversy around.
Floyd Mayweather’s career praise
Agbeko praised the boxing career of American Floyd Mayweather, whom he cited as an example of how a boxer should behave.
“We have fighters like Floyd Mayweather. I can’t say that he ever took anything. I don’t think he ever took anything,” said Agbeko, who said that for a moment he was disappointed by the way boxers use any means, allowed or not, to improve their career in the ring
“The fans don’t seem to care anyway. They’re there for the entertainment and the blood, that’s all,” he said.
Recently, fighters such as Ryan Garcia, Robert Helenius, Dennis McCann and, more recently, Conor Benn have been in the spotlight due to doping cases.
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