LOS ANGELES _ The Nevada Athletic Commission has suspended former two-division world boxing champion Canelo Alvarez for six months following his two positive tests for a banned performance-enhancing substance.
Chairman Anthony Marnell III and commissioners Staci Alonso, Sandra D. Morgan, Dr. Robert McBeath and Christopher Ault voted unanimously Wednesday to discipline Alvarez after Clenbuterol was found in his system.
The suspension, which will date to Alvarez's first positive test sample obtained in Mexico on Feb. 17, will allow him to return for a Mexican Independence weekend rematch with three-belt unbeaten middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin, one year after they fought to a draw at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.
Because of the positive samples, that rematch was scrapped for its intended May 5 date, and Golovkin earlier Wednesday struck a deal to defend two of his belts against Vanes Martirosyan at StubHub Center.
Commissioner Morgan was told by an investigator in the Alvarez case that his discipline was connected to his first offense and did not find that Alvarez took the banned substance intentionally.
Alvarez, who was not in attendance after undergoing knee surgery last week, has said he accidentally ingested the substance when eating beef in Mexico.
