Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin have both passed their final drug tests following their trilogy battle in Las Vegas.
Alvarez finally put to bed a rivalry of several years by putting in a dominant display to outpoint Golovkin at the T-Mobile Arena in Sin City last month. Their bitter feud began after judges scored their original contest as a split decision draw, before Alvarez was awarded a victory in their rematch a year later with both decisions deemed hugely controversial following Golovkin's superb displays.
The Mexican star and Golovkin had signed up to VADA testing in the build-up to the clash as part of the WBC's 'clean boxing' programme with the famous green belt one of the undisputed titles staked in the fight. And the pair have now successfully completed the period of testing, with the organisation tweeting: "Congratulations to Canelo Alvarez and Gennady Golovkin for again successfully completing VADA testing."
This was a significant issue for this particular fight, with Alvarez having failed two drug tests just three days apart in 2018 after their first meeting and before their eventual rematch. He tested positive for banned substance clenbuterol, which he later claimed was caused by consuming tainted meat in his native Mexico.
He was slapped with a six-month suspension which delayed their second showdown, before the pair touched gloves again and he was awarded a majority decision win. The drug scandal had been a topic of argument during the pair's recent war of words, in which Golovkin believes his rival was responsible for the rivalry becoming personal.
"If he believes it was something I said and that it was personal, where has he been all these years? Three or four years already," Golovkin told Ariel Helwani in the build-up to their fight. "If it’s personal, what has he been waiting for? I have not said anything bad, whatever has been said was tied to those scandals, and he was the cause of those scandals. There were arguments and proof. It’s not me, it’s the entire world, If he believes I’m talking s***.
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USA TODAY Sports)“For him to be making arguments now and framing it in this way it’s kind of low, I would say. It’s kind of mean. It’s indecent behaviour and I do not have any hate. I honestly don’t talk about him at all."
Despite their disagreements and heated face-offs, the pair shared an embrace at the curtain call on their rivalry as they discussed the fight in which Alvarez had this time finally removed any doubt that he deserved to have his hand raised. Golovkin now faces an uncertain future, but has insisted he will not retire despite suffering a second defeat on his resume.