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LAS VEGAS – Testing for performance-enhancing drugs was one of the primary reasons Caleb Plant didn’t fight Canelo Alvarez on September 18.
As negotiations dragged on for their super middleweight title unification fight, Plant and Alvarez ran out of time over the summer to undergo two full months of testing administered by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. That was a non-starter for Plant, who was adamant about Alvarez adhering to VADA’s testing standards for at least two full months.
Once they targeted November 6 as the new date for their fight, Plant was afforded more than enough time to feel comfortable with the amount of testing that was done before their fight. The Nevada State Athletic Commission performs pre-fight and post-fight PED testing as well, but the bulk of the testing was performed by VADA, which runs the WBC’s “Clean Boxing Program.”
Alvarez owns the WBC, WBA and WBO 168-pound championships. Plant is the IBF super middleweight champion.
With fight night almost here, Plant is satisfied with the level of testing that was done during the buildup toward their Showtime Pay-Per-View main event at MGM Grand Garden Arena (9 p.m. EDT; $79.99).
“Quite a few times,” Plant told a small group of reporters at MGM Grand when asked how many times VADA tested him during training camp. “I mean, I don’t have the exact number, but I feel like we’re in a good spot.”
Plant is not aware of how many times Alvarez was tested before this fight, either.
“I don’t really know too much about what they got going on,” Plant said. “All I can say is that, you know, I feel like we’re in a good spot as far as testing goes. I feel like we’re in a good spot with testing.”
Mexico’s Alvarez, 31, has been criticized by former opponents, Plant and potential opponents for twice testing positive for clenbuterol, a banned substance, in February 2018. Those two failed tests led to a six-month suspension by the NSAC and caused a four-month postponement of his immediate rematch against Gennadiy Golovkin.
Alvarez (56-1-2, 38 KOs), a four-division champion from Guadalajara, has not tested positive for any PEDs since those two instances, which Alvarez blamed on consuming contaminated meat in his native country. Plant (21-0, 12 KOs), of Ashland City, Tennessee, has never tested positive for a banned substance since he turned pro in May 2014.
Barring a draw, the Alvarez-Plant winner will become just the sixth fully unified champion within any division during boxing’s four-belt era. Caesars Sportsbook lists Alvarez as a 9-1 favorite to win their 12-round fight.
Keith Idec is a senior writer/columnist for BoxingScene.com. He can be reached on Twitter @Idecboxing.