By Rene Umanzor
Former four division world champion Erik Morales expects the rematch with WBC/WBA junior welterweight champion Danny Garcia to move forward as scheduled on Saturday night. Garcia vs. Morales is the main event of the Showtime televised quadrupleheader at the Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn.
According Danny Garcia's father and trainer, Angel Garcia, Morales was tested three times by USADA [United States Anti-Doping Agency] - once at the start of the month and twice over the past two weeks. Garcia said that both the A and the B samples resulting from the October 4 drug test showed that Morales tested positive for clenbuterol.
Garcia said the fighters took another drug test on October 10 and yet another on Wednesday.
The two B samples arrived on Friday afternoon. Morales says the second test, like the first, showed a minor trace of clenbuterol. The third and final test showed no traces of the drug, according to Morales.
Morales claims that USADA backs his theory of testing positive due to contamination. When the positive result first surfaced, Morales claimed that he ate contaminated meat in Mexico. In the United States, the FDA forbids the use of clenbuteral on animals that are going to be consumed by humans. Those regulations are not in place in Mexico.
"I received calls from USADA because there was a positive [test], but it was a very small trace [of clenbuteral]. Today I am not guilty of anything, I did a second test [and it revealed [that] the levels [of clenbuteral] were minimal. And I did a third test which determined I'm clean and it was just some type of food," Morales said.
"I was very quiet on the subject and I have never been concerned [about the positive test] because I'm sure I have not used anything wrong. During all of the exams I was asked if I used something and I said no. In my entire 19-year career I have never used anything to improve my performance."
"USADA informed me that the third round of testing was clean. They believe it was an issue of [contaminated] food. Nothing is going to happen [to me] and no one is going to take legal action against me, and the fight is going ahead as planned."
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