According to sources, based on the recommendation of USADA following the results of a third test, the New York State Athletic Commission will likely rule that the unified jr. welterweight title fight between champion Danny Garcia and challenger Erik Morales can move forward as scheduled. On Thursday evening, it was reported that the A Sample of Erik Morales came back positive for clenbuterol, a banned substance which can be used to enhance weight loss. Despite the news, many were under the assumption that the bout would move forward anyway, largely due to the fact that, allegedly, the results from the B Sample would not be available until after Saturday. FightHype.com discovered that was not the case at all, however, and the fact of the matter was that not only did the results from the B Sample come in, but a third C Sample was tested as well.
When the results finally came in on Friday afternoon, sources informed us that the first of those two tests, the B Sample, tested posititve, while the second test, the C Sample, had a reading of zero, which we assume means negative. Upon learning of the results, representatives from Team Garcia held a meeting to decide whether or not they would indeed move forward with the bout. Not long after that, we received word that Garcia was strongly considering walking away from the bout, feeling that 2 out of the 3 tests turning up positive were a strong indication that Morales was “a cheater”. When spotted at the hotel, Garcia was overheard saying, “I’m not fighting a cheater.” It was around that time when we learned that the New York State Athletic Commission was getting more involved, deciding to hold a meeting later in the evening to review the latest finding by USADA to determine if they would indeed approve the bout. We’re told that contingency plans were already being discussed to potentially move the Alexander vs. Bailey title clash to the main event slot.
As the evening progressed, more meetings took place. Around 11PM ET, sources informed us that on the strength of the third sample testing negative, it looked like the New York State Athletic Commission would indeed allow the fight to take place, essentially stating that the first two results were false positives. While those discussions were taking place, Danny Garcia was also said to be in a meeting, likely being convinced to move forward with the bout based on the results of the third sample. We’re also told that yet another meeting took place between Angel Garcia and Erik Morales in the early hours Saturday morning, some time between 1AM and 3AM. After hearing Morales plead his case and being reminded that they had a rematch clause, it was still not enough to put Angel Garcia’s mind at ease and the fight was still in jeopdary.
It wasn’t until this morning, some time between 9 and 10AM, when Danny Garcia made the final decision himself. Despite the fact that they strongly believe that the results of all three tests proved that Morales was indeed using the banned substance, Garcia, his family, and his team have decided to move forward with the bout anyway with the approval of the commission.
