With news breaking late Friday afternoon of former welterweight champion Andre Berto testing positive for Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, just five weeks away from his long-awaited rematch with Victor Ortiz, the June 23rd fight is now in serious jeopardy. Berto submitted to a random urine test on May 2nd, and both the "A" sample and "B" sample came up positive for the banned substance. While the fight has not yet been cancelled, all signs point to the fact that the rematch will not happen. Showtime is already in discussions with Ortiz's promoter, Golden Boy Promotions, about possible replacements for Berto as the network plans to move on with the show if possible.
This is the second time in less than three weeks that a fighter has been found using banned substances. IBF and WBA jr. welterweight champion Lamont Peterson tested positive for testosterone pellets in anticipation of his scheduled May 19th rematch with Amir Khan, ultimately forcing the cancellation of the entire show. After hearing the news that shocked the boxing world once again on Friday, Team Alexander was quick to remind everyone that Devon is still searching for an opponent for his August 18th date, and now that it looks like Victor Ortiz needs an opponent, they would love nothing more than to give boxing fans a big fight to look forward to.
"Devon's looking for an opponent and now Victor Ortiz is without an opponent. Alexander/Ortiz makes sense to us on August 18th," stated Kevin Cunningham, trainer of WBC #2 ranked contender Devon Alexander. Alexander, who is coming off of a dominant victory over Ortiz-conquerer Marcos Maidana back in February, has a scheduled Showtime date to headline on August 18th. Although Showtime and Golden Boy are working diligently to find a suitable replacement for Berto for the June 23rd date at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, it will be very difficult to find a credible opponent on just five weeks notice. Alexander and Ortiz are two top rated welterweights, and a win for either man could potentially land them a mega-fight in late 2012 or early 2013. Stay tuned to FightHype as more details unfold in this late developing story.
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