Former welterweight titleholder Andre Berto has tested positive for a banned substance, putting his scheduled June 23 rematch with fellow former titlist Victor Ortiz in jeopardy.
Berto tested positive for the steroid norandrosterone, a source with direct knowledge of the test results told ESPN.com on Friday.
Promoter Lou DiBella told ESPN.com he was unsure of what Berto tested positive for but confirmed the result.
“I know he tested positive. I learned it in the last half-hour,” DiBella said. “I have nothing else to say. I don’t know all of the details, so I have nothing else to say.”
Ortiz and Berto had agreed to use the Las Vegas-based Voluntary Anti-Doping Association for random blood and urine testing in the lead up to their fight at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Showtime had made the bout the centerpiece of its boxing schedule for the first half of the year.
Showtime is proceeding as though the fight will be canceled. A network source told ESPN.com that Showtime is already discussing with Golden Boy Promotions about possible replacement opponents to face Ortiz.
Berto submitted to a random urine test May 2, according to the source. The “A” test came back positive last week. The “B” sample also came back positive Friday, triggering VADA to alert the California State Athletic Commission, DiBella and Golden Boy’s Richard Schaefer, Ortiz’s promoter.
In April 2011, Ortiz outslugged Berto to win a welterweight title in one of the year’s most exciting fights. The rematch was supposed to take place Feb. 11 in Las Vegas, but Berto suffered a biceps injury, forcing the postponement to June 23.
This is the second high-profile positive drug test in the past two weeks. Junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson tested positive for synthetic testosterone following a March 19 random test in the lead up to his rematch with Amir Khan. They were scheduled to meet Saturday night in Las Vegas, but the fight was canceled last week.
WRITTEN BY Dan Rafael | ESPN.com & FULL STORY HERE
