VADA Testing for Canelo vs Mbilli Still Has Not Started With Fight Five Weeks Away
The anti-doping program for Canelo Alvarez's October 31 title defense has not begun, and VADA says nobody has even contacted them.
Canelo Alvarez's October 31 fight with Christian Mbilli is five weeks away and the expected VADA testing program has not started. Worse, VADA officials say they have not even been contacted about the bout.
The WBC super middleweight title fight is scheduled for Riyadh, with Saudi promoter Sela handling the event. According to Boxing News 24, Sela has not paid VADA for testing, and the anti-doping agency confirmed it "had not been contacted for this bout as yet."
Canelo adviser Richard Schaefer pushed back on any suggestion that his fighter was avoiding testing. "Canelo was ready to test, had submitted whereabouts forms, and understood the promoter was in touch with VADA," Schaefer said.
The delay is particularly awkward given Canelo's history. The Mexican superstar served a suspension in 2018 after testing positive for clenbuterol, which he attributed to contaminated meat. He committed to VADA's voluntary anti-doping program following that incident, and the testing has been a standard part of his fight preparations ever since.
Mbilli has never tested positive for any banned substance.
The practical problem is that even if testing begins today, random samples taken in October cannot retroactively cover the training camp weeks that have already passed. The effectiveness of the program diminishes with every day of delay.
Boxing News 24 also noted organizational issues beyond the testing, including fighters on the undercard who reportedly lack contracts for their bouts. The Sela promotion has not publicly explained the holdup.
This is a bad look, and it does not matter whose fault it is. When Canelo Alvarez is involved and VADA testing has not started a month out from the fight, people are going to talk. That is just the reality of having a clenbuterol suspension on your record.
Schaefer says Canelo submitted his whereabouts and was ready to go, and I believe him. The issue seems to be on the promotional side, with Sela apparently not reaching out to VADA at all. That is an embarrassing oversight for an event of this magnitude.
Mbilli deserves a clean process. The fans deserve a clean process. And honestly, so does Canelo. He has done the voluntary testing for years now, and a delay caused by a promoter's negligence undercuts all of that work. Someone in Riyadh needs to pick up the phone and get VADA enrolled this week. Every day they wait makes it harder to take the results seriously.
https://www.boxingnews24.com/2026/09/canelo-alvarez-christian-mbilli-testing-window-keeps-shrinking/
