WBC super featherweight champion Oscar Valdez (29-0, 23 KOs) has been cleared to fight Robson Conceicao (16-0, 8 KOs) this coming Saturday. The athlete was found to have a banned substance, phentermine, in his system, but the WBC and the athletic commission sanctioning the upcoming night in Tucson, Arizona, ruled that the champion did not knowingly dope.
"I'm responsible for what I use during training. But I don't know exactly how phentermine got into my system. If anyone doesn't believe me, I'm sorry. I did not intentionally take a banned drug. I am not a cheater and never will be. I have never felt so offended. Being discredited is one of the worst feelings. They call me a cheater, but fans and journalists can't provide facts about it," said Valdez, who still believes the herbal tea may have been a potential source of phentermine in his system.
"Everyone saw my face when it turned out I tested positive for doping. Canelo came up to me and said: "It's going to be okay, the truth will come out. We all know how you work, we all know you're clean,'" the Mexican added.
World boxing leader Saul Alvarez is the biggest star among the wards Eddie Reynoso trains, which also includes Valdez as well as one of the most interesting avenues in the boxing world, Ryan Garcia.
In 2018, when a banned agent, clenbuterol, was found in Canelo's body, his team claimed it was caused by contaminated beef. Since then, Team Reynoso has often been targeted by the public, despite his excellent athletic performance. Valdez' doping incident and the WBC's behavior towards him certainly gives critics another strong argument.
