Looking at the camera, Terence Crawford burst into laughter, saying, “Hey, I slapped Steven so hard.” He was talking about close friend and super middleweight fighter, Steven Nelson. Footage of their ‘Power Slap’ dry run has gone quite viral. So Crawford decided to add an intrigue. Given his slap ‘knocked out’ Nelson, he added, “They here to test me for steroids, hahaha.” It was a plain joke, à la Bud style.

However, his camera did capture a person wearing medical professionals’ scrubs who stood nearby. Looks like what Crawford said was partly true. Through an extensive tweet, SNAC head Victor Conte shared a few details about the VADA testing for both Crawford and Canelo Alvarez. The two will meet for a historic showdown on September 13 in Las Vegas. The update comes in the wake of a recent controversy involving Jaime Munguia. Canelo’s former opponent reportedly returned positive test results for banned substances after the rematch against Bruno Surace. Considering the historic significance of the Canelo-Crawford fight, it’s a positive move. A clear sign that organizers do not want to take any chances.

Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford: Moving the sport toward greater accountability

“CLEAN BOXING UPDATE,” wrote Victor Conte. “Both @TerenceCrawford & @Canelo were enrolled in the @Vada_Testing program on June 10, 2025.” According to him, ahead of their September match, both Canelo Alvarez and Terence Crawford will undergo random tests for 12 weeks. To begin with, Crawford underwent a test two days ago, Conte updated. However, he didn’t sound so sure in relation to the measures taken at Canelo’s end. He said, “My assumption is that Canelo has likely already been tested too,” before concluding, “Stringent random testing for 12 weeks will help to assure that both fighters will be on a level playing field when they enter the ring on Sept 13, 2025.”

Of course, the post received a mixed bag of reactions. Given Victor Conte’s complicated past, a user questioned, “Hello, Victor, How do you know when both fighters were enrolled in VADA? Are you a member of one of the fighters’ camps?”

For the record, alongside Devin Haney and Caleb Plant, SNAC sponsors Terence Crawford. So the tweet should be taken for what it is, an update.

Boxing’s enduring struggles

What’s critical, though, is that the boxing world has perhaps started to recognize the significance of doping tests. Only last year, the sport faced the ignominy of one of its biggest superstars, Ryan Garcia, facing a year-long suspension after failing to clear the drug tests for the Devin Haney fight.

Following Garcia’s much-anticipated comeback, fans and followers were just putting the past behind them when the specter of banned substances raised its ugly head again last month. Fighting on the Canelo-William Scull card on May 3, Jaime Munguia avenged last year’s knockout loss to Bruno Surace.

However, in a shocking twist of events, reports emerged that his A sample returned positive result for a banned substance. While the former light middleweight champion pleads innocence, what has muddied the waters is the fact that the controversy has now reportedly engulfed his new training stable. Helmed by Eddy Reynoso, the famed boxing camp finds itself under fire, as many point out that Munguia is now the fourth fighter from the team to be mired in a drug-related controversy.

What’s your take on Victor Conte’s tweet?