If there’s one fight every boxing fan is looking forward to, it would be the Canelo Alvarez vs. Terence Crawford mega bout in September. The public is excited, and Crawford has been asking for this shot at greatness since his win over former unified welterweight champion Errol Spence Jr. Now that ‘Bud’ has the opportunity at hand, he is doing everything to maintain his commitment to seeing it through, including his complete transparency with his VADA tests. 

If you didn’t know, the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) is a key organization in professional boxing, which promotes clean boxing through effective anti-doping practices. The third-party, non-profit organization conducts voluntary, unannounced, random testing for performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs). So, ahead of the Canelo-Crawford fight, the two-weight undisputed champion seems to be taking the initiative seriously. How?

Well, by doing his part to ensure a clean and fair fight, where the combined purse is rumored to be around $200 million. According to a post from Victor Conte, the founder of BALCO Labs, Crawford has already had his first series of random tests, and the results are out now. “This information was received from [Terence Crawford]. Terence & [Canelo were] both enrolled in VADA on June 10, 2025,” Conte wrote in a tweet earlier today.

“Terence was first tested on June 13, 2025. His test results are attached below. Terence was tested again on June 19, 2025 & those test results will be forthcoming,” Conte added. “Terence is being fully transparent as a leader of the anti-doping movement in boxing.” However, this doesn’t mean Canelo Alvarez isn’t being tested. His results just aren’t out yet.

If Canelo were to test positive in any of the tests, that would be made public. Interestingly, the Mexican superstar tested positive for clenbuterol back in February 2018, ahead of his rematch with Gennady Golovkin. The 34-year-old blamed contaminated meat, which was supported by hair follicle test results from WADA. Regardless, now the question is, what led Conte to highlight Crawford’s initiative?

Is Terence Crawford working with Victor Conte ahead of the Canelo Alvarez fight?

The simple answer is yes. Conte, the founder of SNAC and a leading figure in sports conditioning, has been working with Crawford for years now. And that hasn’t changed ahead of the Canelo Alvarez fight. His name is still part of the SNAC roster of athletes on their official website. So, given Conte’s past conviction in the steroid distribution scandal, Conte might be trying to preemptively clear Crawford’s name ahead of the mega boxing match with Canelo in an effort to clear any doubts.

In an August 2024 report before Crawford’s fight against Israil Madrimov, Conte even praised Crawford for his peak physical form. “From the data and blood data we’ve collected, this is the best shape we’ve ever seen him,” Conte said. “I would classify it as super-human.” He was even confident about Crawford making 168 lbs for the Canelo fight without sacrificing speed.

“They would need three months to promote the fight, so there’s plenty of time to do it,” Conte said. “You can develop type-2B fast-twitch muscle fiber. That’s where explosive power and speed come from.”

That said, Victor Conte seems to be taking preemptive steps to highlight Terence Crawford’s transparency with doping tests, especially given the high stakes of the Canelo-Crawford showdown. Do you think there’s a possibility of any of the fighters in the event testing positive for PEDs?