Drug test puts welterweight title rematch in limbo

The May 19 rematch between WBA and IBF junior welterweight champion Lamont Peterson and former champ Amir Khan essentially is dead in the wake of Peterson testing positive for a banned substance.

Peterson was found to have synthetic testosterone in his system when he was tested in March. His "B" sample, which was tested in late April, also came back positive. The Nevada Athletic Commission has accepted the results of the flunked drug test, which was administered by the Las Vegas-based Voluntary Anti-Doping Association and is headed up by Dr. Margaret Goodman.

"At this point, Peterson is not licensed to fight in Nevada," NAC executive director Keith Kizer said Tuesday. "We have not received his medicals or paperwork, which is not that unusual as a lot of fighters wait until the week of the fight. But given the circumstances, I have no plans to license him at this time."

Without a license, there's no fight. The 25-year-old Khan (26-2, 18 knockouts) and the 28-year-old Peterson (30-1-1, 15 KOs) are scheduled to make $907,500 apiece, and while Golden Boy Promotions chief executive officer Richard Schaefer said the fight with Peterson still was on, the search was on for a replacement for Khan.

Khan tweeted his followers Tuesday that he was continuing to train and prepare to fight on the 19th, but he didn't specify that Peterson still was his opponent.

Schaefer said he would wait for the NAC to decide what it would do to Peterson before proceeding. But in light of Kizer's statement that Peterson won't be licensed, Golden Boy will be scrambling to save the card.

"I'm not sure what's going to happen," Schaefer said Tuesday. "HBO does not want a replacement, so let's see what the commission decides to do."

Kizer received a written response from Peterson's camp late Tuesday afternoon. Peterson's attorney, Jeff Fried, wrote that Peterson's usage was strictly for medical reasons as his testosterone level was below normal in November.

Fried also pointed out that Peterson had not failed a drug test prior to or since VADA's findings and that he had several doctors lined up to give testimony as to Peterson's condition.

Kizer said if Fried's explanation was plausible enough to warrant an emergency meeting of the commission, one could be arranged. The next scheduled NAC meeting is May 21, two days after the fight's scheduled date.

"The chairman (Skip Avansino) is aware of what's going on, and it would be his call to hold a special meeting," Kizer said.

The strange part of the situation was VADA's failure to notify Schaefer about the fighter testing positive. Kizer was the one who had informed Schaefer on Monday, and Schaefer was upset upon hearing the news from a third party well after the fact.

By Goodman failing to notify Schaefer in a timely manner after the first flunked drug test by Peterson - the sample was collected March 19, analyzed March 26 and posted as a positive result April 12 - Goodman denied him the opportunity to find a suitable opponent or change the venue or seek a postponement.

"I was not copied in that letter," Schaefer said. "Why I was not informed, I don't know. I found it shocking that I wasn't notified, nor anyone from Team Khan was informed. The positive test came out April 12. Why we weren't informed is a mystery.

"I thought it was very unprofessional for Margaret to not let us know. We didn't hear from VADA or Peterson or his camp. That's not right. We're looking at losing several million dollars because of this. Had I been informed back on April 12 there was a problem, we could have addressed the matter then and expedited the 'B' sample and found a replacement if necessary. Now, I don't know what we're going to do. We may have no choice but to seek legal recourse."

Goodman issued a statement Tuesday afternoon about the situation.

"VADA felt it was inappropriate for it to notify third parties of the positive test result at the time because there had been no confirmation of it," Goodman said. "It appears as though Mr. Peterson and Mr. Fried also chose not to notify third parties at that time in the hope that Mr. Peterson's 'B' sample would test negative. As soon as Mr. Peterson's 'B' sample tested positive, VADA notified Mr. Peterson, Mr. Fried and the Nevada State Athletic Commission. Neither Golden Boy Promotions nor HBO was a signatory to the VADA contract."

Schaefer claims that Golden Boy had a right to be informed.

"(Goodman) should go back and read the contract," he said. "We have every right to be informed, and we weren't."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.