Manuel Charr fails drug test, ending fight with Fres Oquendo

Manuel Charr (31-4, 17 KOs) just saw his Sept. 29th WBA “regular” title defense against Fres Oquendo (37-8, 24 KOs) go up in smoke after he failed a random VADA drug test conducted on August 24th. The Sun reports Charr’s urine sample came back positive for epitrenbolone and drostanolone — both anabolic steroids.

Regarding the positive test, Charr issued this statement to SKY in Germany:

“I have had seven title fights in my career, have undergone countless rehearsals and NEVER had a positive test. Of course, I have taken supplements in preparation, but never done anything forbidden.

”I eat in different restaurants every day, maybe something happened that I did not know anything about, unfortunately, I cannot give an explanation, I’m just shocked and sad.”

If this reasoning sounds familiar, it’s because it’s essentially the same explanation Canelo Alvarez gave about testing positive due to what he claimed was contaminated meat. That point was hotly debated among fans and media members alike for months, with no real way of knowing the absolute truth.

But the substances Charr tested positive for here are a whole different ball of yarn than the clenbuterol that Canelo was popped for, but either way — intentional or not — this isn’t a good look for Charr, who will likely have to suffer the consequences.

Charr still has the option to appeal his positive drug test and have his “B” sample tested, but I can’t readily think of one instance like this where a “B” sample turns out any differently than the “A”.