Mayorga Tests Positive After Losing

Former World Boxing Council super-welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga tested positive for a banned substance after losing his title to Oscar De La Hoya on Saturday night at the MGM Grand Hotel.

Mayorga could be fined by the Nevada Athletic Commission after traces of the diuretic Furosemide, also known as Lasix, were found in his system, commission lawyer Keith Kizer said Thursday.

Kizer said boxing regulators notified Mayorga of the violation Wednesday.

The Nicaraguan boxer has 20 days to respond before the commission decides whether to hold a hearing on the matter.

Mayorga’s Miami-based lawyer, Tony Gonzalez, did not immediately respond to a call seeking comment.

Another Nicaraguan boxer, Rosendo Alvarez, tested positive for the same substance last month. The Nevada Athletic Commission suspended Alvarez’s license until the end of the year and he was fined $2,000.

“We’re thinking there must be a trainer or physician in Nicaragua that is recommending this for boxers,” said Alan Hopper, a spokesman for Don King Promotions, which represents Mayorga.

Diuretics are taken to lose weight quickly or to mask steroid use, Kizer said.

Mayorga weighed in for the fight at 153 1/2 pounds, or 4 1/2 pounds lighter than his fighting weight for his October 2002 bout against Felix Trinidad, who won by knockout.