By Ryan Burton

Earlier today BoxingScene.com reported that WBA interim heavyweight champion Luis Ortiz tested positive for steroids after his his September 11th victory over Lateef Kayode and that he voluntarily took another drug test on October 7th which came back negative.

Ortiz received a lot of criticism for taking an additional drug test nearly a month after the fight, because it provides more than enough time for many illegal substances to cycle out of his system.

Jay Jimenez, manager of Ortiz, spoke to BoxingScene.com to clarify why the drug test was taken again on October 7th.

"Ryan, we didn't hear news of the positive test until October 5th or 6th," Jimenez stated. "As soon as we found out, we scheduled an appointment at LabCorp for Luis to go in and test again at the earliest possible time. We want to clear his name."

Jimenez is fully aware that a test taken over 3 weeks after a fight won't prove his fighter's innocence but said that he and Ortiz want to show their willingness to do whatever it takes to prove he's not a cheater.

"Luis is a clean fighter. He always comes into his fights around the same weight and this fight wasn't any different.

"There are a lot of circumstances revolving around this test that I can't speak about at the moment. What I can say is that Team Ortiz is working with the Nevada State Athletic Commission to clear Luis' name. Luis is a hard worker who just wants to provide for his wife and three children and he didn't do anything wrong. I am confident that will be proven but all I can say right now is to ask that the fans be patient and to wait for all of the facts to come out before passing judgement," Jimenez told Boxingscene.com.  

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