Lamont Peterson falsely accused of testing positive for HCG?

IBF junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson was initially reported to have failed another post-fight drug test, supposedly testing positive for HCG after his February 22 win over Kendall Holt, but that RingTV report has since been retracted. Peterson, 29, was fighting for the first time since 2011, when he beat Amir Khan and tested positive for synthetic testosterone.

Peterson (31-1-1, 16 KO) overwhelmed Holt in their bout, which aired on ESPN Friday Night Fights, stopping the New Jersey fighter in the eighth round. It was a terrific comeback performance following a brilliant start from Holt, who now appears to be the rumored unclean fighter in this pairing. However, confusion is rampant and the truth behind all of this is very much in doubt. So put the pitchforks down for the time being.

HCG is known primarily as a fertility drug for women, but was also used by baseball's Manny Ramirez, who was suspended for testing positive for the drug in 2009. DC commission head Sheldon J. Brown had previously told the IBF and Holt's team that Peterson's tests had come back negative, which actually may turn out to be true now.

Peterson has a May 18 fight with Lucas Matthysse lined up, set to be a Showtime main event should he turn up innocent on this matter.

We'll have more on this later, as Max Boxing's Gabriel Montoya says he'll have further details this evening. I think linking to Gabe might help me win a BWAA award, so keep an eye out for that.

Edited/Updated by Ryan Bivins