(AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Their last bout ended in controversy, and now the May 19 rematch between D.C. boxing phenom Lamont Peterson and Amir Khan may not even happen—ESPN is reporting that Peterson tested positive for synthetic testosterone after a test conducted in early March.

The test—which Peterson himself requested—comes just over a week before he was set to take on Khan in a televised rematch in Las Vegas. In a December bout in D.C., Peterson defeated Khan to take the super lightweight boxing championship. It wasn’t long before Khan complained of ring-side shenanigans involving a boxing official affiliated with Peterson, though; a rematch was ordered in January.

Not surprisingly, Peterson’s legal team said it would contest the results:

Jeff Fried, Peterson’s attorney, acknowledged the positive test on Monday night.

“We have tremendous respect for VADA and its mission,” Fried said in a statement to ESPN.com. “Lamont, (trainer/manager) Barry (Hunter) and the entire team emphatically support random drug testing in the most comprehensive manner possible. We are working expeditiously with a team of pathologists and other medical specialists to confirm the origin of the test result and in full compliance with the rules of the Nevada Athletic Commission.

“Lamont has never had a positive test either before or after this isolated occurrence and we plan to submit the medical findings by close of business Tuesday reflecting the actual facts in support of Lamont’s good faith intentions and the requirements of the commission.”

According to the BBC, Khan’s team was surprised at the results too:

Khan’s business manager Asif Vali told Sky Sports News: “It was a shock when I received the call to say Lamont had failed a drug test.
“However, the Peterson team seem to think that something’s gone wrong during the very first Vada drug test which Lamont took in March.
“Their explanation is that it’s something he took earlier on in the year – before the last fight.
“The fight’s on. The Nevada commission will come back to us with their findings. That decision is due to come to us by the end of play on Tuesday.”

There’s usually an appeal process for failed doping tests, but we’re not yet sure what it is for boxing. We’re checking and we’ll update as soon as we know, along with the status of the May 19 rematch.