Canelo Alvarez Suspended 6 Months for Steroids

CANELO'S PUNISHMENTCanelo Alvarez just got slapped with a 6-month suspension for his failed steroids test that he blamed on tainted meat ... the Nevada Athletic Commission just announced at a hearing in Vegas.

Canelo's May 5 rematch with Gennady Golovkin has already been scrapped ... but, this opens the door for Alvarez vs. Golovkin 2 to happen in September -- a time frame GGG previously told TMZ Sports he's gunnin' for.

The commission only took minutes to deliberate on Alvarez's case ... ultimately giving him a pretty lenient suspension, noting he's been "cooperative with investigators."

As we previously reported, Canelo got popped for Clenbuterol on March 5 ... but he's repeatedly denied…