A surprise win, a tainted legacy: the case shaking Mexican boxing

On June 21, 2025, at the bp Pulse LIVE Arena in Birmingham, Mexican boxer Francisco Rodríguez Jr. (40‑6‑1, 27 KOs) stunned the crowd with a unanimous decision victory over previously unbeaten British Olympian Galal Yafai (9‑1), who had recently claimed the WBC interim flyweight title after defeating former champion Sunny Edwards.

Rodríguez’s performance was nothing short of remarkable – a division record 575 punches landed from 1,089 thrown, according to CompuBox. It felt like the rebirth of a career many had already written off. Expectations immediately turned to a showdown with Kenshiro Teraji. But on Wednesday, the story changed.

Promoter Matchroom announced that Rodríguez tested positive in a post-fight doping control. The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) flagged the adverse analytical finding, and the case now sits with the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) and the WBC, both of whom await results from the B sample.

Known as “El Chihuas,” Rodríguez is not just a rugged veteran of the sport – he is also one of the latest fighters to join the training stable of Eddy Reynoso, the architect of Canelo Álvarez’s career and the face of the Canelo Team.

In less than six weeks, two fighters from Reynoso’s camp have tested positive for banned substances. Jaime Munguía, from Tijuana, failed a test after his May 4 bout in Riyadh. Both his A and B samples confirmed the presence of exogenous testosterone. The matter remains under review, but concerns had already been raised.

Now, Rodríguez finds himself in the same controversial company. Though their weight classes and careers differ, the common denominator is unmistakable: their training team. The Reynoso connection is under the microscope once more.

This is not the first time questions have surrounded Reynoso’s circle. In 2018, Canelo Álvarez tested positive for clenbuterol. His team blamed contaminated meat – a defense accepted by the Nevada Athletic Commission, though the fighter was suspended for six months.

In 2021, Óscar Valdez tested positive for phentermine ahead of a WBC super featherweight title defense. Despite the result, he was allowed to fight – a decision that divided public opinion and cast doubt on the team’s internal protocols.

The pattern continued with Julio César Rey Martínez, who had two fights canceled in 2022 over failed pre-fight screenings.

The weight of suspicion

Each case has been treated individually. Some were dismissed as accidents. Others blamed on lab errors. But as the number grows, the context no longer allows for automatic innocence. Mexican boxing, long revered for its courage, is now confronting a different narrative: one of systemic doping.

Former fighter and current promoter Óscar De La Hoya was quick to criticize Reynoso again after the news broke.

Rodríguez, for his part, responded on Instagram shortly after the result became public, expressing disbelief.

“Positive for what? They tested me three times in the six weeks before the fight. They even came to my house. Why didn’t they say anything before?”

As the BBBofC and WBC deliberate over Rodríguez’s fate, the real fight now takes place in another ring: the battle for credibility.

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