Veteran Francisco Rodriguez Jr earned the most important win of his professional profession by demolishing Galal Yafai for the interim WBC flyweight title final month, solely to check optimistic for an undefined banned substance.
The WBC despatched out a press release this previous Saturday confirming that “Chihuas” failed for Heptaminol, a vasodilator used to deal with hypotension (low blood stress). This makes it an efficient enhance to cardio that’s been utilized by swimmers and cyclists up to now, and contemplating that Rodriguez (39-6-1, 27 KO) used freakish stress and quantity to tame Yafai, it’s greater than a little bit suspicious.
The WBC’s report, nevertheless, claims that the ingestion was unintended, citing “using an over-the-counter vitality booster” that Rodriguez reported taking. Thus, regardless of overturning the Yafai struggle to a No Contest, they’ve restricted Rodriguez’s punishment to a 12-month “probation” interval and ordered a rematch.
I may perhaps purchase all of that in a vacuum, however we’re not in a vacuum. It’s unattainable to argue at this level that the WBC doesn’t play favorites in the case of PED’s; Luis Nery, Canelo Alvarez, Oscar Valdez, all loved a weird degree of credulity from Mauricio Sulaiman once they examined optimistic. Have been I nonetheless a betting man, I’d put a tidy sum on Jaime Munguia receiving comparable leeway.
It additionally doesn’t assist Rodriguez’s case that, as Eddie Hearn found and the Texas fee confirmed, his December win over Josue Jesus Morales was likewise overturned because of a doping violation. No phrase as as to whether it was the identical substance.
The British Boxing Board of Management (BBBofC) has but to launch its personal evaluation, which is able to undoubtedly be way more punitive.
