Francisco Rodríguez Jr. on the Tightrope After Positive Doping Test
The surprising triumph of Francisco Rodríguez Jr. over the undefeated Galal Yafai, which granted him the WBC interim flyweight title, is at risk following an “adverse analytical finding” in a post-fight drug test. Rodríguez (40-6-1, 27 KOs) dominated Yafai, landing a record 575 punches in the flyweight division, to obtain a unanimous decision last June 21. However, this adverse result could invalidate the most important victory in Rodríguez’s career.In his social media account, Rodríguez questioned: “Positive for what? What a way to discredit my work. They did three doping tests on me a month and a half before, they even went to my house. Why did I never test positive in the previous tests?” At 32 years old, Rodriguez had positioned himself for a future fight against the current WBC flyweight champion, Kenshiro Teraji, who will defend his title against Ricardo Sandoval later this month in Japan. With the new findings, the decision could be overturned.“Today, Voluntary Anti-Doping Association [VADA] informed Matchroom, the World Boxing Council [WBC], and the British Boxing Board of Control [BBBofC] that Francisco Rodriguez has returned an adverse analytical finding as part of a post-fight doping test following his fight with Galal Yafai,” reads a statement from Matchroom Boxing.
Matchroom Boxing
