Back in June, Galal Yafai stepped into the ring against Francisco Rodriguez Jr. for what was expected to be a routine title defense. But what unfolded shocked the boxing world. Rodriguez pulled off a stunning upset, defeating Yafai via unanimous decision. However, the celebration was short-lived—Rodriguez later returned an ‘adverse finding’ in his drug test, casting a dark shadow over the victory and plunging the bout into controversy.
Fast forward to July 27, the WBC ruled that Rodriguez’s positive test for the banned substance, Heptaminol, was unintentional. Consequently, they reinstated Galal Yafai as the interim WBC titleholder (asking BBBofC to do the same) and ordered an immediate rematch. However, Yafai’s promoter, Eddie Hearn, isn’t satisfied with the lack of a ban. He criticized the ruling and dropped a bombshell—revealing troubling details about Rodriguez Jr.’s fight prior to facing Yafai.
“How do we get in a situation where, in two weeks of the news breaking about the test… he’s gone through a process and they’ve decided it was an accident, he was unlucky and… The fight’s a no contest, the title’s vacant, but he gets to do it again,” Hearn said in an interview with iFL TV. It’s worth noting that while Rodriguez Jr. has not been banned, as was expected in doping cases like this, he has been placed on a 12-month probation period.
Boxen: 62nd WBC Annual Convention, , Hamburg, 11.12.2024 Eddie Hearn Matchroom Hamburg Germany *** Boxing 62nd WBC Annual Convention, , Hamburg, 11 12 2024 Eddie Hearn Matchroom Hamburg Germany
During this time, he must undergo at least three random drug tests at his own expense and participate in a WBC Nutrition Committee program addressing health and safety concerns. Any adverse findings during this time will result in indefinite suspension from WBC fights. Regardless, Hearn revealed that the Yafai fight wasn’t the first time Rodriguez Jr. tested positive for a banned substance.
“I found out last night that Francisco Rodriguez Jr. also failed a drug test in his fight before [the] Galal fight,” Hearn told the reporter. For context, Rodriguez Jr. defeated Josue Jesus Morales in December last year via unanimous decision. However, the fight was changed to a no-contest. “I went onto his BoxRec, and I noticed it was a no-contest in Texas. So we reached out to the Texas Commission, [which] confirmed that he failed a drug test,” Hearn said.
Hearn continued claiming that had he known about the prior doping violation, he would have asked for more extensive testing before the Yafai fight. Considering his new findings, Hearn argued, “I also would have said to the WBC, are you sure this guy’s eligible for the eliminator?… I just can’t see how you can order the rematch. It’s mental.” While details of the rematch remain under wraps, Rodriguez Jr.’s pre-fight comments about his intentions for the first bout now paint a troubling picture in hindsight.
Francisco Rodriguez admitted he had bad intentions for the Galal Yafai fight
Before the June fight against Yafai, Rodriguez wasn’t hiding his mindset—he was going to Birmingham with a mission and a mean streak. The Mexican veteran made it clear that he had no intention of leaving the fight in the hands of the judges when they met for the WBC interim flyweight title. “My plan is to hurt him – I’m coming in with bad intentions,” Rodriguez told BoxingScene via a translator on June 21st.
“He has something that I very dearly want.” Now, clearly, Rodriguez will have to give back that “something” to Yafai. Regardless, he was confident about Yafai’s flaws. “He comes forward very straight on; doesn’t have great head or waist movement. That’s dangerous against someone who can hit hard.”
From the looks of things, regardless of whether Hearn likes it or not, Galal Yafai will have to rematch Francisco Rodriguez Jr. Now, the stakes of the rematch are much higher—Yafai will have to prove it was the PED that helped Rodriguez Jr. win, while Rodriguez Jr. has to do the opposite. Who do you think wins?
The post Eddie Hearn Blasts WBC as Rodriguez Jr.’s PED History Comes to Light appeared first on EssentiallySports.
