Jaime Munguia (Mexico), the WBO World Super Welterweight Champion and currently ranked No. 2 by the WBC, No. 3 by the WBO, and No. 5 by the IBF at super middleweight, tested positive for a banned substance following his May 3 (May 4 Japan time) fight in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The voluntary anti-doping test conducted by VADA (Voluntary Anti-Doping Association) after his 12-round unanimous decision win over France’s Brice Surace (26-1-2, 5 KOs) revealed the presence of metabolites of exogenous testosterone.
Munguia, now part of Team Canelo, denied any wrongdoing via social media:
“I have undergone numerous anti-doping tests throughout my boxing career and have never tested positive. During this training camp, I was tested twice and both came back negative.”
“I am willing to undergo any retroactive, current, or future testing necessary to prove that I have always been a clean athlete,” he added.
Munguia has the right to request testing of his B-sample within 10 days. If the B-sample also returns a positive result for banned substances, he could face a suspension, and the result of his bout against Surace may be overturned from a win to a no-contest.
In their first encounter on December 14, 2023 (December 15 Japan time), in Tijuana, Mexico, Munguia had dropped Surace with a left hook in round two and was dominating the fight until round six, when he was caught by a right hook during a flurry and dropped. Although he rose to his feet, the damage was severe, and the bout was stopped, handing Munguia the first KO loss of his career.
Munguia immediately exercised his rematch clause, seeking redemption in what was expected to be a one-sided fight.
Earlier this year, Jaime Munguia began training under Eddy Reynoso—the longtime trainer of his former rival, four-division undisputed super middleweight world champion Saul “Canelo” Alvarez (Mexico, 63-2-2, 39 KOs). Munguia officially joined Team Canelo and had been preparing with them in camp.
Canelo himself tested positive for clenbuterol in a surprise VADA test back in February 2018. He claimed the result was due to eating beef contaminated with clenbuterol, a banned substance that has been found in Mexican livestock. “I will cooperate with all necessary testing to clarify this shameful situation. I believe the truth will prevail,” Canelo said at the time.
Initially refusing to enroll in the WBC’s Clean Boxing Program, Canelo was removed from the WBC rankings. He later reversed his stance and registered promptly. The Nevada State Athletic Commission issued him a six-month suspension—the lightest possible penalty—and his scheduled May bout against Gennady Golovkin (Kazakhstan) was postponed to September.
In Munguia’s case, however, the result involved exogenous testosterone, meaning the substance originated from outside the body and was not produced naturally by his endocrine system. This differs significantly from clenbuterol contamination, and the “tainted meat” defense used by Canelo does not apply here.
Still, the situation remains puzzling. Munguia has stated that he has never tested positive before, and both tests conducted during training camp returned negative results. The cause of the exogenous testosterone will now come under further scrutiny. If the B-sample also tests positive (which is likely), Munguia could face a severe suspension, possibly derailing his career. All eyes will be on the developments to come.
I hope Jaime Munguia’s drug test result turns out to be a mistake!
This article has been translated and published with permission from BOXING MASTER.
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