Jaime Munguía has taken the next step to prove that he is, in fact, a clean fighter.
The former WBO 154lbs titlist and current super middleweight contender has contended that his positive drug test surrounding his May 4 win over Bruno Surace was an anomaly. Upon his request, Munguía and promoter Fernando Beltran, head of Zanfer Boxing, requested the opening and evaluation of their “B” sample from the test in question.
They were both present to witness the opening of said test sample Tuesday at Sports Medicine Research and Testing Lab (SMRTL) in Salt Lake City, Utah.
“We are present and ready as the VADA B-sample is officially open in Utah,” Beltran confirmed through a social media post where he is pictured on site with Munguía. “We hope this provides clarity.”
At present moment, Munguía, 45-2 (35 KOs) is under investigation for a drug testing sample which detected the presence of exogenous testosterone. Testing was contracted through Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) for his abovementioned rematch with France’ Surace, 26-1-2 (5 KOs) last month in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
All parties involved were notified on May 29, from which point Munguía had ten days to request the unsealing and examination of his “B” sample. The 28-year-old Tijuana native acted immediately and has remained vocal and consistent in his insistence that he did not cheat, unwillingly or otherwise.
“Jaime Munguía has never tested positive in over 100 anti-doping tests across his professional career until now,” a spokesperson for Team Munguía previously stated. “His record speaks for itself. He has always complied with VADA testing protocols and has built a reputation as a clean and respectful fighter who honors the integrity of the sport.
“We ask the boxing community to remember that context before rushing to judgment.”
Munguía fought for the first time since his stunning sixth-round knockout defeat to Surace last December 14 in his Tijuana hometown. He was well in control before he got caught in the sixth round in a verdict that was recognized by BoxingScene as the 2024 Upset of the Year.
Both sides agreed to run it back, although there was a minor issues before it landed on the Saul ‘Canelo’ Alvarez-William Scull undercard in Riyadh. Munguia enlisted the services of renowned trainer Eddy Reynoso, best known for his work with Alvarez, 63-2-2 (39 KOs).
The move saw Munguía become stablemates with his first career conqueror; Alvarez defeated his countryman via unanimous decision to defend his undisputed 168lbs title last May 4 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Munguía sought a new lead coach after the loss to Surace, which left him at 1-2 in his past three fights after entering 2024 with a perfect 44-0 (34 KOs) record. The balance of his team remained the same, including Marco Antonio Pérez Espinoza who oversaw Munguía’s nutrition and supplement intake – a role he’s performed for the entirety of the boxer’s career.
“This is the first time Marco has ever been connected to a situation of this nature, and is fully cooperating in the current review process,” noted Team Munguía. “We have not been informed of the exact levels detected in the initial test, which is a critical piece of information, nor have we received the result of the B-sample, which is currently pending.”
In the event that the “B” sample upholds the original result, Munguía would then have to appear before the presiding commission to determine next step. Such instances normally result in the verdict overturned to a No-Contest, while punishment varies depending on the severity of the infraction.
Munguía and those by his side remain confident that it won’t come to that.
“There have been several instances across sports where athletes have been cleared after demonstrating that contamination—whether due to human error or tainted products—was the cause, and that there was no attempt to cheat,” Team Munguía noted. “We are hopeful that a thorough review will bring similar clarity to this situation.
“We recognize that the responsibility for ensuring full VADA compliance ultimately lies with Jaime and our team. We take that responsibility seriously and are actively reviewing every detail with the utmost diligence, working alongside experts and relevant authorities, to understand what occurred and find the source of the substance detected.”
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as a senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home. Follow Jake on and .