Mexican flyweight Francisco “Chihuas” Rodriguez Jr still has a fight lined up even after being banned from all World Anti-Doping Code-compliant sport for two years following a positive drug test after his dominant victory over Galal Yafai in the UK.
UK Anti-Doping confirmed Rodriguez committed Anti-Doping Rule Violations for the presence and use of prohibited stimulants after providing an in-competition sample on June 21, 2025, the night he handed Yafai his first professional defeat.
Analysis of the urine sample returned adverse findings for octodrine and its metabolite heptaminol, along with oxilofrine. All three substances are classified as specified stimulants banned in competition.
Rodriguez received a two-year period of ineligibility beginning July 30, 2025, the date his provisional suspension was imposed. The sanction will expire at 11:59 p.m. on July 29, 2027.
The ruling closes a long-running saga stemming from the UK bout, where Rodriguez dominated Yafai across twelve rounds to claim a wide unanimous decision and improve to 41-6-1 with 28 knockouts.
Judges scored the fight 119-108 twice and 118-109 as the Mexican veteran landed a remarkable 528 power punches, according to CompuBox.
Rodriguez doping case timeline
The positive test first emerged shortly after the bout, which World Boxing News reported at the time as questions surrounding the result began to unfold.
Rodriguez later denied knowingly taking any banned substance, insisting he had not intentionally ingested anything illegal when addressing the allegations.
Attention soon turned toward trainer Eddy Reynoso as Rodriguez’s team attempted to explain the situation, another development WBN covered as the investigation continued.
UKAD stated Rodriguez failed to respond to multiple attempts to contact him regarding the charges before the sanction was finalized.
The lengthy disciplinary process diluted the immediate impact normally associated with a two-year suspension. Rodriguez even fought again four months later, stopping Jesus Faro in two rounds in Mexico in October 2025.
WBC probation controversy
At the same time, the World Boxing Council imposed its own controversial sanction in the aftermath of the positive test.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman placed Rodriguez on a twelve-month probation period, a ruling that sparked debate over the sanctioning body’s authority to discipline fighters competing for its championships.
“The fighter will be on ‘probation’ for twelve months, during which tests will be conducted, and if they were to fail, they would face immediate sanctions regarding the previous test. The sanction is exclusively from the WBC,” Sulaiman said when defending the move.
Critics argued the approach created confusion with national regulators such as the British Boxing Board of Control, which had yet to issue its own ruling on the case.
The situation also raised questions over the fight result itself, which has remained unchanged on BoxRec as the regulatory process dragged on.
WBC eliminator complication
Despite the controversy, Rodriguez has continued to appear in the WBC flyweight title picture.
The organization’s March 2026 “Status by Division” document lists Rodriguez in an eliminator against Angelino Cordova scheduled for May 23.
The bout could place Rodriguez back on a path toward a rematch with Yafai, who now holds the WBC interim flyweight title and is due to challenge champion Ricardo Sandoval.
Rodriguez has also announced a fight during the period covered by the WBC’s probation ruling, further complicating an already tangled case.
With UKAD’s decision now enforcing a worldwide suspension under the World Anti-Doping Code, World Boxing News expects the WBC to formally remove the eliminator from its flyweight status sheet.
Anti-doping process questioned
Rodriguez faced fierce criticism from British fans following the Yafai fight, and some observers across the Atlantic also questioned a photo circulating with trainer Eddy Reynoso.
However, the length of the anti-doping process means the ruling arrives almost a year after the fight itself. By the time the ruling arrived, Rodriguez had already fought again.
The case also echoes jurisdiction debates seen during the Conor Benn saga, when Benn competed twice in the United States while still under investigation for two failed tests.
At this rate, UKAD punishments risk being perceived as unevenly enforced across different regions of the sport when decisions arrive long after the events that triggered them.
World Boxing News will continue monitoring developments in the flyweight division as governing bodies respond to the UKAD ruling.
About the Author
Phil Jay is the Editor-in-Chief of World Boxing News (WBN) and a veteran boxing reporter with 15+ years of experience. He has interviewed world champions, broken international exclusives, and reported ringside since 2010. Read full bio.