R.I.P BRIAN NICKELS
Jimenez disputes being the subject of a failed VADA test
Paying tribute to the larger-than-life ex-pro boxer and successful stuntman
ALEJANDRA JIMENEZ, the WBC and WBO women’s super-middleweight champion, finds herself at the centre of a performance-enhancing drug storm.
According to a report issued by the Voluntary Anti-doping Association (VADA), an A-sample collected from Jimenez on January 10 gave an adverse finding for banned steroid stanozolol, and an investigation is now underway.
“In the WBC, the fight against doping has no limits, but justice is somewhat parallel,” said WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman.
“The athlete must be given the opportunity to prove his case and a thorough investigation is made. Each case is different, we are with justice and maintain (the state of affairs) until the whole procedure of the case is done.”
Jimenez, 13-0-1 (9), won a 10-round split decision over Franchon Crews Dezurn to capture the WBC and WBO super middleweight titles on January 11. Her next fight, however, rather than a title defence, will be to simply clear her name.
The 32-year-old said: “Steroids have a certain period of life in the body and a certain period of time for detection.
“If the tests on December 15 gave a negative result, and those performed on January 10, 2020 gave a positive result, it is assumed that during the period of December 15 to January 10 I had to use this steroid. But the thing is that it [stanozolol] has an approximate detection time of three months.
“And if that’s the case, it would have also been positive on January 11, which was only a 12-hour difference from taking the test. So it is impossible that the substance can be erased from an individual in such a short amount of time. It goes against chemistry. It is something that is impossible.”
Oscar De La Hoya, meanwhile, the promoter of Jimenez’s opponent, issued the following statement upon hearing the news:
“It is extremely unfortunate to learn that WBC and WBO super-middleweight world champion Alejandra Jimenez has tested positive for banned substances after her title fight with Franchon Crews-dezurn on January 11.
“As Franchon’s promoter, we are incredibly disappointed for her as she worked incredibly hard to defend her titles. However, our job is to ensure the safety of our fighters both inside and outside of the ring.
“Thus, we have always insisted and supported testing through the Voluntary Anti-doping Association (VADA) for all of our world championship fights. Jimenez’s fight against Franchon Crews-dezurn is no exception.
“Now our job is to find justice for Franchon by working closely with the WBC and the WBO in order to re-instate her as a world champion.”