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Eddie Hearn ‘fuming’ as he reveals fresh twist in case of record-breaking boxer cleared of intentional drug use
Eddie Hearn claims to have learned that Francisco Rodriguez Jr’s failed drug test after defeating Galal Yafai was the second time he has been caught with banned substances in his system.
The Matchroom boss revealed he found out that Rodriguez Jr allegedly failed a drug test on the same day as his fight with Josue Jesus Morales in Texas last December. The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation have since confirmed Rodriguez did test positive, with the bout subsequently changed to a no contest.
Hearn told iFL TV: “I’m fuming, I found out last night that Francisco Rodriguez Jr. also failed a drug test in his fight before Galal Yafai. I went onto his BoxRec and noticed it was a no contest in Texas. We reached out to the Texas commission, who confirmed he failed a drug test.”
Rodriguez set a new flyweight record for punches landed in a fight on his way to defeating Yafai – 575 in total, over 100 more than the previous record.
As Rodriguez Jr has failed drug tests in his last two fights, Hearn has urged the WBC not to order the rematch, as they are putting Yafai in a dangerous position, having already taken heavy punishment in the first fight.
Hearn said: “You’ve just put Galal Yafai in a position where he has fought a man with performance-enhancing drugs in his system over 12 rounds.
“Physically, he took a beating that night. That guy has failed tests in his last two fights. Whatever you do, do not order this rematch.”
Yafai’s promoter also questioned the due diligence of the sanctioning body for clearing Rodriguez in two weeks.
Hearn explained: “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 was a no contest. The titles are vacant, but he gets to do it again.”
After an investigation into his failed post-fight drug test, the WBC found that Rodriguez Jr’s “ingestion of a banned substance (s) was accidental, unintentional, unknowing, and not directed to enhance his performance.”
They stripped him of his interim title and ordered a rematch, as well as enrolling him in a WBC nutrition programme.
Kenshiro Teraji is the current WBC champion in the flyweight division, and Hearn believes the appropriate course of action would be to make Yafai the mandatory challenger for Teraji’s title.
He said: “Do what is right, which is to make Galal Yafai the mandatory challenger for the world title.
“This is a disgrace - that Galal Yafai has to rematch this guy.”
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