Munguia: Positive Test A “Complete Surprise”

Jaime Munguia has released a statement on Instagram, reacting to his positive test for exogenous testosterone metabolites from testing done on May 4th, a day after his victory over Bruno Surace in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Munguia Reacts to Failed Test

The super middleweight contender Munguia (45-2, 35 KOs) says the positive test was a “complete surprise to me.”

Munguia, 28, points out that he was tested twice in camp for the fight, and neither came up positive. He says he’s never tested positive during his career. He states that he’s willing to have “retroactive, current, and future testing” to show that he’s a “clean athlete.”

Munguia’s B-sample will need to be tested to clear him. He has 10 days to request that it be examined. If that turns up positive as well, it’s unclear what his next move will be. He’ll face a suspension, receive a fine, and the results of the fight will be changed to a no-contest.

It’s going to hurt Jaime’s career if his B-sample tests positive as well. Some fans argue that Munguia should just put his hands up and admit that he was using. Show class and admit that he made a mistake. It doesn’t look like Munguia is going to do that.

Positive Test: Munguia’s Defense

In his statement, he mentioned that experts have said there are “multiple ways contamination can occur.” However, without proof, that excuse won’t fly. It’s been tried too many times by other fighters.

Munguia defeated Bruno Surace (26-1-2, 5 KOs) by a 12-round unanimous decision in their rematch on May 3rd. The scores were 117-111, 116-112, and 117-111. Many fans noted that Jaime fought with aggression and a sense of fierceness that wasn’t there in his previous fight against France’s Surace on December 14th in Tijuana. Munguia was knocked out in the sixth round.

Surace’s Angry Doping Reaction

Surace reacted in anger to Jaime’s positive test today, saying that “he knew he could not beat me on a level playing field.”

Fans wonder why Munguia would choose to use a PED for the rematch. Assuming Munguia is dirty and it wasn’t a mistake in the lab testing, it’s easy to understand his rationale. He couldn’t afford a second defeat against Surace, which would have wrecked his career and hurt his earnings potential.