Alejandra Jimenez made a splash by outpointing Franchon Crews-Dezurn to win two titles on Jan. 11. Now the victory could amount to nothing.
A sample taken from Jimenez the day before the fight tested positive for a banned substance, according to the World Boxing Council, which sanctioned the bout.
The banned substance wasn’t identified.
WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman issued the following statement:
“The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) has notified the WBC that an “A” Sample collected on January 10 from WBC Female Super Middleweight World Champion Alejandra Jimenez has yielded an adverse finding for a banned substance under the WBC Clean Boxing Program. The WBC will follow its customary protocol by, among other steps, affording Champion Jimenez the opportunity to witness the opening of the “B” Sample, or send a representative to do so.
“The WBC will conduct an in-depth investigation of the circumstances that led to the adverse finding. Champion Alejandra Jimenez will receive the due process the WBC Clean Boxing Protocol provides. As it is customary in similar situations, the WBC will provide additional information as the investigative and adjudicative process moves forward.”
Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO Oscar De La Hoya, who handles Crews-Dezurn and promoted the fight, issued this statement:
“It is extremely unfortunate to learn that WBC and WBO Super Middleweight World Champion Alejandra Jimenez (13-0-1, 9 KOs) has tested positive for banned substances after her title fight with Franchon Crews-Dezurn (6-2, 2 KOs) 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.”
Crews-Dezurn’s trainer, Barry Hunter, told ESPN that he would like the fighters to meet again.
“I would still like to fight her again,” Hunter said. “I definitely think Franchon was the better fighter. I thought Jimenez’s advantage was that she was in better shape. Now with this coming out, and if this stands to be true, that’s a whole ‘nother ballgame.”
