Sep 17, 2022; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Canelo Alvarez (red trunks) and Gennadiy Golovkin (white trunks) box during a super middleweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

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Canelo Alvarez Stands By Former Opponent After Failed Drug Test

Canelo Alvarez backs up his former opponent and now teammate as well as his trainer after failed VADA test!

Every few months, a boxer gets caught up in a drug testing scandal that leaves fans scratching their heads and wondering what’s true and what’s not. The latest drama involves Jaime Munguia, who recently tested positive for banned substances after his May 3 rematch against Bruno Surace. What makes this story particularly interesting is how quickly his former opponent turned teammate, Canelo Alvarez, jumped to his defense.

Munguia and Canelo Alvarez have an interesting history that goes beyond just sharing the same trainer now. They fought each other not too long ago, and Alvarez won that fight. But when Munguia joined Canelo’s camp under boxing trainer Eddy Reynoso, things changed. Of course, nobody expected their partnership to be tested this quickly by a doping scandal that could potentially ruin Munguia’s career.

Jaime Mungia’s Fails VADA’s Test

The Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA) caught Munguia with external testosterone metabolites in his system during testing around his fight with Surace. For those who don’t speak drug testing language, that basically means they found artificial testosterone that shouldn’t be there naturally. Testosterone is serious business in combat sports because it can dramatically improve strength, recovery, and overall performance.

😳 BREAKING NEWS 😳

Jaime Munguia has tested + for testosterone following his revenge win over Bruno Surace 4 weeks ago.

The latest in a catalogue of stars from Eddy Reynoso’s camp to fail a PED test, Munguia now has 10 days to request B-sample analysis.#Munguia #boxing #PEDs pic.twitter.com/wLRa2u4jMC
— Fight Disciples (@FightDisciples) May 29, 2025

Munguia won that fight against Surace by unanimous decision, but now that victory hangs in the balance while everyone waits for his B-sample results. If that second test also comes back positive, his win could get overturned and he could face a lengthy suspension that would kill his momentum in the super middleweight division.

Jaime Munguia swears he is innocent and has no idea how banned substances ended up in his system. He claims that all his previous tests during training camp came back clean, which raises questions about what happened between then and fight night. Contamination is always a possibility in these cases. But proving contamination is incredibly difficult, Moreover, athletic commissions tend to take a guilty-until-proven-innocent approach to these situations.

Canelo Alvarez Steps Up For His Teammate

Canelo Alvarez knows exactly what Munguia is going through because he faced his own doping controversy back in 2018. The Mexican superstar tested positive for clenbuterol before his rematch with Gennady Golovkin. Alvarez blamed contaminated meat from Mexico for the positive test. While many people bought that explanation, others remained skeptical.

Having been through that nightmare himself, the Mexican star stepped up immediately to defend both Munguia and their shared trainer Eddy Reynoso. He made it clear that Reynoso only handles the boxing training and doesn’t get involved with fighters’ supplements, meals, or anything else that might cause testing issues.

“We believe in Jaime Munguia, who will surely clear this up soon. And I want to be very clear that Eddy Reynoso doesn’t give him supplements. He is solely dedicated to his training.”

Canelo Alvarez speaks on the news of Jaime Munguia's adverse VADA findings. pic.twitter.com/yDn3ZEPKc2
— Ring Magazine (@ringmagazine) May 30, 2025

This was smart positioning by Canelo Alvarez because it protects his trainer’s reputation while still showing support for his teammate. The boxing world will be watching closely to see how this plays out. If Munguia’s B-sample also tests positive, it could create serious problems for the entire Reynoso camp. Moreover, it would raise uncomfortable questions about their training methods.

(Image Credit: Joe Camporeale – Imagn Images)

Canelo Alvarez

Jaime Munguia

Zaid Quraishi

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I am a dedicated MMA and Boxing content writer at The Playoffs. I was instantly hooked on MMA after watching the fight between Lyoto Machida vs. Gegard Mousasi back in 2014, and since then, i have been an avid writer with a deep love for the sport and its techniques, providing readers with a thorough understanding of the sport. My favorite aspect of working at The Playoffs is the creative freedom it provides. The diverse range of topics, from listicles and SEO to news articles, keeps me engaged and motivates me to continuously improve my skills! I aim to capture the excitement of the combat sports world in my writing, acting as the middleman between fighters and their die-hard fans. It is kind of like a referee, but with words!