Mexican coach Eddy Reynoso has come under fire following Francisco Rodriguez Jr.’s failed VADA drug test after being linked to the fighter’s PED mishap. In a statement Reynoso officially released yesterday, the coach rejected any notion of being involved in Rodriguez’ PED camp yet a cloud of suspicion does surround him after his own fighter, Jaime Munguia, whose B-sample recently came back positive after a VADA test returned an ‘adverse finding’ result.

By all accounts, Eddy Reynoso is neither officially or unofficially the trainer of WBC interim flyweight (112 lbs) champion Francisco Rodriguez Jr. (40-6-1, 27 KO’s) who allegedly tested positive for an unconfirmed illegal substance earlier this week, yet a connection between the two was established through the No Boxing No Life brand that serves as the official sponsor for both.

In a letter to the public, Reynoso would deny claims of being involved with Rodriguez’ failed PED test and further clarified the extent of their relationship:

“Given the recent comments and speculations about my relationship with boxer Francisco “Chihuas” Rodriguez, it is pertinent to make the following clear: First and foremost, I am not Francisco’s coach or manager, whom I had the pleasure of meeting in person just yesterday,” Reynoso’s statement reads.

“The support he [Rodriguez] was given was through the promotion and sponsorship of the No Boxing No Life brand, who arranged three fights with Clase y Talento to try to support him in achieving a championship fight.

“I have dedicated almost my entire life to boxing because it is my passion and reason for being, everything I have achieved has been through sacrifice, discipline and dedication. In the way we supported Francisco, we have supported many fighters and we will continue to do so until God allows us to.

“Regarding the positive test result in his recent fight, it will be Francisco who will have to make the pertinent clarifications regarding the same. I had no participation of any kind in that fight, nor was I present at it, therefore I will not comment on it. To Francisco, all our support, and that he may overcome this obstacle.

“I consider it unfair that for appearing in a photo supporting Fransico Rodeiguez, they want to hold me responsible for situations outside of my work. In my position as a trainer or manager, I have nothing to do with my fighters’ nutrition plans. I don’t cook for the fighters, I don’t buy their food, I don’t give them supplements, I don’t recommend supplements, and I certainly don’t give them banned substances.

“I support drug testing and clean boxing, and I hope that everyone I work with shares the same values. I am very grateful to the professional media that have investigated in depth and that have reported the facts about me.“

According to Eddy Reynoso, he had never met Francisco Rodriguez Jr. prior to a recent meeting involving No Boxing No Life ― a branding initiative and boxing equipment line that was established 20 years ago by Reynoso that has further involved Reynoso’s most well-known and accomplished fighter, Canelo Alvarez, in the promotion of its products.

Tied to Eddy Reynoso through the sponsorship brand, there appears to be little to actually point towards an active relationship between Rodriguez and Reynoso.

Yet despite Reynoso’s claims of not being even slightly involved in the nutrition of his fighters, Jaime Munguia is a fighter that belongs to his stable and whom only recently tested positive for the use of testosterone and even had his B-sample come up positive in a recent test conducted by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association (VADA).

And based on prior Reynoso fighters that tested positive for PEDs, including Alvarez himself, the connections drawn between Rodriguez Jr. and Eddy Reynoso have not come out of thin air.

Despite Oscar De La Hoya’s claims of Munguia being the sixth Reynoso fighter to use PEDs, this is an exaggeration given former Reynoso fighters Ryan Garcia and Luis Nery were not aligned with the trainer’s stable at the time they tested positive.

However, there does appear to be a potential precedent to investigate Reynoso’s camp following Munguia’s failed drug test ― though there is presently no organization in boxing that will or can launch such an investigation. Such matters would likely need to be handed over to the Mexican government given Reynoso’s nationality, though even that seems unlikely occur given most of Reynoso’s camps occur within the United States.

In effect, while Reynoso’s camp remains under suspicion, there is no actual evidence that links the trainer to distributing banned substances to his fighters.

What has happened is that a conversation has now been drawn about the potential involvement trainers in PED usage, which depending on actual investigative efforts can possibly draw out substantial information about how fighters are supplied the illegal PEDs ― which can ultimately help in eradicating the epidemic of PED-use in boxing.