Eddy Reynoso is planning on heading down a new course for his fighters after declaring to be taking up the nutrition of his fighters after facing much backlash for the failed drug test of fighter Jaime Munguia, and most recently the ‘adverse finding’ found in Mexican boxer Francisco Rodriguez Jr. who is connected to Reynoso’s No Boxing No Life brand ― despite not belonging to his stable.
Jaime Munguia (45-2, 35 KO’s) became the fourth Eddy Reynoso fighter to be caught with performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in his system barely over a month ago in May, though this clearly did not alert Reynoso to the fact his own reputation was in jeopardy as Munguia’s camp maintained the fighter’s innocence even after the B-sample came up positive to confirm the presence of an illegal substance in Munguia’s body.
Now, however, things have changed now Reynoso has been placed under scrutiny following the failed test of Francisco Rodriguez Jr. Though Rodriguez (40-6-1, 27 KO’s) has never been a part of Reynoso’s stable, his connection to Reynoso’s No Boxing No Life brand and debunked assumptions of him being a Reynoso fighter put the trainer in the limelight for the wrong reason.
Following a response clarifying his relationship with Rodriguez, it appears the explanation did not suffice as the Mexican trainer has now opted to take firm control over the nutritional regimen of his fighters in an interview with ESPN Knockout’s Salvador ‘Chavas’ Rodriguez:
“From now on, I’ll be working with a team that can supervise me 100%,” Eddy Reynoso told Rodriguez. “I’ve allowed the boxers who train with me to have their own nutrition team, their own work team, regardless of what the training entails.
“Now what I’ll do is seek advice and get a good nutrition team to do things better and be closer to VADA to do things better.”
Reynoso’s shift in priorities is admirable in a time where PED users are less scrutinized than ever, especially given the trainer ― best known for his work in training Mexican future Hall of Famer Canelo Alvarez (63-2-2, 39 KO’s) ― has always distanced himself from the failed drug tests of his own fighters by citing he wasn’t handling their nutrition.
In the case of Canelo Alvarez, Reynoso’s denial in being involved in the fighter’s nutrition after Alvarez tested positive for Clenbuterol was an overlooked matter in the media despite Reynoso having trained the undisputed super middleweight (168 lbs) champion during his amateur career; making it close to two decades that he has been involved in training Alvarez.
All the while, Reynoso has continued to proclaim the innocence of stable fighters Oscar Valdez (32-3, 24 KO’s) and Jaime Munguia who both tested positive during their careers:
“Oscar Valdez is an impeccable young man, disciplined like few others in boxing,” Reynoso said. “The problem arose, was resolved, and he defended his title.
“Jaime Munguía is also a disciplined boxer who is having a great career, and that little detail arises. I can’t say I don’t love his team because he feels comfortable working with them.”
Munguia, who joined Reynoso’s stable in January, appears to employ his own nutritional staff unconnected to Reynoso who appears to allow his fighters to take the reins of their nutritional diets. Despite this, head trainers are often deemed as responsible for what their fighters put in their bodies as the fighters themselves, though nutritional companies such as SNAC allow trainers to avoid both culpability and resources by taking up a fighter’s nutritional responsibilities.
SNAC itself has often been implicated in allowing fighters to pass tests involving PEDs due to being owned by previously convicted PED distributor Victor Conte, despite no records existing of fighters ever testing positive while working with the company.
Contrasting the persecution of SNAC, neither Eddy Reynoso or the fighters’ nutritional staff have been branded with suspicion until recently ― despite at least four fighters within Reynoso’s camp having tested positive at least once in their careers.
