Mexican fighter Erika Cruz is no longer the World Boxing Association (WBA) super bantamweight champion after the sanctioning body decided to strip her of the title following her failed drug tests stemming from her May 11th match against Argentinian contender Nazarena Romero. The now-vacant belt will be made available for Romero, the #1 women’s super bantamweight contender according to the WBA, who will be facing the next-highest and available contender for the WBA title.
The WBA sent out a press release yesterday on July 2nd where they announced the relinquishment of Erika Cruz’s (17-2-1, 3 KO’s) super bantamweight (122 lbs) title, citing her action not to open the B-samples of her failed tests and the circumstances of these tests as a valid reason to remove her as champion.
Nazarena Romero (13-0-2, 7 KO’s), who managed to eke out a split-decision (SD) draw against Cruz on May 11th, will be first in line to fight for the title but will need to face a fellow top-rated contender to finally win the title she has vied for twice now.
Prior to facing Cruz, Romero had been unfortunate to suffer a technical decision (TD) draw on June 10th in 2023 against then-WBA champion Mayerlin Rivas (17-5-3, 11 KO’s) from Venezuela, allowing Rivas to hold on to her title. Cruz would pick up the title roughly half a year later in November following a majority decision (MD) win over Rivas.
Contrary to what happens in most performance-enhancing drug (PED) cases where boxing commissions step in to mete out punishements, it is the WBA who has been forced to step in to hand out any repercussions, with the Aguascalientes Boxing Commission―that oversaw the Cruz-Romero title bout and the accompanying fights on the card―yet to respond with any form punishment towards Cruz.
Erika Cruz tested positive for three different substances; two different Stanozolol metabolites [16β-hydroxystanozolol and 3′-hydroxystanozolol], as well as Furosemide. While both Stanozolol and Furosemide are prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), the former is an anabolic steroid while Furosemide has been identified as a diuretic or masking agent.
Despite these clear violations, which should technically already see Cruz suspended for the Furosemide alone, the Aguascalientes boxing commission has not yet acted. After it was ascertained by the WBA that Cruz did not attend the opening of her B-samples, which could exonerate her if they came out negative, the sanctioning body has been forced to step in and ensure there are actual consequences to failing drug tests.
Erika Cruz was therefore stripped following a ruling by the WBA’s Women’s Championships Committee, and while the sanctioning body cannot suspend or ban fighters from competing, they have dictated that Cruz would remain ineligible to fight for a title and be removed from the WBA’s rankings until she decides to revisit the results of the B-samples of her positive drug tests.
As of yet, the B-samples continue to remain unopened but will be held securely in a laboratory according to the WADA for 180 days or 6 months. A failure by Cruz to open the B-samples within these 6 months will result in her suspension from the WBA’s rankings being upheld until the B-samples no longer remain in the laboratory, and a suspension of the same period can additionally be imposed on Cruz afterwards.
The WBA’s interference in this matter is commendable, but despite the consequences for Erika Cruz impacting her ability within the WBA, a sanctioning body cannot actually suspend a fighter from competing, nor does the WBA’s recent decision bar her from fighting for other sanctioning bodies’ titles.
However, the other sanctioning bodies might take notice and similarly suspend Cruz from their rankings depending on whether she attempts to fight for a title again or look to move up these bodies’ respective rankings. Currently, as of the recent rankings of the World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Organization (WBO) and International Boxing Federation (IBF), Cruz is still acknowledged as the WBA 122 lbs champion, but this might change during the next update of these sanctioning bodies’ rankings, which could easily also remove Cruz from their rating boards.
It is still unknown what is currently going on with the Aguascalientes Boxing Commission and what has led to their decision not to remotely suspend or punish Cruz for her suspension. Even with minimal resources, the commission has a responsibility to address drug violations and their response speaks volumes of their ineptitude to solve these disputes; drawing questions as to whether their presence within the sport is merited.
The structure of boxing commissions in Mexico likely differs per region or state, similar to the United States whose own state athletic commissions have different rules and standards, but the inability of Aguascalientes’ commission to act still does not appear to prevent Cruz from competing in any title fight.
However, if the other sanctioning bodies decide to impose their own forms of punishment, Cruz could be isolated in a sense where she would not be able to compete for a title or be included on these bodies’ ranking boards; effectively stifling her career as she would be prevented from using a title or high-ranking position as leverage to draw relevant or bigger fights.
Additionally, Cruz might also face difficulties if she were to actually attempt to continue fighting. Though it is not known where she is currently licensed as a boxer, presuming it is not with the Aguascalientes Boxing Commission, Cruz could have her license suspended for her failed drug tests.
If she were to fight outside of Aguascalientes, whether in Mexico or outside of the country, the respective boxing commissions where she would attempt to fight could also intercede to bar her from fighting, citing her failed drug tests―and failure to open the B-samples to potentially resolve the tests―to disallow any bout she could participate in.
Whichever consequences Erika Cruz might be attempting to evade, it appears there is little room for her to avoid repercussions, putting her firmly in a situation where she cannot escape consequences, regardless of the Aguascalientes Boxing Commission’s ineptitude or reluctance to hand out repercussions to Cruz.
