The WBC has finally reinstated Franchon Crews-Dezurn as its WBC super-middleweight champion and announced a back-dated, nine-month suspension for Alejandra Jiménez who failed an anti-doping test just before their bout in January.
Jiménez had trumped American Crews-Dezurn (6-1, 2 KOS, 1 NC) with a split decision at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas, on January 11 before the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency (VADA) announced the discovery of traces of stanozolol in a test taken on the day of the weigh-in. The B sample also came back positive.
Following a five-month investigation, the WBC stated that the result of the fight had been altered to a ‘no contest’. Crews-Dezurn was therefore reinstated as champion and Jiménez suspended until October 10, 2020.
Mexican Jiménez, a former WBC heavyweight champion, received no fine due to the “current global economic crisis” and will embark on a one-year probation period. She will undergo random drug testing and, should she test positive again, further punishment will be imposed.
Jiménez (12-0-1, 9 KOs, 1 NC) accepted the WBC’s findings, but did not admit to taking any performance enhancing substance. “Ms. Jiménez agreement with the WBC is not an admission that she indeed purposely ingested a banned substance to improve her performance. Instead, in the Adjudication Agreement Ms. Jiménez does not dispute the WBC CBP finding as revealed by the anti-doping test,” said a WBC statement.
The WBO, whose title was also on the line in January, reinstated Crews-Dezurn as its champion in March. Later that month, Crews-Franchon told The Ring: “I’ve been hit by strong men [and] the power wasn’t like a man; it wasn’t like a woman, it was different. In the second round, I actually got hurt for the first time in my whole career – amateur pro – it was terrifying.
“It was pretty scary because I was fighting for my life; I really could have died,” she insisted.