Jose Uzcategui Out Vs. David Benavidez After Testing Positive For Banned Substance

The David Benavidez-Jose Uzcategui fight doesn’t look like it’ll be happening.

Uzcategui tested positive for performance-enhancing substance rEPO on Wednesday, which was a VADA test, and has been pulled from the November 13 fight against David Benavidez, ESPN and Boxing Scene reported. This is the second time the bout has been affected – the first was in August after Benavidez tested positive for Covid-19 ahead of the original August 28 fight.

It was Benavidez’s A-sample that tested positive. As fans saw from the Oscar Valdez and Robson Conceicao fight in September, there’s still a B-Sample to be tested. But Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) isn’t waiting for that sample.

PBC is reportedly trying to find a replacement for Uzcategui for the main event, which is scheduled to happen two weeks from Saturday night.

Uzecategui, 30, and Benavidez, 24, are both enrolled in the WBC’s “Clean Boxing Program,” which is overseen by the Voluntary Anti-Doping Association. Both boxers were tested many times during their training camps.

Benavidez, a former WBC super middleweight champion, and Uzcategui, a former IBF 168-pound champion, were supposed to box in a 12-round IBF/WBC elimination match.