Former WBA featherweight champion Mauricio Lara was riding the high of his latest back-to-back victories. The 27-year-old from Mexico fought Pedro Alejandro Delgado in August 2024 and secured a sweet seventh-round knockout victory to assert his dominance in the super featherweight division. ‘El Bronco’ soon followed that up with an eighth-round knockout win over Edwing Davila in January this year to insert himself into the title conversation. But!

Lara has now been knocked straight out of boxing for two whole years! You see, the 28-3-2 (21KOs) boxer has tested positive for a banned substance called betamethasone in a drug test conducted by United Kingdom Anti Doping (UKAD). However, this test wasn’t in regards to his latest two fights or the one before. So, the question is, what, why, and when? 

Mauricio Lara fails testing and gets banned!

To get a better understanding of Lara’s situation let’s go back a few years. Mauricio Lara Acosta had already achieved a certain notoriety on the UK shores, having defeated former world champion Josh Warrington in 2021. The pair also had a rematch in the same year, but Warrington failed to avenge his loss, instead, the pair settled for a draw after Lara suffered a cut above his left eye. Two fights and two years later, Lara had set his sights on another big English boxer. Who? Gedling, Nottinghamshire’s Leigh Wood for the WBA featherweight title. The pair went toe-to-toe in February 2023, and guess who came out victorious? If you chose Lara—that’s absolutely correct. A short three months later, Wood was out looking for revenge, and this time, he was successful, beating Lara by unanimous decision. 

However, Lara didn’t just lose the fight. You see, Lara’s failed doping results were from his rematch against Wood. The Mexican boxer has claimed the substance entered his system through a shoulder injection, but UKAD rejected his explanation, deeming it insufficient. With no further defense from Lara, the agency issued a ban backdated to March 7, 2024, ruling him out of the sport until March 2026.

Another controversy was when Mauricio Lara fought Leigh Wood

The suspension was not the only fiasco coming out of the Lara vs. Wood rematch. Back in 2023, Lara, the then-reigning WBA featherweight champion, was stripped of his title after failing to make weight. Concerns arose when the British Boxing Board of Control (BBBofC) pointed out how heavy Lara was as he tried to make weight.

The BBBofC was also concerned about health risks, so they halted his weight cut. Ultimately, Lara weighed in at 9st 3.8lbs, rendering him ineligible to retain the featherweight belt since the limit is 126 lbs. Despite the setback, the fight proceeded, with only Wood eligible to win the title. Lara’s failure to make weight had become the most talked-about moment of the weekend. And now, almost 2 years later, Lara’s failed drug test has rocked the industry.

That said, Mauricio Lara will have to remain on the sidelines until March 2026. However, it raises the question—why did it take so long for Lara to face suspension? What are your thoughts on Lara’s situation?