By Dan Ambrose: Former WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1, 32 KO’s) was really smacked around today in his hearing with the Nevada State Athletic Commission to determine his case for his positive marijuana test from his last fight against Sergio Martinez last year on September 15h.
Chavez Jr. basically threw himself on the mercy of the Commission. He had no real concrete reasons why he chose to use marijuana in the weeks before his fight with Martinez. The only thing Chavez Jr. could say is he smoked in nine days before the fight in order to relieve stress.
The Commission didn’t buy his answer, and gave him a hefty $900,000 fine along with a 9 month suspension, which should end by June. The $900 K comes out of Chavez Jr’s $3 million purse for the fight. That’s a big chunk of change for a positive marijuana test given that it’s not a performance enhancing drug.
However, this was the second drug test for 27-year-old Chavez Jr, his first being four years ago when he tested positive for diuretics, a water-draining drug that some boxers use to make weight for weight classes that they normally couldn’t fight in due their size.
The Nevada Commission voted 3-2 to give Chavez Jr. the big suspension and fine. The suspension will start from the date of his fight with Martinez, meaning that it’ll be over in June. That’s good news if Chavez Jr. can train during his suspension so that he can get in a tune-up bout before his proposed rematch with Sergio Martinez in September.
There’s still a question mark about whether Chavez Jr. and Martinez will end up fighting again because Martinez says he wants full random blood testing for his next fight with Chavez Jr. He’s not comfortable with there just being urine testing before and after the fight.
Martinez wants blood testing, and there’s still no word about whether Chavez Jr. will agree to this. If not, then there won’t be a rematch between them. I kind of doubt the fight will take place, but it’s probably better for Chavez Jr. because it’s painfully obvious that he’ll never beat Martinez in a million years even with a huge 15 pound weight advantage.
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