Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., whose champion father admitted last week to drinking alcohol and using drugs in the latter stages of his career, has followed in his dad’s footsteps in more than just being a boxer.
Indeed, Chavez Jr. has had a few cases where drugs have come into play in his life, including now, as it was learned that the former middleweight titlist tested positive for marijuana in the post-fight urine sample he gave Saturday night.
Chavez Jr., lost a lopsided decision to lineal champion Sergio Martinez despite a dramatic 12th-round comeback during which he bloodied and knocked down Martinez.
“The commission let (Top Rank’s Carl) Moretti know that he tested positive,” promoter Bob Arum told ESPN.com. “I can’t really get excited about it. There’s no promoter in boxing who could pass the marijuana test, including myself.
“Julio is going to have to explain to the commission what happened and the commission will be guided accordingly. If there was a trace of marijuana, to me, it’s not the same as using a performance-enhancing drug. That is cheating.”
Marijuana, of course, is illegal in addition to being banned by the commission.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission normally does not release any test results until all of them are back from a card, but executive director Keith Kizer confirmed there had been one positive drug test from the Martinez-Chavez card.
This is Chavez’s second positive test for a banned substance and third involving a banned substance or alcohol.
“Of course, we’re disappointed in him,” Arum said. “Hopefully, he can learn a lesson here and next time get in top shape for the fight. But it shows you the immaturity here. He needs to grow up.”
Chavez’s history of illegal substances continues to grow.
In November 2009, Chavez tested positive for Furosemide — a diuretic typically used to help cut weight or used as a masking agent for steroids — in conjunction with his fight against Troy Rowland, which took place on the Manny Pacquiao-Miguel Cotto undercard at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
The commission suspended Chavez for seven months and fined him $10,000 (10 percent of his $100,000 purse). The fight result, originally a lopsided decision win for Chavez, was changed to a no-decision.
In January, Chavez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) was arrested on a DUI charge in Los Angeles, where he was training, just two weeks before he defeated Marco Antonio Rubio in San Antonio to retain his version of the 160-pound title. Chavez reached a plea deal in the case in June, which included three years of probation.
The Nevada commission will file a complaint against Chavez and could fine him up to 100 percent of his $3 million purse (although that is unlikely) and suspend him for up to a year or even revoke his license. “In the past we have had three fighters who have been repeat offenders and the commission has found that to be an aggravating factor and enhanced the penalty,” Kizer said.
Considering Chavez likely will be suspended for a lengthy period of time, that would rule out a rematch, which both camps are interested in, for the first half of 2013
