Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Tests Positive For Reefer
(Stiff Jab legal note: the photo above is photoshopped, please do not sue us)
by Dr. Octagon, J.D.
Looks like someone was celebrating Mexican Independence Day a little early.
Top Rank boss Bob Arum acknowledged Wednesday that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has tested positive for reefer. Usually when a fighter tests positive, it isn’t because he was high as a kite in the ring, but rather that the weed metabolites tend to stick around for a long time. According to my elementary school D.A.R.E. officer, they can linger in the system for up to a month.
Of course, the way Junior fought for the first 11 rounds against Sergio Martinez on Saturday night, he might as well have been stoned out of his gourd, because he didn’t do shit. Regardless, his last-round rally and knockdown of Martinez had many, including our esteemed editor, calling for rematch. That fight is now in serious jeopardy, thanks to Chavez and his fondness for the chronic.[[MORE]]
This is Junior’s second positive test for a banned substance; the first was for a diuretic, which can be used to mask steroids, or to cut weight. Junior is gigantic for a middleweight, typically coming into the ring around 180 lbs. So it’s not impossible that he was just using the banned substance to cut extra weight, rather than to cover up something even more dastardly.
It will be interesting to see what type of fine/suspension the clowns in Nevada State Athletic Commission will drop on him. UFC boss Dana White has often complained about the unfair treatment that UFC fighters get compared to boxers (especially after Floyd Mayweather got to postpone a jail sentence for a fight). MMA fighter Nick Diaz lost thirty percent of his purse and was suspended for a year, even though he had a medical weed prescription to help cure his ADHD (seriously though, an actual doctor signed off on that).
If Chavez gets a lighter sentence, then the complaints of favoritism will seem justified. That being said, we’re hoping that the commission uses this situation to start approaching these types of violations more leniently. It’s silly that the NSAC treats weed, a substance that a fighter might have used up to a month before a fight and will have no effect on his performance, more harshly than other substances that can unnaturally increase a fighter’s punching power and ability to hurt his opponent. The number one concern should be fighter safety, but that is clearly not the case, given the recent penalties levied by the NSAC.
It;s a shame too, because the last round was really exciting and both fighters seemed to want a rematch (I’m sure Sergio would love to get another huge payday, as Chavez is a big PPV draw and Sergio gets a cut of the buys). I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens. Perhaps the most underrated aspect of this whole story is Arum’s surprisingly hip response to the positive test, given to ESPN:
“The commission let (Top Rank’s Carl) Moretti know (Tuesday) night that [Chavez] tested positive,” Arum said. “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.”
