Boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-1-1) was fined $900,000 (30% of his fight purse) on Thursday by the Nevada State Athletic Commission for a positive marijuana test following his fight last September against Sergio Martinez.
The NSAC also ruled that Chavez, who was defeated by unanimous decision for his first professional loss in the middleweight title fight, serve a nine-month suspension.
This marks the second time that Chavez has been disciplined by the commission over a failed drug test, back in 2009, Chavez tested positive for a diuretic, he was then fined $10,000 (10 percent of his purse) and suspended seven months.
Chavez stated to the commission that he used marijuana eight or nine days before the fight, on the recommendation of a friend in Los Angeles to help relieve the stress from having to fight four times in 2012.“I know I let a lot of people down. It was a big mistake. It hasn’t been easy for me,” Chavez stated while on a conference call from his native Mexico.
The suspension handed out by the NSAC to Chavez Jr. must have caught the attention of UFC President Dana White, as he tweeted the following message regarding the news:
@danawhite: “Chavez Jr was fined 900k by the NSAC for testing pos for marijuana! The NSAC has officially lost its mind!”