by Rick Reeno

Earlier today at a hearing before the Nevada State Athletic Commission, former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., by a vote of 3-2, received a 9 month suspension for testing positive for marijuana in the aftermath of his twelve round decision loss to Sergio Martinez, which took place on September 15th at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Chavez was also hit with a hefty fine - 30% of his fight purse [$900,000 of $3,000,000].

This offense marked the second time that Chavez tested positive for a banned substance in Nevada. In 2009, he tested positive for Furosemide, a diuretic, after his win over Troy Rowland. The official result was changed to a no-decision. Chavez was fined $10,000 and suspended for seven months. This incident played a big role in the final penalties for the marijuana use.

Martinez (50-2-2, 28KOs) dominated Chavez (46-1-1, 32KOs) for nearly eleven rounds, before Chavez badly hurt Martinez and scored a knockdown in the twelfth. Martinez survived to win a lopsided decision with scores of 118-109, 117-110 and 118-109.

There is talk of Chavez returning to action on a date in June or July, either against Matthew Macklin or Vanes Martirosyan. Provided he wins, a rematch with Martinez could take place in the fall.