Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.: Marijuana Could Cost Him Between $750k and $1 Million

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. could have a pretty expensive pot habit, according to a recent interview by Rick Reeno of boxingscene.com with Nevada State Athletic Commission executive director Keith Kizer. 

The normal penalty in Nevada for a testing positive for marijuana is between 25 and 33.33 percent Kizer said. In this case, the commission may choose to lower it considering the amount of money at stake.

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Normally they try to focus on a certain percentage of the purse. That's going to be a lot of money here. Some of [the commissioners] may say that percentage works on a normal purse, but here it might be a little high. That's going to be for them to decide.

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Chavez’s reported purse for his September 15 loss to Sergio Martinez was $3 million. If the commission were to fine him what they have in the past, Chavez could stand to lose between $750k and $1 million. 

He has already been fined $10k by the WBC and ordered into rehab by a Mexico based organization, which is headed by his godfather Jose Sulaiman. 

Kizer also stated that because of his prior positive test for a banned diuretic, furosemide, he could face a more severe penalty. The average penalty for a first positive marijuana test is normally a six-month suspension according to Kizer, but in some cases it can be as little as four or five months. 

Chavez won’t know what the actual fine or suspension time will be, if any, until he and his attorney present their case in front of the NSAC. The next meeting of the NSAC is scheduled for October 6, but Kizer assumes that Chavez will present his case in either late October or in early November.

I would not expect too long of a suspension and believe it is very likely that Chavez and Martinez could be back in the ring together Cinco De Mayo weekend 2013.