WBC fines, suspends Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for marijuana use

The World Boxing Council has suspended former middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for an indefinite period and fined him $20,000 for his marijuana use.

Chavez tested positive for marijuana in a pre-fight urine test before losing his WBC belt Sept. 15 in a unanimous-decision defeat to Argentina’s Sergio Martinez.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has not yet ruled on any punishment for Chavez.

Keith Kizer, executive officer of the Nevada commission, said Chavez’s promoter has tentatively asked for a hearing in late October. Chavez faces a suspension up to one year, and a fine beyond the $25,000 that has been withheld from his Sept. 15 purse.

The WBC added, however, it wants Chavez to enroll in a “rehab center.”

“The WBC will open its doors once again to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr., so he can continue his successful career when he feels he can return. The suspension will last as long as the rehab center advises,” the WBC statement said. “But ... we also give boxers the chance to continue a career path, after they undergo rehab.”

Nevada previously suspended Chavez for seven months after he tested positive for a diuretic in his November 2009 fight against Troy Rowland.

The WBC also released a handwritten apology it says Chavez Jr. delivered to the sanctioning body. Bob Arum, Chavez’s promoter, said he was told that his boxer smoked marijuana during training camp to treat insomnia.

“I want to apologize to all the people who felt offended by my actions. I made them, and only I should face the consequences,” Chavez wrote. “I will do my very best to change.

“This begins a new stage in my career. I will train towards achieving new targets, one of which is without doubt the rematch with Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez.”

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