Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. Tests Positive for Cannabis

Professional boxer and former WBC Middleweight Champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. tested positive for cannabis following his loss to Sergio Martinez on September 15, 2012.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) tests all boxers before and after the fight, and Chavez’s post-fight urine test came back positive for cannabis. The pre-fight test results, which executive director Keith Kizer said are used to check for steroids, should be back in a couple days. Cannabis is banned as an illegal substance by the NSAC.

One narrative that continues to play out when professional athletes (Nick Diaz after his MMA Title fight with Carlos Condit) or Olympic contenders (American judoist Nick Delpopolo expelled from 2012 London Olympics) test positive for cannabis  is whether or not it is a performance enhancing drug. For me, it is. There is no doubt that it helps me push harder in workouts because I am more in tune with my body and because it reduces the pain of physical exertion. If you can work out harder and longer you have an advantage, but aren’t vitamins a performance enhancing drug? Can’t alcohol, tobacco, and caffeine be used as performance enhancers?

Chavez was dominated by Martinez (aside from a flurry in the 12th and final round), so it certainly didn’t make him an unnatural super athlete, incapable of being beaten. In fact, many will argue that the cannabis actually hurt Chavez’s performance. No one can really know other than the athlete himself, but the bigger question for me is why is the NSAC still testing for cannabis? Why should we even care?

Prominent boxing promoter Bob Arum said of the test, “There’s no promoter in boxing who could pass the marijuana test, including myself.” Arum also downplayed the use of cannabis compared to other banned substances saying, “If there was a trace of marijuana, to me, it’s not the same as using a performance-enhancing drug. That is cheating.”

Unfortunately this isn’t the first time Chavez has tested positive for an illegal substance. He’s also had ‘trouble’ with alcohol in the past, so he is being labelled as a guy who “just needs to get his act together” and “really has some things he needs to work on”. I actually heard someone ask “does he have a desire to be great in his career”, like smoking cannabis means you don’t have desire or don’t want to be great.

Chavez could be looking at a long suspension from the NSAC, who will file a complaint against the fighter that could see him lose all of his $3 million purse.