Chavez Jr tests positive for marijuana after Vegas bout

LAS VEGAS (AP) - Middleweight fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. could be stripped of his US$3 million (S$3.8 million) purse, depending on the explanation he offers to Nevada boxing regulators about a positive test for marijuana after his first professional loss last weekend in Las Vegas.

Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels said promoter Bob Arum was aware the 26-year-old Chavez tested positive for the banned substance.

"Julio Cesar Chavez Jr will have the opportunity to explain the situation to the Nevada State Athletic Commission," Samuels said on Wednesday. He declined further comment.

Commission executive Keith Kizer would not immediately provide the name, but said only one of 32 fighters who took part in bouts at two Las Vegas venues last Saturday tested positive for a banned substance, marijuana.