Bob Arum was telling the truth Wednesday.
Those who pick apart the increasingly uninhibited promoter for his infamous line – “Yesterday I was lying; today I’m telling the truth” – should at least respect him for not being a hypocrite as it relates to Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s failed drug test following his unanimous decision defeat at the hands of Sergio Martinez on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
To paraphrase, Arum, 80, said he couldn’t condemn Chavez for smoking marijuana because he and virtually every other promoter have done the same thing at some point in their lives. Fair enough, but that doesn’t excuse enabling Chavez.
Arum isn’t any more responsible for Chavez’s foolishness than anyone else who works for his promotional company, Top Rank Inc. Chavez is 26, not 16, yet unfortunately the byproduct of a privileged upbringing throughout which he obviously wasn’t disciplined properly by his father, a maniacal Mexican legend who has had his own substance-abuse problems in recent years, despite the fact he was pushing 50.
Nevertheless, Chavez’s constant problems away from the ring – he was charged with DUI nearly eight months ago in Los Angeles – reflect poorly on anyone who chooses to work with the popular boxer, whether they do it on a day-to-day basis or from afar.
Luckily for everyone involved, Chavez’s positive test won’t impact the outcome of a fight he lost on all three scorecards. It is an issue, however, as Top Rank, Chavez’s handlers in Mexico and HBO Sports move forward from a performance he salvaged by nearly knocking out the dominant Martinez in the 12th round at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center.
All kidding aside, Chavez’s marijuana use so close to this pay-per-view main event, likely within seven days according to experts, could’ve affected his energy level entering the biggest fight of his career. Marijuana isn’t considered a performance-enhancing drug, but it might at least partially explain why Chavez approached the first 11 rounds as if it was a 20-round fight in 1912, not a 12-rounder in 2012.
Ultimately, standing up and eating a bowl of cereal, while wearing only pink underwear as his father and friends watched, wasn’t Chavez’s most suspect act before he met Martinez.
Speaking of questionable behavior, Arum’s apathy, even if he was half-kidding and at heart wouldn’t condone Chavez’s lack of professionalism, shouldn’t be ignored if one of his company’s cash cows continues conducting his business like he’s still a teenaged amateur.
LAMPLEY LIVE: The next half-hour episode of Jim Lampley’s “The Fight Game” will debut Saturday at 10:35 p.m., immediately following the replay of Martinez-Chavez at 9:45.
