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boxing:

Chavez Jr. can’t attend commission meeting because of expired visa; hearing over positive marijuana test delayed

The middleweight tested positive following his September fight at the Thomas & Mack Center

More Chavez Martinez

Steve Marcus

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. of Mexico is treated in his corner between rounds during his bout against Sergio Martinez of Argentina at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada Sept. 15, 2012.

Martinez Defeats Chavez Jr.

Sergio Martinez of Argentina celebrates his victory over WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. of Mexico after their title fight at the Thomas & Mack Center on Saturday, Sept. 15, 2012. Launch slideshow »

A disciplinary complaint against boxer Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. over a failed drug test following his September fight at the Thomas & Mack Center won’t be heard by the Nevada Athletic Commission until the end of February.

Chavez was scheduled to appear Monday at a commission meeting in downtown Las Vegas, but he didn’t attend because his visa expired last fall and he’s stuck in Mexico, his local lawyer, Donald Campbell, told commissioners.

Chavez, who tested positive for marijuana following his unanimous-decision loss to Sergio Martinez in a 12-round middleweight title fight, unsuccessfully tried on multiple occasions to renew his visa at the U.S. Consulate in Mexico, Campbell said. That forced the commission to give him an extension to its February meeting. However, as a stipulation, the commission requested a written response to the complaint within 20 days.

“We still need to proceed as quickly as possible,” Commissioner Skip Avansino said. “We are going on four months now from the date of the fight.”

Campbell said Chavez has an appointment next week in Mexico City — a two-hour flight from his home in Culiacán — to get his visa renewed. Once Chavez is permitted to travel, the first order of business in addressing his complaint is an in-person meeting with Campbell. Campbell told commissioners they’ve only talked over the phone.

“I would like to meet with him personally,” Campbell said.

The commission typically suspends fighters for nine months from the date of a failed drug test. That means Chavez (46-1-1, 32 KOs) couldn’t be licensed to fight until the middle of June.

He is reportedly considering a rematch with Martinez, whom he knocked down twice in the dramatic 12th round after being dominated the entire fight. It was the first loss in Chavez’s career.

Ray Brewer can be reached at 990-2662 or [email protected]. Follow Ray on Twitter at twitter.com/raybrewer21.

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