nevada state athletic commission – Page 2

NSAC cleared to discipline Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for refusing drug test

A judge on Tuesday cleared the way for Nevada officials to discipline Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for refusing to submit a urine sample.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission can discipline Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. for refusing a urine test after all.

A judge on Tuesday dismissed a restraining order won by Chavez and upheld a motion to dismiss his case, which has taken a number of turns since Chavez, scheduled to fight Daniel Jacobs in Las Vegas, refused to submit a sample to the Voluntary Anti-Doping Agency on Oct. 24, according to a report on BoxingScene.com.

BoxingScene.com’s Thomas Hauser laid out this timeline:

Oct. 30 – The NSAC suspends Chavez temporarily pending the results of a commission meeting on Nov. 20.

Nov. 20 – The suspension is extended by a unanimous vote until a final disciplinary action is brought against Chavez. The Chavez-Jacobs fight, set for Dec. 20, is subsequently moved to Phoenix.

Dec. 17 – A Nevada court grants Chavez’s request for a temporary restraining order preventing the NSAC from proceeding with the disciplinary action.

Jan. 15 – The NSAC files a motion to kill the restraining order. Chavez, according to Hauser, responds by filing a motion to change the restraining order to a preliminary junction.

March 5 – The NSAC files a motion to dismiss Chavez’s case against it.

April 28 – A judge grants both of the NSAC’s motions and denies Chavez’s request via a conference call. That allows Nevada officials to discipline Chavez for refusing to submit a sample for the drug test.

Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III heading for sometime this fall

Bob Arum said it’s not possible for Tyson Fury-Deontay Wilder III to take place on the target date of July 18 because of coronavirus.

Tyson Fury and Deontay will have to wait a little longer for their third fight.

They were tentatively scheduled to meet on July 18 but, Top Rank Chairman Bob Arum told ESPN, the fight is likely to be moved to sometime in the fall as a result of the uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has banned combat sports indefinitely and Las Vegas is more or less shut down.

Arum was asked directly whether the fight would take place on July 18.

“Clearly not,” Arum told ESPN. “We don’t even know if the MGM will even be open by then.”

He went on: “You could not guarantee the fighters that the event would take place on that date. We couldn’t convince them or ourselves. Where were they going to train for it? It just made no sense. You just have to take a step back. How are you going to sell tickets? It’s absolutely ridiculous to say the fight is on when the Brits can’t even get there.”

Arum, who promotes Fury, said Wilder manager Al Haymon of Premier Boxing Champions is on board with the change in schedule.

“Al and his people are in touch with us all the time on this,” Arum said. “We see things the same way. We’ll be very, very cautious moving ahead and pray this will be over at a particular time and we will be able to make smart plans. Nobody has ever experienced anything like this before.”

Fury and Wilder fought to a draw in December 2018. In the rematch, this past Feb. 22, Fury scored a sensational seventh-round knockout.

Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders fight pushed back to at least June

The Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders fight, set for May 2, has been pushed back to at least June as a result of the coronavirus threat.

Canelo Alvarez reportedly will not be fighting on Cinco de Mayo weekend.

The handlers of Alvarez and super middleweight titleholder Billy Joe Saunders, who had agreed to fight on May 2 in Las Vegas, have postponed their bout until at least June because of the coronavirus threat, according to BoxingScene.com.

And, of course, there are no guarantees that it will take place at that time because of the uncertainty of the pandemic.

The Alvarez-Saunders bout was expected to be formally announced last week and a kickoff promotion was scheduled for Tuesday in Los Angeles. Now those involved, as well as the pubic, is in a wait-and-see mode.

The powers that be in boxing, like those in other sports, are adjusting day to day to the spreading threat.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission banned all combat sports events through March 25 but almost certainly will extend that order.

Alvarez and Saunders have been training for their fight, Alvarez in San Diego and Saunders in Las Vegas. It’s unclear how the postponement and prospect of further delays will affect their regimens.

Alvarez will be attempting to win a title in a fourth weight division whenever the two actually begin exchanging punches.

Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders fight still up in air amid pandemic

The spreading coronavirus threat continues to create chaos with boxing’s schedule, including the Canelo Alvarez-Billy Joe Saunders fight.

The spreading coronavirus threat continues to create chaos with cancellations and uncertainty about boxing’s schedule over the next several weeks, including Canelo Alvarez’s projected super middleweight bout against Billy Joe Saunders on May 2 in Las Vegas.

It still hasn’t been announced and it’s not clear when, or if, it will.

Not even Saunders promoter Eddie Hearn is sure, although he expects an announcement, perhaps early this week.

“I do think it will be announced early next week now,” Hearn told iFL TV Saturday. “Everyone is getting their head around [coronavirus] and putting a strategy together. Billy Joe and Canelo is done, and all of the terms are agreed on that fight.’’

President Donald Trump announced further travel restrictions for U.K. and Irish citizens Saturday. Hearn said Saunders, who lives outside London, is already in the United States.

“Billy Joe is actually in America training right now,’’ Hearn said.

But it’s not clear whether promoters would want to proceed with the fight if the restrictions would limit U.K. fans from traveling to the U.S. for the bout. Canelo Alvarez is tied to Golden Boy Promotions.

“There is supposed to be a press conference,’’ Hearn said. “We’ll see what happens.”

The Nevada State Athletic Commission suspended combat sports through March 25 at an emergency meeting Saturday. The state’s regulatory agency will decide on events after that date at a meeting scheduled for March 25.

“You’d like to think there is a very strong chance for May 2,” Hearn said. “Will it be postponed to the end of May, early June? Maybe. But that’s one for Golden Boy.”

Nevada Commission says ‘no’ to post-weigh-in stare down

Nevada officials ordered that there will be no face-to-face pose after the weigh-in Friday for the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch.

LAS VEGAS – The face-off is off.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission took a cue from promoter Bob Arum, ordering that there will be no eye-to-eye, nose-to-nose pose after the weigh-in Friday for the Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury heavyweight rematch on ESPN/Fox pay-per-view.

About 24 hours earlier, the traditional pose for the cameras after the final news conference was eliminated after Arum shouted: “No face-off, no-face-off.’’

The risk to pay-per-view revenue for the rematch Saturday night at the MGM Grand was too big then. It would have been too big a risk Friday.

“We don’t want to screw this up by having these two guys push each other or fight each other at the weigh-in,’’ Arum said about the news first reported by ESPN.

The face-off has been a boxing tradition. But there have been incidents during the last couple of years. Gennadiy Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez shoved each other at the weigh-in before their rematch, won by Canelo on a decision Sept 15, 2018 in Las Vegas. A Terence Crawford punch narrowly missed Jose Benavidez Jr. at a weigh-in before a Crawford win by stoppage on Oct. 13, 2018 in Omaha, Nebraska.

There was shoving at the news conference Wednesday. Wilder pushed Fury, who fell back a couple of steps. Fury shoved back. Then, there was a volley of profane trash talk.

First Arum and now the Nevada Commission want to eliminate any chance of a brawl that could force a cancellation.

Deontay Wilder victory over Tyson Fury would be better for boxing

The Boxing Junkie Analysis: Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II

Deontay Wilder vs. Tyson Fury II: All officials will be American

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury get physical at news conference

Deontay Wilder, Tyson Fury will have say in choosing officials

The NSAC will give a list of officials to Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury and allow them to toss those with whom they aren’t comfortable.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission evidently isn’t taking any chances with officials for the Feb. 22 Deontay Wilder-Tyson Fury rematch in Las Vegas.

The NSAC reportedly will give a list of at least three possible referees and 10 to 12 judges to the fighters and allow them to toss anyone with whom they aren’t comfortable.

“[NSAC Executive Director] Bob Bennett promised me everybody will be satisfied,” Fury co-promoter Bob Arum told BoxingScene.com. “The truth is, unlike what happened last time, the judges here are not going to matter. If it goes to a decision, Fury wins the fight. If it goes to a knockout, the judges don’t matter.”

The officials are an issue because of the 2018 fight between Wilder and Fury in Los Angeles, which was scored a draw. Fury, who went down twice but controlled much of the fight, thought he was robbed and some agree with him.

Also, some have suggested California referee Jack Reiss should’ve stopped the fight when Fury went down in Round 12 even though he appeared to beat the count.

As BoxingScene pointed out, the referee will be from Nevada and the judges will be configured in one of two ways: one British judge, one American judge and one neutral judge, or all three neutral judges.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Daniel Jacobs is on but controversy lingers

Arizona proceeded with plans for the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Daniel Jacobs card without any unforeseen issues at a meeting Wednesday.

PHOENIX – The Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission proceeded with plans for the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.-Daniel Jacobs card without any unforeseen issues related to the licensing of Chavez at a meeting Wednesday.

Chavez, who faces Jacobs in a super middleweight bout Friday at Talking Stick Arena on DAZN, was cleared to fight Tuesday after a Nevada district judge granted him an injunction, lifting his suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Chavez already had been granted a pending license by the Arizona Commission, a three-member regulatory board which approved the Matchroom-promoted card at its Nov. 18 meeting.

If the Nevada judge had ruled against Chavez and upheld the suspension, it’s likely that the license would have been withdrawn. Under the Muhammad Ali Act, federal law mandates that one state’s suspension be honored nationwide. An item on the Arizona Commission’s agenda Wednesday indicated it was prepared for that possibility. Possible action was mentioned regarding the main event, including an option to move into a private Executive Session if necessary.

It wasn’t necessary.

Yet controversy lingers.

Chavez Jr. was suspended after he allegedly refused to submit to a drug test while training at the Wild Club Boxing Club in Los Angeles in late October. First, Chavez said he was asked for a test sample by someone who failed to show him credentials proving he was a Voluntary Anti-Doping Association representative. Then he said he did not believe he had to undergo the test because he had yet to sign for the fight, although the bout had already been scheduled for Las Vegas.

That’s when Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn moved the card to Arizona. Then the Nevada Commission upheld its suspension of Chavez Jr. at a meeting in mid-November. Chavez Jr. then filed his lawsuit.

The Nevada Commission, angry at Hearn’s decision to move the card, has threatened his promotional license. Hearn is using the Arizona license held by Phoenix-based Iron Boy Promotions to promote Friday’s card. According to the Arizona Commission, Matchroom has applied for a license. The U.K.-based promoter plans to stage more cards in the state in 2020.

“We have no quarrel with Nevada,’’ Scott Fletcher, Chairman of the Arizona Commission, said Wednesday. “We share a border.’’

But there is a quarrel between Top Rank’s Bob Arum and Hearn. Arum ripped into Hearn during a session with reporters last weekend while promoting Terence Crawford’s fight against Egidijus Kavaliauskas.

Hearn, Arum said, is “in a strong position in the U.K. where the fans really buy tickets, but he’s falling on his ass in the United States, because he doesn’t understand the market and says stupid things. And what he’s doing now with Chavez, putting himself at risk with the Nevada Commission, is senseless.”

Hearn, of course, read the comments. And, of course, he fired back at a news conference Tuesday after the court ruling in favor of Chavez Jr.

Hearn took the podium at Talking Stick and thanked Chavez for enduring what he called “an ordeal.’’ He thanked Chavez’s attorney.

“I also want to thank the haters,’’ Hearn said. “Thank you, Bob Arum. I saw his comments.’’

Hearn accused Arum of also “shopping” a controversial card from one state to another. Hearn cited Antonio Margarito. Margarito couldn’t fight in California after he was found to have used altered hand wraps before losing to Shane Mosley on Jan. 24, 2009 at Los Angeles’ Staples Center. While under suspension in California, Margarito fought his next bout in Mexico. Then he was licensed in Texas for his loss to Manny Pacquiao on July 23, 2010 on the Dallas Cowboys home field in Arlington.

Arum also argued that the Nevada Commission should begin drug testing once a fight is announced.

“Once a fight is announced, the Nevada Commission has jurisdiction to test a fighter,’’ Arum said. “A lot of fighters take performance enhancing drugs and then clear their system by the press conference, so if you wait until the press conference, you will miss that they took performance enhancing drugs.’’

Hearn said that Chavez is being tested, but not by VADA. Instead, Hearn said, the tests have been conducted by Drug Free Sports, which conducts testing for the NFL.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. granted license in Arizona, will fight Daniel Jacobs

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has been granted a license to fight in Arizona, which means he’ll face Daniel Jacobs on Friday in Phoenix.

PHOENIX – The Arizona State Boxing and Mixed Martial Arts Commission has granted Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. a license, allowing him to fight Danny Jacobs on Friday night at Talking Stick Arena on DAZN.

Francisco Meneses Jr., the Commission’s executive director, told Boxing Junkie Tuesday that the three-member regulatory board voted to license Chavez.

“He has a license,’’ Meneses said.

According to an unsourced report from The Athletic on Twitter, Chavez was granted an injunction by a Nevada court, lifting his suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.

Chavez sued Nevada after it upheld his suspension for refusing to submit to a drug test at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, Calif. in late October. Chavez said then that a VADA testing representative did not show his credentials. He also said he didn’t think he had to submit to the test because he had yet to sign for the super middleweight fight.

The Arizona Commission is scheduled to meet Wednesday. Meneses said Chavez is not required to appear. Chavez and Jacobs appeared together at the Portland Trail Blazers-Phoenix Suns game Monday night at Talking Stick. The weigh-in is scheduled for Thursday.

The Matchroom-promoted card has generated a lot of controversy. The Nevada Commission threatened to suspend Eddie Hearn’s license after he moved the card to Phoenix in the wake of the Chavez suspension. The bout had been scheduled for Las Vegas.

Nevada Commission upholds suspension of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission upheld Julio Cesar Chavez Jr.’s suspension, which puts his fight against Daniel Jacobs in jeopardy.

Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. might be fighting any time soon.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission upheld Chavez’s suspension, casting further uncertainty on whether he will be able to fight Danny Jacobs in a super middleweight bout scheduled for December 20 in Phoenix.

Nevada’s decision Wednesday at its annual meeting was no surprise. The NSAC was not happy that Chavez refused to submit to drug testing. It was also angry at promoter Eddie Hearn’s subsequent decision to move the troubled card, from Las Vegas’ MGM Grand to Talking Stick Arena in downtown Phoenix.

Under federal laws established by the Muhammad Ali Act, Arizona is expected to honor Nevada’s ongoing suspension. However, the Arizona State Boxing & MMA Commission had yet to rule on whether to let the fight happen.

The Arizona Commission is waiting on legal advice from the Arizona Gaming Commission. The state regulatory agency for combat sports answers to the Gaming Commission. Reportedly, Gabe Rosado will fight Jacobs if Chavez can’t.

Report: NSAC warns Eddie Hearn over handling of Chavez Jr. situation

The NSAC has objected to the way Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sports has handled the Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. situation.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission has made it clear that Eddie Hearn of Matchroom Sports must follow Nevada law – or else.

Bob Bennett, the Commission’s executive director, sent a letter to Hearn objecting to the fact Chavez is scheduled to fight Daniel Jacobs in Phoenix even though Chavez is temporarily suspended for refusing to take a drug test in Nevada, according to a report by Thomas Hauser on BoxingScene.com.

The Chavez-Jacobs fight had been scheduled to take place in Nevada before Chavez declined to provide a test sample on October 24. The venue was then changed to Phoenix.

Bennett isn’t fooling around. He states in the letter, obtained by Hauser: “Grounds exist to bring disciplinary action against Matchroom before the NSAC. If Matchroom does not take the necessary action to come into compliance with Nevada law, our office will consider its options.”

The letter lays out Nevada law, including a portion that applies directly to this situation. It reads: “Under the Ali Act, no boxer is permitted to box while under suspension from any boxing commission due to, among other things, failure of a drug test.”

The issue is scheduled to be discussed by Nevada commissioners on November 20. Hauser explained the possible outcomes of that meeting this way:

“The NSAC placed Chavez on temporary suspension pending the result of a November 20 commission meeting. At that meeting, the five commissioners are expected to review the temporary suspension and set it down for a hearing on December 18.

“The key question is whether, in the interim, the NSAC commissioners will classify Chavez’s suspension as an administrative suspension or a suspension for refusing to submit to a sample collection. If they opt for the latter, the Arizona commission would be in violation of federal law if it allowed Jacobs-Chavez to be contested.”

Here are portions of the letter:

“Nevada law prohibits any promoter licensed by the NSAC from having any dealings related to unarmed combat with a person who has been suspended by the NSAC. Nevada law also prohibits a promoter from permitting a person under suspension from participating in any contest or exhibition of unarmed combat during the period of suspension. Any violation of Nevada or Federal law by a licensed promoter provides grounds for disciplinary action.

“In addition, under the Ali Act, no boxer is permitted to box while under suspension from any boxing commission due to, among other things, failure of a drug test. Under Nevada law, an unarmed combatant that refuses to submit to the collection of a sample or specimen upon the request of the NSAC or its representative, or otherwise evades the collection thereof, has committed an anti-doping violation and is subject to disciplinary action just as he or she would be if he or she failed a drug test.

“Based on Matchroom’s ongoing dealings with Chavez while he has been on suspension, it is apparent that Matchroom has violated Nevada law. Further, given that Chavez’s suspension is based on his refusal to submit to a drug test requested by the NSAC, and thus an anti-doping violation, it is apparent that the event scheduled to occur in Arizona on December 20, 2019, is in violation of the Ali Act. As such, Matchroom is promoting an event that potentially violates federal law.”

The letter goes on:

“On November 7, 2019, I contacted Shaun Palmer, Matchroom’s Head of Legal and Business Affairs, and informed him of the legal issues with Matchroom’s dealings with Chavez discussed herein. I further informed him of the potential consequences should Matchroom not take corrective measures to comply with Nevada law, including that a violation of Nevada law would be considered by the NSAC when deciding whether to renew Matchroom’s promoter’s license.”