Julio Cesar Martinez reportedly received a nine-month suspension by the Nevada State Athletic Commission following a positive drug test from his twelve-round majority decision win over Angelino Cordova on March 30th at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The fight has now been changed from a win to a no-contest.
Fans Question Leniency of Suspension
Martinez (21-3, 15 KOs) successfully defended his WBC flyweight title in his victory over Cordova (18-1-1, 12 KOs). According to RingMagzine, Martinez, 29, tested positive for S5 diuretics and other masking agents from his victory.
Some fans on social media are grumbling about the suspension, wondering why Julio Martinez wasn’t given a full twelve months like Ryan Garcia, who was banned for a year by the New York State Athletic Commission for testing positive for the PED Ostarine from his fight against WBC light welterweight champion Devin Haney on April 20th.
It’s unclear why the Nevada Commission gave Martinez a lesser suspension than the one Ryan Garcia received by the New York Commission, but things may be a little less strict in the hot state than on the East Coast.
Martinez’s Recent Success and Potential Comeback
Julio Cesar Martinez had won his last three fights since losing to Roman ‘Chocolatito’ Gonzalez in March 2022. Martinez had bounced back impressively, looking as good as ever and dominating his opposition.
It’ll be interesting to see if Martinez can return from this latest career setback. A nine-month ban isn’t a long one, so in theory, he should miss just one fight, given that he only competes twice a year.
Since Martinez has already fought once this year, he should be ready to fight his usual twice a year beginning in 2025.
There’s no word if Martinez’s ninth-month ban has been backdated to his last fight in March. If so, Martinez could be ready to resume his career in a mere six months, which would be convenient for him and would anger fans.
Given Julio Cesar Martinez’s popularity and fan-friendly aggressive fighting style, he’ll continue to be in demand after his suspension ends. All-action fighters like Martinez bring in better ratings for networks than the defensive guys, who hit, run, and hold for 12 rounds.
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