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Sergio Martinez demands Olympic-level drug testing to rematch Chavez Jr in Texas

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Middleweight champion Sergio Martinez says he will take a proposed rematch at Cowboys Stadium with Julio Cesar Chavez Jr, but only if Chavez agrees to undergo a month of Olympic-style drug testing for the fight.

Sergio Martinez and Julio Cesar Chavez Jr both aren't likely to be back in the ring any time soon, but if they are to ever rematch, and if it's at Cowboys Stadium like promoter Bob Arum would love to see, then Martinez has a simple request: Chavez Jr has to undergo a month of "Olympic" drug testing for the bout.

"If he wants to box there, there must be a condition to undergo Olympic testing for one month, one week, and one day before the fight," Martinez said.

Arum brought up the Cowboys Stadium idea just after the fight on September 15, and Martinez expressed reasonable skepticism about going to Texas for the fight. He says it's not the venue, which is a way of saying he doesn't trust the Texas commission, probably, and like I've said before, that's a fair bit of mistrust to have. Chavez Jr has gotten away with a lot there, and the state doesn't actually require drug testing for fighters.

So to have an outside company like USADA or VADA do it would be the safe bet. Sure, Chavez Jr "only" tested positive for marijuana, but that's really not the point. Eyebrows have been raised about more than one Chavez Jr fight in Texas over the years, and more than one Texas fight in general, for a variety of reasons. Drug testing is a major issue there, and Texas is woefully and willfully behind the times.

[ Related: WBC 'fines' and 'punishes' Chavez Jr ]

Martinez would reportedly like to make a title defense in his native Argentina first, and given the fact that he'll be out until at least April of next year, that could be doable, especially since Chavez Jr is still awaiting his punishment from Nevada, which should be a fine and possibly a year's suspension from the ring. If there is going to be a Martinez vs Chavez Jr rematch, it's not going to happen right away. Martinez hasn't fought in Argentina since 2002.

                                                                                                                                                                                                               

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