Julio Cesar Chavez Jr planning May return to the ring

With his first professional loss behind him, former WBC middleweight titlist Julio Cesar Chavez Jr is hoping to return to active boxing in May 2013, provided that the Nevada State Athletic Commission does not hand down a suspension longer than 6-to-8 months, which is what his team expects.

Chavez Jr (46-1-1, 32 KO) lost a dramatic title fight to Sergio Martinez on September 15 in Las Vegas, and his post-fight urinalysis was positive for marijuana. The commission still hasn't dealt with that, but the expectation from his team seems realistic. One worry, however, will be that it's not the first drug test Chavez has failed in the state. In 2009, he tested positive for a diuretic after his fight with Troy Rowland.

There has been plenty of drama over the failed marijuana test, with Top Rank initially issuing an apology press release that didn't really read like it came from the fighter, and then came unflattering stories of Chavez from the WBC's Jose Sulaiman, who has been accused of coddling the popular second generation star over his career.

Chavez, 26, ultimately hopes to rematch Martinez on September 14 next year. Martinez will first face Martin Murray on April 27 in Argentina, so they're attempting to line up the fight dates as well as they can.