Look at that friggin' pothead up there. That's Bob Arum, founder and CEO of Top Rank, which has promoted fighters from Muhammad Ali to Ray Mancini to Butterbean. Hey Bob, you with us, buddy? Or are you too busy getting stoned on grass to be a productive member of society? Are you too busy going to pot parties with unruly teens? Are you too busy shooting "skunk" weed straight into your eyeballs to pay attention to what's happening around you?! Hey Bob, come back!
This week, after last week's exciting fight against Sergio Martinez, Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. tested positive for marijuana. He's managed by Top Rank, so Arum had a comment for ESPN:
"The commission let (Top Rank's Carl) Moretti know (Tuesday) night that he tested positive," Arum said. "I can't really get excited about it. There's no promoter in boxing who could pass the marijuana test, including myself.
"Julio is going to have to explain to the commission what happened and the commission will be guided accordingly. If there was a trace of marijuana, to me, it's not the same as using a performance-enhancing drug. That is cheating."
He's 80 years old, lives in Las Vegas, has had many public feuds with Don King, and apparently allows all business at his boxing promotion company to be conducted through a thick cloud of weed smoke. Bob, you're alright. Incidentally, we now know why boxing has slid precipitously into the periphery of American sports: Pot parties—possibly attended by unruly teens. It actually sort of explains a lot.