Chavez Jr. gets big opportunity with Martinez vacating WBC junior middleweight title

By Jason Kim: With the news today that World Boxing Council junior middleweight/WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez was planning on vacating his WBC junior middleweight title, this creates a big opportunity for number #1 ranked WBC contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) to fight for the vacant junior middleweight title in the near future, if Chavez can get by John Duddy on June 26th in their fight for the obscure WBC Silver middleweight title at the Alamodome, in San Antonio, Texas.

This could be a dream come true for Chavez Jr. and likely the WBC, because they could have the son of the famous boxing Julio Cesar Chavez possibly fighting for the vacant WBC junior middleweight title. I say ‘could’ because I don’t think for a second that Chavez’s promoters would throw him in with someone like Antonio Margarito, who is currently ranked #2 by the WBC.

That probably wouldn’t even be a fair fight because Margarito is clearly a couple levels above the 24-year-old Chavez Jr. in talent and experience. And the number #3 ranked Kemit Cintron would be just as bad news for Chavez and the WBC, because Cintron would likely knock Chavez into next year if he’s matched against him. What they need is to have someone like Ryan Rhodes, Joachim Alcine, Joe Greene or Luis Collazo fighting against Chavez if the young fighter is to have any chance of winning.

I think he would probably lose to all of those fighters but he would at least have a chance at beating them compared to what Chavez’s fate would be if he was put in with Cintron or Margarito. Those fights reek of knockout for Chavez. I think there’s just too many good fighters in the light middleweight division for Chavez Jr. to actually win and hold down a title for any length of time.

It doesn’t matter than his new trainer Freddie Roach is high on him and is pleased that Chavez isn’t lazy. He also needs talent besides just a drive to work hard at the Wild Card Gym, and I just don’t see the talent being there. The WBC, for some reason, has former Cuban amateur star Erislandy Lara ranked number #15 and Chavez number #1.

I think those rankings should be flip flopped. Lara is bad news for Chavez if he was to ever fight him. #6 is Vanes Martirosyan, a decent fighter, but probably a big danger for Chavez if he were to get picked to fight him for the vacant title.

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