By Dan Ambrose: If WBC Diamond middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (47-2-2, 26 KO’s) wants a change to recapture his old WBC middleweight crown in a fight against the current WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (43-0-1, 30 KO’s) Martinez may have to beat both Darren Barker and Marco Antonio Rubio to get a shot against Chavez Jr.

The WBC are interesting in Martinez facing both Barker, the number #3 WBC contender and Rubio, the number #1 contender before having him fight Chavez Jr. But by making Martinez jump through not one but two separate hoops to get a fight against Chavez Jr., it gives the impression that he’s being given more time to hold onto his paper title.

After all, Chavez never had to fight Martinez for the strap after he was stripped by the WBC and the belt was given to Sebastian Zbik, a fighter without much power. Chavez Jr. then moved in and won a close decision to beat Zbik last June in a life and death fight where Chavez took an enormous amount of punishment from the light hitting Zbik in winning the WBC strap.

Chavez Jr. is now fighting Peter Manfredo Jr. (37-6, 20 KO’s) on November 19th. Manfredo is a decent fringe level middleweight contender, but in no way near the same class as Martinez in terms of talent. In essence, Manfredo Jr. is a safe fight for Chavez Jr., if there is such a thing for a flawed fighter like him.

Martinez will destroy Barker in their fight on October 1st, and if Martinez has to take on Marco Antonio Rubio to get to Chavez Jr, then I see Martinez knocking Rubio out as well. However, I don’t see Chavez Jr. holding up his end by sticking around. I think he’ll vacate the belt when the time comes for him to fight Martinez. I just don’t see him ever facing that guy.