(Photo: Naoki Fakuda) By John F. McKenna (McJack): The thought of WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) taking on Ring Magazine middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) a year ago, or even six months ago was almost laughable. But no one is laughing anymore.

Most boxing fans and pundits did not take Chavez seriously and were of the opinion that he was living off his father’s reputation. His father Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. was 93 and 0 as a fighter when this writer saw him fight for the first time in Atlantic City in 1990. It was an unforgettable experience.

His father may have been the greatest of all Mexican warriors in the ring. It is indeed a tough if not impossible act to follow. And it is only natural that when you follow in the footsteps of a father who was such a great fighter that boxing fans would immediately begin making comparisons between father and son.

This writer too was dismissive of Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. the first time I saw him. But if there is one thing Jr. has demonstrated it is that he has tenacity and the desire to improve. Julio is now far superior as a fighter to where he was a year ago. His most recent fight against Andy Lee also proved that he has the Chavez chin. I must admit I thought Lee had a very good chance of defeating Chavez. But like so many others Julio proved me wrong.

Trainer Freddie Roach has worked wonders in turning Chavez into a legitimate champion. The key point one must remember when analyzing Chavez’s upcoming fight with Sergio Martinez is that Julio improves with each and every fight and his confidence level has grown by leaps and bounds.

Chavez in addition to having a good chin has demonstrated an ability to fight in the trenches and uses his superior body punching and strength to wear his opponents down as a fight progresses.

Julio at 6’1” will also enjoy a height and weight advantage over the 5’10” Martinez. Chavez will more than likely have at least a 15 pound weight advantage when he rehydrates after the weigh in. Martinez normal weight is in the 155 pound range, which is one of the reasons he never considered moving up to super middleweight for a big money fight. Boxing fans are looking forward with great anticipation to the showdown between Chavez and Martinez which will take place on September 15 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.