By John F. McKenna (McJack): Clearly WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (46-0-1, 32 KO’s) is in for the fight of his life when he clashes with Ring middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (49-2-2, 28 KO’s) on Sept 15 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas.

Top Rank CEO Bob Arum was able to maneuver Julio into a shot at the vacant middleweight title when he went up against Sebastian Zbik (30-2, 10 KO’s) of Germany in June 2011. Chavez came away a unanimous decision and the WBC middleweight title belt.

At this stage of his career Julio is brimming with confidence, but it was not always that way. He now acknowledges that as recently as a year ago he was not ready for the likes of a fighter at the level of Sergio Martinez. Arum knew it, trainer Freddie Roach knew it and a frustrated Martinez knew it. For Chavez to now admit that he was not ready for Martinez is somewhat surprising. Candor is always welcome in boxing, but at the same time it is extremely rare.

Martinez is not the type of fighter who lacks self confidence. At 37 years old he is at the top of his game. But for Chavez it is a relatively recent phenomenon to carry around the confidence he now has. So the question begs to be asked, what does Sergio need to do to make Julio start to question his own ability? Undoubtedly the Martinez brain trust is currently in the process of figuring out a way to plant the seeds of doubt in Chavez’s mind. After all, this is the first time that Julio has fought anyone at this high level.

What happens when Sergio uses his vast experience to inflict his will on Chavez? What happens when Martinez has an antidote for Julio when he attempts to trap Sergio on the ropes? It will be by far the hugest test of Julio’s career. Trainer Roach has worked wonders in taking Chavez so far in such a short period of time. Unfortunately Roach will not be in the ring with Julio when Sergio makes a move on him that he has not seen before.

Chavez was able to handle the much bigger and stronger Kelly Pavlik when he demolished him in April 2010. It is likely that Chavez will also enjoy a huge size advantage against Martinez. But Sergio may have a surprise or two for Chavez on September 15. Stay tuned, things may get interesting.