By Eric Thomas: Unbeaten junior middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (40-0-1, 30 KO’s) will keep moving ahead in 2010, with potential decent money bouts against once beaten middleweight contender John Duddy and if successful against him, Chavez Jr. would then likely be facing World Boxing Council junior middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (44-1-2, 24 KO’s) later in 2010.

Currently, the 23-year-old Chavez Jr., the son of boxing great Julio Cesar Chavez, is ranked #3 in the WBC junior middleweight division but with a win over Duddy and another victory against a still to be determined opponent in December of this year, Chavez would be breathing down the 34-year-old Martinez’s neck.

The one question is whether or not Chavez’s management would permit for him to take a dangerous fight against a defensive whiz like Martinez. The money for a fight against Martinez wouldn’t likely be huge because he’s from Argentina, not Mexico like Chavez Jr.

Plus, Martinez isn’t a particularly popular fighter yet despite being a super talent. That, of course, won’t stop Chavez Jr’s promoter from taking the fight and putting it on pay-per-view but I wonder whether they would take this fight if it’s not going to be a huge pay per view success like the recent Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Floyd Mayweather bout last weekend.

Chavez is popular to a certain extent in Mexico but much less so in the United States because he hasn’t been shown consistently on cable. Chavez probably would be a big star by now if he has been matched better, because that seems to be the sticking point with him. Chavez is still being put in with B level fighters even though he’s now had 40 pro fights.

At some point, you got to take the pacifier out of Chavez’s mouth and put him in with a live fighter instead of the typical second tier opposition that he’s been consistently spoon fed since turning pro in 2003. Chavez’s latest victim was Jason LeHoullier, another in the long line of B fighters without much power that Chavez has been served up.

It’s unknown who Chavez will be facing in December, but if history is any kind of guide, you can expect it to be another lower level fighter from the second tier with little power and a weak chin.

Martinez hasn’t fought since way back in February, fighting to a 12 round draw with Kermit Cintron in a fight that Martinez appeared to win by a 9th round stoppage after blasting Cintron with a big left hand that knocked him down. Cintron complained bitterly that he was hit with a head butt and the referee bought his excuse and allowed the fight to continue.

Martinez was later penalized a point in the 12th round, which guaranteed that the fight would end up a draw. Despite this controversy, Martinez would appear to be a much better fighter than Chavez Jr. It would be a gross mismatch if the fight does take place because Chavez has struggled against B class fighters and he would be in a situation where he would have only once chance to win and that’s by a knockout against Martinez.

That won’t happen. And that’s why I seriously doubt Chavez Jr’s handlers will throw him to the wolves and let Martinez rip him apart. Heck, I doubt Chavez will beat Duddy, so we probably won’t even get to the point of a potential Chavez-Martinez fight.