Photo: Rafael Soto/Top Rank – By Chris Williams: I really love boxing and I am all for the fighters getting a good payday, but I’m not exactly eager about the thought of paying $39.95 to watch Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. fight John Duddy and Marco Antonio Barrera go at it with Adailton De Jesus. I like good boxing, competitive fights and seeing huge stars when I’m paying for a fight card. However, I don’t see any fight on the this Saturday’s Latin Fury 15 card that would make me want to pay to watch it. Chavez and Duddy are the main even, which is really hard for me to believe, because I don’t see either of them as 1st tier fighters.

I know both of them are currently ranked in the top 15, but I don’t personally agree with those rankings at all. When I see a fighter like Chavez, who has never fought one top tier fighter in his seven year career, ranked number #1 by the WBC in the light middleweight division, I just shake my head. I might buy this card just to see how truly bad it is, and to see if Chavez or Duddy look better than I’ve seen from them in the past. I watched all their last three fights in the past couple of weeks and saw nothing that would make me think either of them are anything more than 2nd tier fighters who have been hyped like crazy.

Barrera, 36, was once a great fighter but he’s been on a serious downward slide since 2006, starting with his two fights with Rocky Juarez. Barrera won both of them but I think he should have lost the first one. Barrera was then beaten in back to back fights by Juan Manuel Marquez and Manny Pacquiao in 2007. And beaten again last year by Amir Khan. Bob Arum of Top Rank is hoping that Barrera can win a 4th world title and defend it a couple of times. I just don’t see it happening.

I know the lightweight division isn’t exactly loaded at this time with a lot of fighters moving up in weight, but I don’t have much confidence in Barrera being able to capitalize on that. And I’m not exactly thrilled at seeing Barrera coming into Saturday’s fight having lost three out of his last five fights. That’s not exactly inspiring for me and doesn’t make me want to purchase this thing know that he’s struggling like this to try and find wins. His opponent, 31-year-old De Jesus, has never beaten a top tier fighter before. He’s lost to Yurirokis Gamboa, Marcos Ramirez, Roinet Caballero and most recently to Oscar Jesus Pereyra. I think Barrera can probably beat this guy, but so what? The guys hasn’t beaten anyone himself, so why should I want to see him fight Barrera?

The other fights on Saturday’s card are Salvador Sanchez vs. Tomas Villa and Raul Martinez vs. Gabriel Elizondo. I wouldn’t mind seeing these fights on free television, but I sure don’t want to pay do see them fight. I’ve seen Sanchez (19-3, 9 KO’s) before and wasn’t particularly impressed at all. He’s kind of short and not a big puncher. His opponent, Villa, was stopped in the 1st round in his last fight in April. Looks like a mismatch. Not interesting in paying to see this fight. Raul Martinez is a decent enough fighter, but can’t shake the image of him getting so easily beaten last year in his 4th round TKO loss to Nonito Donaire. And Martinez’s opponent this Saturday, Elizondo, has lost two out of his last three fights. It looks like another mismatch. No thanks, not interested in seeing this one.

If they lowered the price of this card I might be more interested in buying it, but I see it as a $5 card, not a $39.95 one.