By Chris Williams: I was somewhat surprised and a little impressed that Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) beat John Duddy so easily in his last fight on June 26th at the Alamodome, in San Antonio, Texas. But then again, I don’t see Duddy as an A level fighter, so Chavez’s win has to be taken with a grain of salt. But I’m interested to know if Bob Arum, Chavez’s promoter, is finally going to take the training wheels off of him and put him in with a top tier fighter after 42 fights.

I mean how much longer can Chavez be matched against 2nd tier opponents. I’ve heard of a few fighters that have gone beyond 40 fights and still not fought an A class fighter, but those guys are very rare indeed. Eventually, the pressure and the hint of money becomes so big that the fighter with an inflated record of wins over B level opposition is finally put in with a good fighter.

Most of the time, they get crushed, which is pretty much what I see happening with Chavez Jr. when he’s finally put in with someone that can fight. I’ve heard that Chavez Jr. could fight WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in the near future. That would be an excellent payday for Chavez, and a good way for Arum to cash out on his investment.

I think Chavez would be destroyed by Cotto very quickly, unless he’s told to run and jab by his trainer Freddie Roach. In that case, I think Chavez would last longer but still get destroyed by Cotto when Chavez eventually tires out and is forced to fight with the Peurto Rican.

Earlier today, there were reports that Chavez Jr. could be facing former welterweight champion Ricardo Mayorga. I don’t believe it for a second. Mayorga is too dangerous and would have an excellent chance of beating Chavez.