By Chris Williams: I’m still trying to figure out what Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) has done to deserve a title shot against World Boxing Association junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto (35-2, 28 KO’s). Other than the fact that both Chavez Jr. and Cotto fight for Top Rank and promoter Bob Arum likes to match his fighters up against each other, I don’t see what Chavez has done to get this shot against Cotto. After fighting as a pro for seven years against B level opposition, Chavez, who was already ranked number #1 by the World Boxing Council in the middleweight division, beat fringe middleweight contender John Duddy by a 12 round unanimous decision last June.

Duddy is a decent middleweight, but he had already been beaten by fringe contender Billy Lyell in the previous year and hadn’t done much since then to prove himself. Chavez clearly dominated Duddy in their fight on June 26th, but Duddy had Chavez hurt on a couple of occasions in that fight with some shots. Duddy isn’t a big puncher, and yet he had Chavez hurt. I would have liked to have seen a higher ranked and more proven contender put in with Cotto rather than Chavez at this point. If Duddy is the only real opponent that Chavez Jr. has to show for himself after seven years as a pro, I think he’s not qualified as of yet for a title shot against Cotto.

That’s like throwing an underdeveloped fighter in with a pro. Chavez isn’t ready and won’t be ready to deal with Cotto by December 4th, which is when they’ll be fighting. It doesn’t matter that Chavez Jr. will be Manny Pacquiao’s sparring partner as Manny prepares for Antonio Margarito. Chavez needs a lot more seasoning and his trainer Freddie Roach won’t be able to work miracles in that short of a time frame. I think this goes beyond just experience, though.

I think Chavez just won’t ever be in the same league as a fighter like Cotto and other top guys in the junior middleweight and middleweight divisions. That’s the ways thing are. You can have the perfect trainer, tons of experience and train like an animal and still not be talented enough to beat the top guys. I have a lot of respect for Julio Cesar Chavez Sr. as a fighter, but I don’t see the same talent in his son. And I don’t think he’s going to develop that talent by December 4th. This is going to be a massacre unless Cotto takes it easy on Chavez and carries him for 12 rounds.

Even then, Chavez Jr. is probably going to take a royal pounding by Cotto. I would much rather see Cotto face a higher ranked contender in his own division like Anthony Mundine, Vanes Martiorsyan or Pawel Wolak. I think those fights would be far more interesting and competitive than Chavez-Cotto. That fight has mismatch written all over it, and I can’t see this fight as a pay per view fight.