By Jason Kim: Unbeaten middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) will be returning to the ring on January 29th against junior middleweight Billy Lyell (22-8, 4 KO’s) in a 10 round bout at the Estadio Banorte, in Culiacan, Mexico. Chavez, 24, is hoping to get a title shot in 2011, either against WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez or WBC middleweight interim champ Sebastian Zbik (30-0, 10 KO’s). It’s likely that Chavez will be kept away from Martinez, who is many levels above Chavez Jr. in talent at this point.

Chavez would do better if he’s kept far away from Martinez, because that’s a fight he won’t win. The bout against Zbik, a weak puncher, also figures to be a really tough assignment for Chavez because of Zbik’s excellent technical skills. Zbik isn’t a limited plodder like Chavez’s last opponent in June. Although Zbik is hardly a dangerous fighter, he’s still got skills and could give Chavez a lot of problems.

Chavez’s trainer Freddie Roach likes what he sees of his fighter and thinks he’s capable of being a star someday, but he’s got a lot of work to on the young Chavez for him to beat the better fighters in the middleweight division. Right now, Chavez would likely get destroyed by Martinez, and by a number of other top middleweights. Chavez has had the benefit of being pushed to the number #1 spot by the WBC based solely on wins over 2nd tier opposition without any real quality opponents. C

Lyell is a decent B level fighter, and someone that will be a decent test for Chavez Jr. However, let’s not get things twisted here. Lyell is a junior middleweight and only 5’9″. He’s not a middleweight and it’s disappointing that Chavez’s management are matching him against fighters in smaller weight classes in order for him to look good. Chavez should be put in with fighters from his own weight class, and preferably legit contenders and not fringe ones like Duddy.

Those kinds of opponents are only good to pad a record and won’t help Chavez for when he’s some day finally put in with a good middleweight like Martinez, Dimitry Pirgo, Paul Williams, Kelly Pavlik, Gennady Golovkin and Daniel Jacobs. You have to wonder how long it’s going to be before Chavez is finally matches against someone that has talent and not just a fighter that he’s being put in with just to get an empty win.