By Dan Ambrose: Trainer Freddie Roach is under the impression that his fighter Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (41-0-1, 30 KO’s) can beat WBC emeritus middleweight champion Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KO’s). Roach is interested in putting Chavez Jr. in with Martinez later in 2011, at least that’s what Roach is saying now. It’s hard to believe that Roach is serious about wanting to match Chavez Jr. against Martinez, because Chavez Jr. looks so flawed, average and vulnerable.
Martinez would likely knock Chavez Jr. cold if they were to fight. Chavez was staggered by the light hitting John Duddy in his last fight a year ago, and although Chavez Jr. won the fight, his faced was heavily bruised by Duddy. In looking at that fight, it’s scary to think what Martinez would do to Chavez Jr. if given the chance.
Speaking with AP at ESPN Deportes, Roach said “Martinez has said that he wants to fight Manny Pacquiao, but Pacquiao is very tough for him. I would like to see Chavez Jr. fight him first, and I believe that Chavez would have chance of beating hm. Martinez is a great boxer, but he has weaknesses.”
Martinez may have some weaknesses, but Chavez Jr. isn’t the one that’s going to exploit them. I would frankly be amazed if Roach were to allow Chavez Jr. to fight Martinez, because he’s several levels below Martinez in talent in my view. With the exception of his win over fringe contender John Duddy, Chavez Jr. has faced nothing but B and C level fighters his entire career. And Duddy is really a B level fighter himself. Chavez Jr. is facing the hand-picked junior middleweight Billy Lyell to fight on Saturday night in Culiacan, Mexico. Instead of being matched against someone from his own weight class, Chavez Jr. is being matched against a much smaller junior middleweight with no power. Lyell has only four knockouts on his record. If you think that’s just an accident, then your sadly mistaken. Chavez Jr. won’t be matched against anyone good to ruin his title shot against the appointed Sebastian Zbik. The WBC stripped Sergio Martinez recently of his WBC title and gave him the title of Emeritus champion, and thus giving the title to Zbik and putting Chavez Jr. in the position to fight the weak punching Zbik for the title in May.
In the end, Bob Arum, the promoter for Chavez Jr., won’t likely even consider putting him in with a knockout puncher like Martinez. Roach may be doing some talking now to get attention for Chavez jr., but I don’t see Roach as being serious about this. The day that Chavez Jr. fights a quality fighter, and I’m not even talking Martinez here, is the day that Chavez Jr. will likely take a battering. I see at least 15 better fighters in the middleweight division than him, and Martinez is the number #1 fighter.
Comments are closed.