By Chris Williams: Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said that his unbeaten fighter WBC Silver middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (42-0-1, 30 KO’s) and undefeated WBC Silver junior middleweight champion Saul Alvarez (35-0-1, 26 KO’s) will never fight because Chavez Jr. is “too big” for Alvarez to fight. This seems kind of silly given that the 6-foot Chavez Jr. just went life and death with the light hitting 5’9″ Billy Lyell last weekend.
Lyell, a B level fighter like the vast majority of Chavez’s opponents during his 8-year pro career, was able to hit Chavez Jr. almost at will for 10 rounds. Chavez Jr. won the fight by a 10 round decision but failed to look impressive and ended up with a swollen up face. In contrast, Alvarez is also 5’9″, and a much bigger puncher than both Chavez Jr. and Lyell. Sure, Chavez Jr. would have a three inch height and two inch reach advantage over Alvarez but that’s basically nothing.
Speaking with Michael Marley at examiner.com, Arum said “He [Alvarez] and Julio will never fight. Julio is too big physically. He’s [Alvarez] barely a welterweight and Julio has become a big middleweight. Alvarez is a decent fighter, but anybody halfway good is going to beat him. He is limited and he is slow with his hands and his feet.”
I don’t think there’s too many fighters at welterweight I would favor over Alvarez. I think he beats Shane Mosley and Mike Jones. Of course, Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr. would beat him. I don’t know about WBC welterweight champion Andre Berto. If Alvarez can take his shots, I see him beating Berto. I haven’t seen Berto fight anyone with a pulse other than Luis Collazo, and I think he should have gotten the decision in that fight.
In a match-up between Chavez Jr. and Alvarez, I would favor Alvarez every time out 100%. I think he’s a superior fighter than Chavez Jr. with a much greater upside. I don’t see Chavez Jr. as a authentic top middleweight. His number #1 ranking by the WBC is suspect my mind. I see Chavez Jr. as a bottom tier guy. Chavez Jr. is a big middleweight in terms of height, but he fights like a small one by standing inside, giving up his height and reach. He also doesn’t have the power of a big middleweight and punches more like a welterweight with too much weight on him.
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