By Dan Ambrose: Photo: Naoki Fakuda: Unbeaten number #1 ranked WBC middleweight contender Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (42-0-1, 30 Ko’s) made weight at Friday’s weigh-in for Saturday’s title bout against World Boxing Council middleweight champion Sebastian Zbik (30-0, 10 KO’s) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The 25-year-old Chavez weighed 160 lbs right on the button to make the middleweight limit, whereas the champion Zbik came in at 158.8 lbs.

The 6-foot Chavez Jr. looked a lot taller than the 5’11 1/2″ Zbik, even though they’re supposed to be only separated by a half an inch. Chavez Jr. looked to be at east three inches taller than Zbik. It might not mean much if fights as poorly as he often does in his fights. He recently looked absolutely terrible in a sparring session with unbeaten junior middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan during media day. Chavez Jr. took a pounding from Martirosyan and looked little better than an over-matched sparring partner against the former U.S. Olympian Martirosyan.

Chavez Jr. needs to win Saturday’s fight to keep hope alive for a big money fight against fellow Top Rank fighter WBA junior middleweight champion Miguel Cotto in September. That’s the fight that Chavez Jr. wants and Cotto want’s as well. Chavez Jr. has been talking about facing Sergio Martinez, the former WBC middleweight champion, but few people see that as serious talk. Martinez is much too good for Chavez Jr. and it wouldn’t be a fight; It would be a massacre.

Other weights for Saturday’s fight card:

Vanes Martirosyan 153.4, Saul Roman 153
Christy Martin 149.8, Dakota Stone 149
Mikey Garcia 127, Rafael Guzman 125.8