By William Mackay: WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. (44-0-1, 31 KO’s) has improved a lot in the past year and isn’t nearly as hittable as he once was. He’s using his jab more and even showing good footwork in some of his fights. However, Chavez Jr. was still getting hit cleanly in his last fight against Peter Manfredo Jr. and won the fight based on his better size and power.

But Chavez Jr. is now scheduled to fight Marco Antonio Rubio (53-5-1, 46 KO’s) on February 4th, and unless the World Boxing Council decide not to sanction this fight, which is highly unlikely, Chavez Jr. is going to be facing the biggest puncher of his career in 31-year-old Rubio.

This isn’t a guy that Chavez Jr. can beat by trading shots with. Rubio hits too hard and Chavez Jr. just gets hit way too cleanly. I don’t know why but Chavez Jr. doesn’t move his head away from the shots when he gets hit like normal fighters do, and Chavez Jr. sure doesn’t block a lot of punches either. His trainer Freddie Roach’s teaches his fighters to use their legs to avoid getting hit by having them move around the ring. But like Amir Khan, Roach’s #2 fighter, Chavez Jr. can’t block a punch to save his life.

This is bad news for Chavez Jr. because he’s going to be getting hit hard by Rubio and unless Chavez Jr. has a head like a brick wall, he might be heading for a knockout loss. It was ugly to watch how often Chavez Jr. was getting tagged in his fights against Sebastian Zbik, Billy Lyell and even in his fight with Manfredo. The thing is none of those guys can punch. Rubio can and he’s going to have Chavez’s head right there in front of him all night long for him to tee off on.

I don’t know how the WBC will feel about Chavez Jr. getting knocked, because it seems like they’ve bent over backwards to help him out by letting him avoid the Sergio Martinez fight. But I think Chavez’s time as the WBC champ is about up unless he can stay on his feet for the full 12 rounds against Rubio and win a controversial 12 round decision.