By Dan Ambrose: According to writer Ronnie Nathanielsz at Manila Standard, he was informed by WBC president Jose Sulaiman that WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. has agreed to face WBC Diamond middleweight champion Sergio Martinez if he makes it past Matthew Macklin on March 17th.

Sulaiman said this to the manila standard: “Chavez called me up to let me know that he will fight Martinez.”

This sounds really good but it doesn’t have much meaning unless it’s from the 25-year-old Chavez’s promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank, because earlier this week he ruled out the idea of Chavez Jr. facing Sergio Martinez, saying he won’t be fighting Martinez for at least two or three fights until his matchmaker and trainer Freddie Roach agree to it, according to USA Today.

Arum likely won’t let Chavez Jr. fight Martinez next no matter what Chavez Jr. said to Sulaiman. Arum is the one calling the shots in terms of who Chavez Jr. is fighting, and he’s looking at #6 WBC ranked contender Andy Lee next. The WBC already said no to Antonio Margarito facing Chavez Jr. next, but that also means nothing. If Arum wants Margarito next, that’s who Chavez Jr. will be fighting. If the WBC plays hardball and insists that Chavez Jr. fight Martinez next, then Arum will just have Chavez Jr. vacate the title rather than taking a fight he doesn’t want his fighter to take.

At this point Martinez doesn’t care how he gets the WBC title back. He just wants the strap back. However, it’s still difficult to believe that the WBC will force Chavez Jr. and Arum to make the Martinez fight if Arum says no to it. The fight makes sense, but Arum feels Chavez Jr. isn’t ready for it, and who knows when he ever will be. Arum thought Chavez Jr. looked good in beating Marco Antonio Rubio last weekend. I don’t agree with him and it doesn’t like HBO agrees with him either, because they were bored by the Chavez Jr. vs. Rubio fight.